This study in social onomatology will evaluate six theoretical propositions on the origins of social standards through analysis of multi-decade datasets on children's first names, including information about social characteristics of the parents. The research examines both exogenous forces and internal mechanisms that transform habits of naming. Among the factors that may be significant are: family structures, social movements, fashion cycles, race relations, social class, popular culture, and parental age cohort. Perhaps because first names are such familiar parts of daily life, sociologists have not exploited them as potent sources of information about changing cultural standards. Yet one of the most important and sociologically revealing decisions a person can make is what to name a child. This study will apply sophisticated analytical techniques to extensive datasets, investigating the social changes throughout the twentieth century reflected in what Americans named their children.
