How names move in time — SSA, ONS and Statistics Korea as dated frequency files, not as a live global leaderboard. Name trends are one of the cleanest cultural time series we have, because births are registered. The U.S. Social Security Administration’s published given-name files from 1880 are the most famous graph.
The Office for National Statistics (England and Wales) and Statistics Korea publish their own counts. Each is a jurisdiction and a year — not a world cup of names. This page teaches you to read those files the way Lieberson did: as taste cycles. It will not announce a current global number-one, because no such official exists.
Check each criteria to confirm findings against the atlas verdict.
How names move in time — SSA, ONS and Statistics Korea as dated frequency files, not as a live global leaderboard. Name trends are one of the cleanest cultural time series we have, because births are registered. The U.S. Social Security Administration’s published given-name files from 1880 are the most famous graph.
The Office for National Statistics (England and Wales) and Statistics Korea publish their own counts. Each is a jurisdiction and a year — not a world cup of names. This page teaches you to read those files the way Lieberson did: as taste cycles. It will not announce a current global number-one, because no such official exists.
A U.S. compilation of given-name frequencies based on Social Security card applications, published from 1880 onward with a lag. It is a historical series, not a crystal ball. The well-known baby-name release is for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate publications. Say which office.
Annual given-name frequency information that researchers use to watch Korean naming fashion, including shifts between Sino-Korean and native Korean names in dated years. Lieberson’s A Matter of Taste: parents want distinction inside a style, so endings and neighbours move as clusters.
This is a reading check for the atlas, not personal advice, a live price, or a booking. It does not replace the full topic page.
Next question: Naming ceremonies · Open the topic: Name trends
🛠 Brand naming: use “Cousin science” in the tool · 📍 Brand naming: the local fact in “Not a baby chart” · 🛑 Gender and names: what “Law” does not decide · 🛠 Given names: use “Not a forecast” in the tool · 📍 Given names: the local fact in “Order” · 🔎 Name changes: read “Not required” before you decide · Decision checks