Uncommon names are increasing globally: a review of empirical evidence on naming trends

Previous research has shown that uncommon first names are increasing in some nations. However, these findings have been reported separately by nation, making it unclear whether the phenomenon is observed more globally or more locally in some limited nations. Therefore, this article briefly reviews empirical studies that examined temporal changes in the frequency of (un)common names. In addition, I summarize the information of research on (un)common names and naming behaviors for uniqueness. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated that uncommon names increased over time in many nations: Germany, the U.S., the U.K., France, Japan, China, and Indonesia. All the nations that were examined have shown an increase in uncommon names. Thus, the phenomenon is observed more generally, not locally in some limited nations. Moreover, this trend has been found in diverse cultural zones: European, American, East Asian, and Southeast Asian cultures. Therefore, giving uncommon names is a more global trend.