My mother liked her name, Ann. In films, Ann was always the good girl. She was the one whose moral ethics kept her from doing wrong. Ann was the one the guy married after he’d finished with floozies.

I am not so clear on how “Elaine” is generally perceived. Is she good or bad, shallow or deep, sophisticated or naive, devious or trustworthy, pretty or plain, glamorous like Marilyn, or neatly attractive like Donna Reed, book smart or street smart, soft or hard hearted? Elaine on Seinfeld is familiar to many. Has that character’s personality and actions cheapened Elaine’s impression?

Not in the Top 10--Again

I just read a post on Yahoo that names the top 100 girl and 100 boy names given in 2011. Here are the top ten:

Top 10 girls' names of 2011
1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Isabella
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Lily
7. Chloe
8. Madison
9. Emily
10. Abigail

Top 10 boys' names of 2011
1. Aiden
2. Jackson
3. Mason
4. Liam
5. Jacob
6. Jayden
7. Ethan
8. Noah
9. Lucas
10. Logan

Old-fashioned girl names seem to be in style. Except for Madison, and maybe Chloe, this top ten might have been the same a few hundred years ago. If old-fashioned is in, why isn’t “Elaine” considered more often? It’s now ranked somewhere in the 700’s.

Boy names range from contemporary to early Bible. I wonder what that means.