This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada, which closed in 2021.

No One Wants To Name Their Kid 'Michael' Anymore

The baby name is on the brink of extinction.
Reuters

It's the name pretty much every other boy had since the 1950s, but it could soon be gone from maternity wards.

According to the Independent, the name Michael is now trending downwards in the U.S., where it has topped the boy's baby name charts since the 1960s.

It's had a similar run in Canada, as this chart via Behind the Name that illustrates B.C. data shows:

Behind the Name

But we actually have a Michael to thank for having baby name rankings in the first place.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Michael Shackleford was a worker at the Social Security Administration in the '90s, and his own annoyance with the constant presence of other Michaels drew him to analyze the most common baby names in order to avoid a similar problem for his impending kid. That project turned into the federal baby names rankings now published by the U.S.

So what's replacing Michael as far as popularity goes? Well, that's just the thing. Parents who (like Shackleford) want to find an individual name for their kid have driven down any one name as the leader, although Noah and Jacob have been battling it out for the past few years.

All of this doesn't make much of a difference to the Michaels who have spent their whole lives twisting their heads in public places whenever someone calls their name, but who knows? Maybe in a few years people will return to Michael because it's so unique .. and start the whole cycle all over again.

Also on HuffPost:

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.