絶滅危惧種 - Living, Loving, Thinking, Again

“High noon for Gary: why is the once-popular name on the verge of extinction? “ http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/mar/10/high-noon-for-gary-why-is-the-once-popular-name-on-the-verge-of-extinction

Garyはかつて英語圏でとてもポピュラーな男の名前だったが、最近では子どもにGaryと命名する親は殆どいなくなっている。Garyという名前の盛衰は俳優ゲイリー・クーパー *1の名声とその忘却に関係している*2；

(…) Parents just don’t like the name any more. Gary reached its peak in the US in the early 1950s, when it was at one time the 12th most popular boy’s name, with more than 38,000 appearing every year. There were even 90 girls named Gary in 1947.
Many of them no doubt in homage to Gary Cooper. Ah yes, one of the all-time great Garys, (though he was actually born a Frank). In England and Wales, the peak came later, in 1964, when Gary was 16th on the list.
And what’s the situation now? Desperate. Gary has plummeted from view on both sides of the Atlantic, and is now severely endangered. Just 450 were created in the US in 2013*3, and 28 in England and Wales *4. Numbers will be swollen slightly by some of the more relaxed Gareths and Garths, but they too are endangered species. On current trends there may be no new Garys within a decade or two, and none left alive by the beginning of the 22nd century.

それよりも、KeithやRoyやKevinやTraceyの衰退の方が気になる；

Although that is basically a list of men who had their heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. Exactly. Overexposure around that time has harmed many great names. In 2013, English and Welsh parents created just 17 Roys, 15 Keiths*5, seven Kevins and three Traceys*6.
Three! I’m afraid so. Compare that with 110 Jaxsons, 167 Romeos, 2,211 Siennas, 3,264 Leos and 4,511 Oscars*7.

上掲の記事のタイトルにある”High noon”は勿論ゲイリー・クーパーの代表作のひとつである『真昼の決闘（High Noon）』から。

真昼の決闘 [DVD] FRT-031

出版社/メーカー: ファーストトレーディング
発売日: 2006/12/14
メディア: DVD
購入: 2人クリック: 14回
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