My friend, Jenny, sent me an article in the mail. It was written by Jennifer Graham with the title “The rise and fall of Jennifers.” I chuckled at first because only Jenny would send something like this to me. She totally knew I would appreciate it.
In the article, Graham talks about the popularity of the name Jennifer, particularly between the years of 1969 and 1985. She described the name as being synonymous with youth and vacuity.
That, apparently, was back in the day. Today, Jennifers seem to be popping up in the obituaries, at least in Graham’s observation. Though the Jennifers in the obits she found seemed to be young, it was a weird observation to see the name pop up so many times.
Back in high school, about a quarter of the girls in my class were named Jennifer. I was always Jen I. Jenny and I also hung out with Jen T, which would confused the heck out of our friend Mandy’s parents. So, you’re going out with Jen, Jen and Jenny tonight? Today, as a Jen B, I am constantly confused with Jen G and Jen M at work, though they do very different jobs than I.
What happened to us young and vivacious Jennifers? Graham contends that there are no mass extinctions of Jennifers just yet. I agree that we still have a lot of life in us. As I celebrate my 35th birthday this week, I’d like to think that I have at least another 35 – 45 years to use my last name every time I introduce myself.
Maybe later on in life my grandkids will think the name is unique, youthful and full of life again (kind of like the name Sophia right now).
follow jennifer
