6/17/2014
By Ivan Pereira and Sheila Anne Feeney
If you go around the country and ask parents what they named their daughter, there’s a good chance that they might answer “Brooklyn.” If you’re a New York parent, however, fuggedaboutit.
Brooklyn was the 28th most popular name for girls nationally in 2013, according to the the Social Security Administation, but it didn’t make the top 100 in New York state. While some Brooklynites say this is a weird fad, others are honored that the borough’s positive popularity is catching on around the country.
“Everyone wants to be down with Brooklyn and have that Brooklyn swagger,” said George Glenn, 42, of Sheepshead Bay.
The data, which was first released last month, came into the spotlight again by an Associated Press Tuesday. Brooklyn saw a jump in name popularity nationally in 2005 when it went from 101st most popular name to 78. In 2011, it was 21 and has been in the top 30 ever since.
Representatives for the Social Security Administration said they can’t break down the information to the city level, or pinpoint what caused the spike but Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams credited it to the huge amount of media attention for the borough.
Parents worldwide have seen and appreciated the diversity and energy that the borough puts out, according to Adams and that’s more amplified in movies, events and even celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham who named their first son Brooklyn in 1999.
“Those who can’t live in Brooklyn are doing the next best thing, naming their kids after the borough,” he said.
Trudy Francis, 31, who used to live in Crown Heights and is the mother of a 4-year-old, said she can see why parents would choose the name Brooklyn because it evokes a great image of “the water line, the city skyline, and looking at the Statue of Liberty right in the harbor.”
Brittney O’Rourke, 25, of Sussex, Wisconsin, said she and her boyfriend Brian named their daughter Brooklynn, yes with two N’s, because they wanted their child to also have a first name that started with “Br.” The mom said she is happy that her 19-month-old’s name stands out
“I haven’t heard any other Brooklynns, so that is kind of neat,” said O’Rourke, who added she would love to bring her daughter to the borough.
New York hasn’t seen it’s share of Brooklyn babies, a fact that Adams did not find surprising. The borough president said most New York parents have probably experienced Brooklyn in person, and naming their child after it would be a bit of an “overkill.” Fashion designer Brookelynn Starnes, whose clothing store Cloak & Dagger, naturally, has a location in Boerum Hill, agreed adding that the name trend comes from the popularity of celebrities like Brooklyn Decker.
The 33-year-old New Jersey native said she loves her name, which was inspired by late singer Donna Summer’s daughter who was born in 1981, but gets annoyed during those times when a city stranger makes a crack about it when they meet her.
“I think it’s because people who live in New York don’t romanticize it,” she said.
Adams said he thinks this is more than a fad and that Brooklyn will continue to lead the charts among new parents for years to come.
“The more we make people realize this is a place that is affordable, attractive, diverse and beautiful the more you will see more people naming their kids Brooklyn,” he said. (With Zoe Lake)
