Choosing a name for a baby is a modern-day affair thanks to digital technology. Flipping through books is still a popular method but websites are entering the mix and are for many parents-to-be the sole resource for this important right of passage. Baby Name Wizard is not just a great way to choose names for an expectant parent but is also compelling for anyone wishing to explore the history of the popularity of names in our country.
The product started as a book, but two interactive data visualizations on their website are worth visiting.The Name Voyager is an interactive data visualization tool for people to look at the popularity of a particular name over time. The Name Mapper takes the data even further and graphs the popularity of a particular name over time by geographic location. For example, the image shown here tells the story of how my name, Craig, lost favor in the south faster than it did in the north in the 1970's.
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