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HelpRe: Harper
in reply to a message by Rachel Shaina
Atticus also charted and started its huge increase around the same time as Harper (2004). I think that was also partially helped along by celebrities but I also wonder if it was that the generations that all basically read 'To Kill A Mockingbird' in school were starting to have kids?
Like my Dad who went to was in high school in Australia in the 70s didn't read TKAM in school (he read it himself later) but my Mum, who graduated in 88 did read it and by then it was just a staple in high schools. Some celebrities use it and then people familiar with the book and its message are like, "Oh, that's a great namesake- I'm totally naming my kid this because TKAM is my *favorite* book," even if it isn't...and maybe just because it is one of the few books they actually read but it totally makes them look so "woke" and "anti-racism". Add in that Harper is similar to a name like Taylor but seems fresh and not dated and it was a perfect storm for an exponential rise.
Like my Dad who went to was in high school in Australia in the 70s didn't read TKAM in school (he read it himself later) but my Mum, who graduated in 88 did read it and by then it was just a staple in high schools. Some celebrities use it and then people familiar with the book and its message are like, "Oh, that's a great namesake- I'm totally naming my kid this because TKAM is my *favorite* book," even if it isn't...and maybe just because it is one of the few books they actually read but it totally makes them look so "woke" and "anti-racism". Add in that Harper is similar to a name like Taylor but seems fresh and not dated and it was a perfect storm for an exponential rise.
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I think you could be right. I read somewhere that Emma surged in Britain in the 70s a few years after Emma by Jane Austen was a set text for A-Levels. Although Emma was probably due a comeback around then anyway, so maybe it's not as easy to prove as with something unusual like Harper, but it could be a factor.
We did Frankenstein for A-Levels. Not sure that has influenced many names! We also did I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and that could be one of the influences on the popularity of Maya.
We did Frankenstein for A-Levels. Not sure that has influenced many names! We also did I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and that could be one of the influences on the popularity of Maya.
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