What's in a name? A sign of changing times

Goodbye, Mary. Hello, Maritza.

This year, Catholic schools across the Albany Diocese are welcoming a group of children with an eclectic mix of names.

"I don't have any common names," said Terri McGraw, the new principal of St. Luke's School in Schenectady. "I don't have two that are even alike. I have very unique children."

'A my name is...'

Many schools report far fewer saint-names occupying desks this year. The most popular name at Sacred Heart School in Troy, for example, is any variation of "Alexandra," according to principal Susan Holland. Eight to ten students boast that moniker.

At St. Patrick's School in Catskill, Rita Kunkel, another new principal, said that popular names included MacKenzie and -- what else? -- Alexander.

At St. Mary's Academy in Hoosick Falls, Pat Hayes, the secretary, can't cite a name that leads the pack, although "we have Michaels," a name that has been popular for a long time.

Touch of Eire

Irish and Gaelic-derived names are popular in Catholic schools, especially at St. Mary's, where Delaney, Kelby, Maeve, Shaylin, Keelan, Kelsey, Megan and Brianna are students.

At St. Patrick's, appropriately, Bridget, Ryan and Aidan take up the baton for the Emerald Isle. Also dotting Catholic schools are Mauras, Connors and Brigids.

Other nationalities are also represented. At St. Patrick's, Natalia, Tatiana and Giovana are students, while some parents have started to reach into Jewish traditions for names. Levi goes to St. Mary's, for example, while two Hannahs and a Noah are at St. Patrick's.

At St. Casimir's Regional School in Albany, many students sport African or African-American names.

Spell that

Another naming method that has grown in popularity has been to develop different spellings of popular names.

At Sacred Heart, Troy, one of the most popular Irish names -- Caitlin -- is also spelled Caitlyn and Kaitlyn. At St. Luke's, Ciara and Ciarra share a name but not a spelling. Ashley appears as Ashlyn and Ashlee, while Kayleigh becomes Caylee.

At St. Patrick's, Juliana and Giuliana reflect Roman and Italian fashionings. The Irish name Connor can also be spelled Conner.

Unusual names

Names that don't appear on the top 100 baby names list kept by the Social Security Administration (SSA) do appear in schools in the Diocese.

Jubilation attends Sacred Heart, Naudia is a student at St. Luke's, Evian goes to St. Patrick's and Summer is at St. Mary's.

That doesn't mean that more old-fashioned names are going totally out of fashion. Sacred Heart School includes Isabella and Ava, and some schools report an influx of Olivias (St. Mary's has three) and Abigails.

Apostles

More traditional names seem more preferable for boys, with Michael, Matthew, Jacob and Christopher occupying the top popularity slots in the SSA list for 1996, a birth year for many of this year's elementary-schoolers.

Boys at Catholic schools in the Albany Diocese this year include Peter, James, Matthew, Andrew, Zachary and Jacob.

One family at St. Mary's named their sons after the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Cross-gender names are enjoying a period of popularity. Mackenzie, a Scottish-derived name, can be given to both boys and girls. One attends St. Mary's, three are at St. Patrick's, and one goes to Sacred Heart.

Sydney and Taylor are popular names for both boys and girls. The sound-alike Aaron and Erin could sit next to each other in classrooms.

It was Mary

Astonishing to Ms. Kunkel isn't what names are in the schools; it's what name is not. She points to a complete lack of Marys on her class list.

According to the SSA, Mary occupied the most popular spot for girls' names until the early 1970s; in 2004, it was ranked 63rd.

"My college friends were Mary Margaret, Mary Therese and Mary Claire," Mrs. Kunkel said. "But I don't even know if I have one Mary."

(8/25/05) [[In-content Ad]]