Linda and I have spent a lot of time over the years tracking the ups and downs of baby names and making sense of the movements.  Often, it’s possible to divine trends in the popularity lists: Girls’ names that end in a are marching up the ladder in seeming unison, for instance, while New Testament names for boys are moving down.

　　But sometimes, the patterns are not so easy to discern.  Sometimes, in fact, the shifts seem downright contradictory, undercutting any attempt to identify a trend.

　　Sure, sometimes you can credit a celebrity for a name’s rise or blame a slide on the fact that a name has been around so long that people have gotten tired of it and are turning to a new flavor.  We do get, for instance, that Britain‘s newest royal is responsible for the predominance of Kate over Katherine, and that Oliver is simply a fresher name than the long-popular Christopher.

　　Still, even with those examples, the rise of one name at the same time another, very similar name drops can be amusing.  Some notable pairings from this year’s list:

　　girl names

　　Alexandra is up, but Alexis is down

　　Aria is up, but Cadence is down

　　Bella is up, but Isabelle is down

　　Elise is up, but Alyssa is down

　　Ellie is up, but Leah is down

　　Harper and Piper are up, but Taylor and Paige are down

　　Kate is up, but Katherine is down

　　Kendall is up, but Jada is down

　　Molly is up, but Gracie is down

　　Naveah is up, but Makenna is down

　　Scarlett is up, but Zoe is down

　　boy names

　　Asher is up, but Austin is down

　　Bentley is up, but Brady is down

　　Clark is up, but Kent is down

　　David and Henry are up, but John and Robert are down

　　Elijah and Isaiah are up, but Nathaniel is down

　　Grayson is up, but Carson is down

　　Jace is up, but Chase is down

　　Jackson is up, but Jack is down

　　Levi is up, but Devin is down

　　Oliver is up, but Christopher is down

　　Parker is up, but Hunter is down

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