Mad Men, one of TV's most popular shows, came back last weekend after a long hiatus. For me, of course, this begs the question: How popular are Mad Men names? It's a period drama set in the 1960s, so the names are pretty distinct. Let's take a look at some of the main character's names:
Don Don Draper's name was most popular in the early'30s -- which makes sense, since that's likely the time around when he was born. It's been falling ever since, and left the top 1,000 names in 2001. Perhaps an updated version could be Donovan: That name was ranked 176 in 2003, and today is just barely out of the top 200.
Roger Roger currently ranks number 511, down from a peak of 22 in 1945. This shows pretty clearly that parents aren't too interested in the name -- not even a double dose of endorsement, from both Mad Men and tennis star Roger Federer, is helping the name climb back up the charts.
Joan Different name, same story. Joan fell off the charts in 1993, and peaked at number five in 1931 and '32. While J names are popular today, Joan is not a part of the trend.
In conclusion... Even a show as popular as Mad Men isn't enough to bring back names that are basically dead. While old-fashioned names are very popular right now, Mad Men is still to recent to be considered fashionable -- the names strike images of older aunts and uncles, not great-grandparents. Perhaps in 25 more years we'll be seeing little Bettys and Dons, but for now, they just don't make the cut.
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