You know how we all think new baby name trends come from celebrities in this god forsaken modern age? Well, we are all wrong.
Apparently, we don't name our babies after celebrities. Instead, according to The Arizona Republic, we copy what rich upper class folk choose to call their kids, in the hope that some of that wealth and success will rub off.
As Clay Thompson at The Arizona Republic writes:
"Sociologists and others who study such matters say we do not tend to name our children after celebrities or generals or so on. As one thing I read pointed out: How many Madonnas do you know?
Yes, various forms of "Britney" are popular these days, but that seems to be because it arose a generation or so ago among the upper classes.
Popular names, these experts say, tend to start out among rich people who think a distinctive name will make children appear to be successful or distinctive even if they turn out to be dopes.
Such names tend to filter down over a period of 10 years or so until the rest of us peons are giving our babies the same or similar names."
So, I figured it would be incredibly useful to find out what a handpicked sample of rich folk call their kids. Of course, celebrities are jolly rich folk, but for once we'll ignore them and focus on kids of business tycoons. Guess what, the name Barron comes up more than once. Delusions of grandeur?
Sergey Brin (Google) - Benji
Donald Trump - Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric and Barron
Steve Jobs (Apple) - Lisa, Reed Paul, Erin Sienna and Eve
Sir Philip Green - Chloe and Brandon
Hans Rausing - Lisbet, Sigrid and Hans Kristian
Richard Hilton - Paris, Nicky, Conrad and Barron
Bernie Ecclestone - Tamara and Petra
Richard Branson -Holly and Sam
Bill Gates - Jennifer Katharine, Rory John and Phoebe Adele
Peter Jones - Annabel, William, Natalia, Isabella and Tallulah
Warren Buffet - Susie, Howard and Peter