Baby name Barack? Fate of Hillary?

Question

I noticed that the popularity of the baby name Hillary dropped dramatically over the past 15 years. In 1993, it peaked as the 131st most common girls name for babies in the US. In 2007, it barely made the list at 960. Do you forsee the name Barack finally making it into the top 1000 baby names with the popularity of Barack Obama? Barack is a form of the Hebrew name Baruch and is African for blessed according to babynames.com. Do you think this name will remain in obscurity? Will it make a difference if Obama wins the election in November? Do you think Hillary will make a comeback? I am interested in your predictions.

Answer 1

I think that Barak will probably become more popular if he wins the election, but only by his supporters of course.

Answer 2

I just don't like the name Barack in general I really don't care about American politics ( yet)! And Hillary it`s a nice name I just don`t see myself naming my kids that.

Answer 3

Oh, politics have come to the baby names board! Kelly, what have you done? ;)

I do not see Barack (or Hussein, or that matter) becoming a popular name, but naming trends tell otherwise. People love to name their kids after celebrities! And this election certainly has star status. So we will see if names of his namesake break into the top 1000. I do not think they will go very high, maybe just the bottom 900s. With his win this November, it will definitely be interesting to see how many baby Baracks we have crawling around!

Oh, and Hillary deserves to keep plummeting :P

Answer 4

if Obama becomes president, i can see if becoming more popular, but not exceedingly. Hillary has not ever been that popular, but again, if she becomes president, i would predict an increase in that name.

Answer 5

It's possible, though I doubt it. But because I love politics, I gave you a star.=3

Answer 6

i think Barack will possibly make it.

i have this tremendous feeling that he's going 2 win the election...

i don't think Hillary will make a comeback becuz most ppl spell it with one L. =P actually becuz it's just... i don't know!

haha star 4 u!

Answer 7

hate it

Answer 8

Anyone who names their child after that horrid excuse of an American man deserves to be kicked in the face.

Answer 9

I never saw Barack as a popular name.

Let alone a normal American name.

It just does not sound like apple pie to me.

Then again I'm clinging to my guns and religion.

I predict chaos...muuuhahaha!

Answer 10

I've actually known both a Baruch and a Barack (perhaps because I tend to run in Christian circles and they're biblical names).  

If Barack Obama is elected, I wouldn't be surprised to see his name make it into the top 1000.  After all, he would be our first African American president, and that would be quite a milestone for our country.  Parents looking for an inspiring role model after whom to christen their sons would certainly have a legitimate option in Barack.  

I'm less hopeful about the name Hillary, however.  Since it was recently rather popular, it has the potential to sound dated.  Also, I think people tend not to find Hillary Clinton very personable.  If she were elected as President, the name might have a chance, but as things stand now I don't think it's likely.

The problem with both Hillary and Barack is that the names are very strongly associated with just one single famous person.  Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are both highly controversial political figures, so that makes their names a rather daring choice for parents -- some people admire them strongly, and some people dislike them just a much.  Also, it's somewhat risky to name a child after a famous person who is still living, because, if the famous person does something scandalous or controversial, the child's name will be forever associated with that negative deed.  (Can you image how horrible you would have felt in 1974 if you had named your son Nixon in 1968?)