The most popular baby names change all the time.
After all, many monikers grow in (and out) of fashion due to a variety of reasons – usually due to popular culture.
And there’s one name in particular that has seen a drastic drop over the last few months: Harvey.
There’s been a steep decline in the usage of the name over the last few months and, according to the folks at Nameberry, there’s been a very serious reason why.
Following the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein late last year, parents-to-be have begun to shy away from giving their little boys that name.
And Hurricane Harvey, which left the Houston area devastated in the United States, is also thought to have influenced parents’ choices.
According to Metro, spokesperson spoke about the rise and fall of the name, explaining:
“Most names don’t fall from being favourites to extinction very quickly, unless some terrible event propels them from style.
“Harvey is the one example I can think of from 2017.
“Already newly fashionable in the UK, Harvey was starting to rise again in the US after a long slumber, and then last fall it was hit with the twin wallops of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal and Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston.
“Harvey might have survived the storm, but not both. I can’t imagine anyone naming a baby Harvey any more.”
The UK-based website Babycenter also looks at the moniker’s popularity over the last few years.
While the name was previously gaining momentum (placing 439th in 2015 and 412th in 2016), it is now facing a steep decline.
The name ranked 347th on a list of popular baby names in 2017, and has so far landed at the 602nd spot for 2018.
