The Journal
Stories about names, and the people who choose them.
Where names come from, how they travel, the traditions behind them, and what a century and a half of records can show.
Aubrey, Avery, Harper: how names cross overSome of today’s best-loved girls’ names were once given almost entirely to boys. The birth records show exactly when, and how fast, they changed sides.September 23, 2026Back in bloom: the names your great-grandparents lovedHazel, Violet, Eleanor and Theodore spent most of the last century out of favor. Now they’re everywhere. Here’s what the records show about names that skip a few generations.September 22, 2026