In a Wednesday post about the analysis of fun viral maps, Slate’s Ben Blatt noticed a disturbing naming fad. In 39 states, Brooklyn is now the most common female baby name beginning with B. Brooklyn’s popularity is highest in Wyoming and West Virginia, where 131 out of every 10,000 girls born in 2012 were named for New York’s most populous borough. Meanwhile, New York is one of the few states where people tend to choose more reasonable B-names. In 2012, there were 11 Brooklyns per 10,000 girls born in New York. In Brooklyn itself, the number was five. New York won’t experience the effects of the trend for another 20 years or so, when a generation of young adult Brooklyns move to the city in the hopes of living up to their parents’ expectations.
