This book is out of print, and I haven't yet found a copy of it anywhere, but I plan to. A Matter of Taste by Stanley Lieberson won the 2001 Book Award given by the Culture Section of the American Sociological Association, and it sounds intriguing. Here's the premise: Harvard University Professor Stanley Lieberson studied children's first names to develop an original theory of fashion. He felt that children's names could provide an opportunity to see the pure mechanisms of fashion in action. People don't have to have a lot of money to name a baby the way they have to have a lot of money to buy diamond earrings at Tiffany's, so baby naming is a chance to show your style without buying anything (well, you still have to pay that outrageous hospital bill).
Using his research techniques, Lieberson examines why the names of certain important and attractive biblical characters are rarely chose, what the influence of movie stars and film characters is in baby naming, and how different ethnic groups exhibit their assimilation into broader populations by the names they choose.
I've wondered about these issues myself. Why are there little Aidens (Aydens, Aadens, Adens) running around everywhere and there's nary a George to be found? And how did that Irish name gain such popularity anyway?
If you find a copy of this book, let me know where you found it. I'm dying to read it.
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