Do Parents Name Their Babies After Great Presidents?

Get ready for an influx of Baby Kamalas.

Picture this: You’re in the hospital, exhausted, holding your newborn baby for the first time. The nurse hands you a clipboard. “What name should we put down?” she asks. You look at your spouse. Is this the moment where you think, “You know what? Let’s name this kid Millard — after Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States!”

As it turns out, presidents do influence baby names. But, and it’s a big “but,” they only really leave their mark if their name isn’t already plastered across the country like the logo of a fast-food chain. If you thought the rise of Baby Johns over the centuries was because of their presidential greatness, think again — those names were already popular. That, or we can blame it on The Beatles.

However, for the presidents with names that aren’t as common as your local corner store clerk? There’s a connection… if you squint… which we will do.

The Johns and Jameses

John, James, and George: the bread and butter of baby names. You can’t walk down the street without bumping into a John or George, and that’s been true since the dawn of time (or at least since they invented birth certificates). Presidents like John Adams, John F. Kennedy, and…