My last post examined whether there are any trends to be found in initial letters; this post moves on to focus on name length to see if any patterns can be found.
Purely coincidentally, this post makes an interesting counterpart to a very similar study posted recently by Laura Wattenberg at Baby Name Wizard. Her study examines the average name length in the US from 1880 to 2006. The results are quite different here, though it should be mentioned that the US data was for all given names for those years -- us Brits only have the Top 100 to look at pre-1996.
Boys' names in the Top 100 in England and Wales 1904-2011:
Average name length:
In England and Wales, longer names were at a peak for boys in 1904 and 1914 and, over the course of the century that followed, name length steadily decreased.
The only 11-letter name to make it all the way through until 2011 was Christopher.
3-letter names have seen the most change in England and Wales. In 1904 only Tom was in the Top 100, but by 2004 there was Ben, Max, Sam, Joe, Leo, Kai, Jay and Tom.
Boys' names in the Top 100 in Scotland 1900-2011:
Average length:
Scotland's boys show a very similar pattern to those in England and Wales, with only 0.05 difference between the overall average name length.
If there is anywhere Scotland differs it's in the greater decrease in length. Longer names were especially popular in Scotland in the early 20th century, including five 9-letter names: Alexander, Archibald, Cornelius, Frederick and Nathaniel.
On the opposite end, boys in 2011 were even shorter in Scotland than England and Wales with a whopping twenty-six 4-letter names and seven 3-letter names.
Girls' names in the Top 100 in England and Wales 1904-2011:
Average length:
Length of names for girls in England and Wales is a little more convoluted than the boys. 1904 showed a broad mix in name length, from seven 3-letter names (Ada, Amy, Ann, Eva, Ida, Ivy, May) to six 9-letter names (Catherine, Charlotte, Christina, Constance, Elizabeth, Millicent) and 10-letter Gwendoline.
By 1964 longer names were in fashion; the use of 3 and 4-letter names had declined and 7, 8 and 9-letter names were at a peak.
Now fashion favours shorter names: 3 and 4-letter names are at their highest point since 1924.
Girls' names in the Top 100 in Scotland 1900-2011:
Average length:
Unlike the girls in England and Wales, Scottish girls fit very much the same pattern as the boys, showing steady decline in length.
Long names were especially popular in 1900, including 11-letter Alexandrina, 10-letter Williamina and Wilhelmina and 9-letter Annabella, Catherine, Charlotte, Christian, Christina, Constance, Elizabeth, Henrietta, Josephine and Thomasina.
2011, on the other hand, marked the highest use of 3, 4 and 5-letter names, and the lowest use of names with more than six letters.
The most common name length for boys in Britain is six letters, followed by five and then seven. The most common name length for girls is five letters, followed by six and then four.
