Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, most of our friends were named Ashley. There was Ashley E., Ashley H. and Ashley W. (also Ashley C., but she left us for the Lindsays in 1994). It was like a real-life version of that cartoon Recess. If you weren’t Ash, you were a Jessica or a Stephanie… so yeah, it was a very confusing time. Ever since those days, we’ve lived in constant fear of naming our future children something too popular. What if they must spend a lifetime tethered to their last initial like the Ashleys?
Raising a baby is hard enough without that on your conscience. But breath easy, because TIME just published a tool developed by Chris Franck, assistant research professor in the Virginia Tech statistics department. It helps anybody navigate the past and future predictions for certain baby names. You just pop in a name and the tool maps the popularity and predicted popularity of that name from 1880 all the way through 2040.
For example, the tool showed that Annie (that’s me!) has been steadily declining in popularity since 1919. According to the chart, the D’Souzas are virtually the only parents in America who named their kid Annie since 1960. It’s predicted to come back from the dead (mildly) in 2037.
The lovely Sophia tops the charts as the most popular baby name in the U.S. right now. We like to think/hope/pray that has something to do with the Golden Girls, but not sure we can prove that. The tool displays the enormous spike in Sophia’s popularity, followed by a predicted steady and sharp decline. Sorry, Sophias — the little Evelyns are coming for you!
Just for kicks, we also threw Ashley into the graph. Sure enough, a staggering 3% of babies in 1987 were named Ashley. 3%! We did some digging and found that the Titanic rise of the name is attributed to — you’ll never believe this — a soap opera character from TheYoung & The Restless named Ashley Abbott [insert DUN DUN DUUUUUUUNNNNN-type music here].
Have you run your favorite baby names through the predictor? Let us know what you find out in the comments below!
Thanks to Method for helping us launch Brit Kids!
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.