I grew up in a neighborhood full of kids, so there were a lot of boys my age to pal around with.
We played football, baseball, rode our bikes, swam and fought a lot. We tested the waters by cursing around each other and talking about girls.
We were a tight circle of friends.
And I remember all of them. Mike was my best buddy. The group also included Kevin, Lee (the infamous “Football Head”), Tony, Todd and Randy. There were others, of course, but that was the core group.
I was thinking about my friends recently as I was putting together the annual graduation section for the newspaper. The section includes pictures of graduating seniors from area high schools. Honestly, it is a lot of work to do, but a great keepsake.
It is also a chance for me to realize that names like Keven and Steve and Mike just aren’t that popular anymore. When I was a kid, you could yell, “Hey, Steve!” on the playground and 20 kids would turn around. Same with Brian and Mike.
I also knew plenty guys named John and Joe and more than a few Hectors. (It was the border, after all).
For girls, I knew quite a few named Stephanie. I also knew a lot of girls named Kelly and Lisa and Leslie.
On a side note, I only knew one of two other guys named Brad, and they were Bradley. I am the only Bradford that I have ever known (except for my namesake, of course).
Popular names are like clothes and hair – they change all the time. A kid with a mullet named Levi might have been expected in Arkansas in 1976, but not necessarily in 2018. Well, maybe.
Now, if you walk into a high school classroom and ask for Austin, you will have a crowd around you. The same goes for Madison, which appears to be an incredibly popular name these days.
It seems like yesterday that the name Tyler was super hip. I have two nephews named Tyler, and there are thousands and thousands of guys between the ages of 18 and 25 running around with that name.
Brett was also a big name for a short time, especially in Wisconsin while Brett Favre was leading the Packers. There are probably a lot of 6-year-olds now hitting the elementary schools named Aaron.
I would guess there are zero kids named after Jay Cutler.
I never knew a Mason or a Morgan, but Ogle County has many. But I did have two friends named Chip. Even more crazy is that one was Chip Spath and one was Chip Plath.
I know it was the 70s, but I swear it is true.
When I played freshman baseball in high school, there were seven Steve’s on the team. I probably knew six dudes named Eduardo. Do you know even one?
Of course, earlier generations had their own hip names. Take my grandfather, for example. His middle name was Bradford, and they called him Brad. Yes, I am named after his middle name. Which is a good thing, because his first name was Rufus.
I wonder what kind of life I would have had if my name was Rufus?
Anyway, congratulations to all of the Madison’s, Austin’s and the other graduates here in Ogle County. In 40 years, you will look back and wonder why the names are all so different.
But you will still be glad your name isn’t Rufus.
