Another Red State/Blue State Divide

Can we agree on anything? One begins to doubt it more and more each day. This week the Social Security Administration released it's yearly report on baby names. Sophia now is the most popular name for girls and Jacob remains the most popular name for boys. The big news however was that the name Mason has now rocketed ten spots to # 2 on the list of boys names.

What does it mean. I guess I am not sure. I also saw that Jaden is one of the most popular names for boys. One thing I am sure of, there were no Jaden's when I was a kid.

Once you got past the basic top ten lists some very interesting information is present deeper down the report. It seems that certain names are much more popular in Red States than in Blue ones and vice versa. I am not sure why this is a surprise but it was.

So here is a question. Traditional names are much more popular in Red or Blue States? If your like me you felt that would e an easy question. And like me you would be wrong. It seems that, counter to what we might expect it is the Blue States such as Vermont, California and Connecticut in which the more traditional names are popular. Red States seem to be home of the more original or new style names.

There are demographic patterns at work here. It seems that in traditionally Red States that young people marry younger and hence have children sooner. It seems that when you are younger one thing you are more prone to do is be influenced by television and media which of course do not encourage traditional names.

Why do Blue State parents choose traditional names. It seems that they are more likely to be older, and as we know the older you get the more likely you are to be traditionally minded.

Names have often been regionally different. Southern names have often been different than other regions. Certainly African American children in the last twenty years have had an increase in names that you would rarely see in non minority children. This regionally or racially makes some sense. However to see now that we have a significant difference in the popularity of baby names that can be traced, at least partially, to the political leanings of the citizens of the state gives one pause.

I will ask it again. Is there anything we can agree on?