In England, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the most common given names were John, Thomas, William, Richard, and Robert for boys, and Mary, Elizabeth, Ann/Anne, Sarah, and Jane for girls.
Their predominance was reinforced by traditional naming patterns
1st Son: Father’s father (Paternal Grandfather)
2nd Son: Mother’s father (Maternal Grandfather)
3rd Son: The father
4th Son: Father’s eldest brother
1st Daughter: Mother’s mother (Maternal Grandmother)
2nd Daughter: Father’s mother (Paternal Grandmother)
3rd Daughter: The mother
4th Daughter: Mother’s eldest sister.
Things began to change in the 20th century, as shown by Office for National Statistics spreadsheets for England and Wales. John and Mary fell out of the top 100 names. The top names now, Muhammad and Olivia, don’t appear in the lists until recently.
Since the mid-20th century, there’s the influence of popular culture and music.
Michelle
The Beatles released Michelle in December 1965 on the album Rubber Soul. While the name was already gaining popularity, the Beatles caught the wave. Michelle birth registrations doubled in one year, based on FreeBMD data.
Registrations remained above 7,500 annually before gradually declining.
Tammy
Another case with a jump in registrations. I thought it might occur following the release of Debbie Reynolds 1957 hit from the film Tammy and the Bachelor.
The name does not appear in FreeBMD until 1957, then there’s only a blip. The big jump in 1975 is attributed to the popularity of the song, “Stand by Your Man,” byTammy Wynette.
Future generations of family historians will still have the old conundrum of a succession Mary, Mary, Ann, Mary for pre-WW2. Afterwards, when the popular song has faded from memory, that will be replaced by the puzzle of “whyTammy”, and then by appreciation for the insight it gives into the parents’ cultural influences.