George

George (Washington, duh,) was the first President of the United States, and has belonged to less-distinguished presidents since then, so I guess George will do as the first name added here. The literal meaning of George is someone who works in the earth, so we take that to mean "farmer." The name is derived from Greek. Saint George is the patron saint of England, and a dreaded enemy of dragons everywhere. George has been a popular name among the royal set, and history is littered with kings and princes named George. The name is currently more popular in England than in the U.S. In the U.S., it's been dropping in popularity since the early 1900's, but is still in the top 200 names for boys. Interestingly (to me, at least,) George was among the top 1000 most popular names for girls in the U.S. until 1950. Since I don't know any women, old or otherwise, named George, I'm going to assume for the moment that the name must have been given as a middle name mostly--as a namesake of a male George father or other relative, as the mother's maiden name, or maybe occasionally because moms just admired the female writers who chose "George" as their male pseudonyms. Why the drop in (U.S.) popularity in recent decades? This is one thing you can't blame on a Bush. At least, not entirely. At this point in time when most people hear the name "George," they think of an old, or at least middle-aged man. Maybe George Bush (either of them.) Maybe George Jefferson (you know, from tv.) George of the Jungle? Maybe just Uncle George who tells bad jokes and has a nervous habit of adjusting his dentures with his tongue. In short, right now, the name seems kind of old-fashioned. People who are naming their babies George (in the U.S., that is,)are probably naming them after fathers, grandfathers, or rich old relatives who might kick off at any moment and don't have any children of their own. In a generation or two, when the memories of Georges past have faded, the name will probably regain popularity once again--it's an old standard, a classic, and it's not likely to go away entirely. Why is it still so popular in England? The simple answer is probably that the British are a little more tradition-oriented and less trend-oriented when it comes to naming their babies. For the bored: Where's George, a website that lets you track one dollar bills.