Baby Name Visualizer

The Baby Name Visualizer is a cool Java-based application that allows you to type in a name and see a graph detailing the popularity of a name or names beginning with a particular letter over time.

My name is an unusual one for a male, and seeing the momentary rise of Kim as a boy's name confirmed what I always thought was true. The name was popular in the 1950's, probably due to the movie by the same name--based on the Rudyard Kipling story--that was released about the same time. I've always found that most guys I've met who shared my name were roughly my age, and the graph certainly confirms it.

It's fun to see the rise and fall of the popularity of names. Leslie, for instance, my grandfather's name, was popular for boy babies in the early 1900's, but steadily declined over time. Kaitlin, on the other hand, was unknown prior to 1970, but is wildly popular know.

Try some out on your own. Butch, Jesus, and Luke are good ones to try.

via Robin Good.