Before Too Long, Everyone You Know Will Be Named Emma

In 2012, “Emma” was the most popular name for baby girls in 31 states. Those 31 states now comprise “Emmaland,” as seen in the map above. This is a time for national unease.

There once was a time, long ago and before Monica ruined everything, when I could tell people, “I’m named after my great-grandmother” not defensively, but with a simple pride. That time has long passed. Slowly but surely, these Young Emmas are taking over the world. They are everywhere. They’re sitting in the baby seat in the grocery cart in front of you at the supermarket, and you’re pretty sure they’re giving you the side-eye. They’re taking up all the good swings on the swingset. They’re getting the lead role in this year’s production of The Fantastic Mr. Fox. They’re on your block. Fifteen years from now you’ll be able to send mass texts every other day to a random selection from your contact list with the message, “Happy birthday, Emma!” and you will only offend a few people. Be afraid.

From Big Think’s Frank Jacobs:

Last year, a total of 20,791 Emmas were born in the United States. The size of that cohort was only surpassed by the 22,158 Sophias added to the US population in 2012. Together, both names came out on top in 47 of the 50 states. The exceptions were Florida, where baby girls were most likely to be named Isabella (#3 nationwide); Idaho, where new parents preferred Olivia for their girls (#4 overall); and Vermont, where new parents favoured Ava for their newborn daughters (#5 in the national ranking).

I’ll never forgive you for this, Rachel Green.

More maps here.