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READING 1 The Name Game
The NAME GAME
Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 4.1
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Many things go in and out of style. Look at some old photos of your parents and grandparents. Maybe your father’s shorts are very short, and your mother’s hair is big and curly. In another photo, maybe your grandparents’ 1960s kitchen has a green refrigerator and dishwasher. Maybe their car is large, long, and light green.
Just like hair, clothes, colors, and cars, names also go in and out of style. Every generation, certain names become popular. For example, in the United States some popular girls’ names from the early 1900s include Gertrude, Mildred, and Viola. Some popular boys’ names from that time include Elmer, Chester, and Clarence. Some popular names from the 1950s and 1960s are Linda, Judy, Gary, and Dennis. None of these names is very common today. Today, popular names include Emma, Sophia, Jacob, and Liam.
Sometimes people choose older names because they’re not very popular. These people want their children’s names to be unique. However, they may be in for a surprise: Names from the past sometimes come back in style. At the moment, some oldfashioned names—such as Hannah, Olivia, Max, and Owen—are becoming popular again.
Some people may have names from another generation1 for another reason. They may be named after people, usually people in their families. This is true of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Whose name does he have? He is named after his father, George H. W. Bush, the 41st president. George W. and his wife have two daughters. One daughter’s name is Jenna. What about the other daughter? Her name is Barbara. She is named after her grandmother, George’s mother.
Different names are popular at different times and in different places. Is yours popular in your country?
1 generation: all of the people of about the same age
Most Popular Names in the United States
Year Boys’ Names Girls’ Names
2018 Jackson Sophia 2010 Jacob Isabella 2000 Jacob Emily 1990 Michael Jessica 1980 Michael Jennifer 1970 Michael Jennifer 1960 David Mary 1950 James Linda
1940 James Mary 1930 Robert Mary 1920 John Mary
Jars of Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread feature names on the labels at a pop-up store in Hong Kong, China.
