Direct evidence of the increase in unique names in Japan: The rise of individualism

Previous research analyzed rankings of common baby names and indicated that common names decreased in Japan, suggesting an increase in uniqueness-seeking and individualism. However, it did not directly examine whether unique names increased. To adequately understand the historical changes in naming...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ogihara, Y. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V. 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
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008 220427s2021 CNT 000 0 und d
020 |a 26665182 (ISSN) 
245 1 0 |a Direct evidence of the increase in unique names in Japan: The rise of individualism 
260 0 |b Elsevier B.V.  |c 2021 
856 |z View Fulltext in Publisher  |u https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbeha.2021.100056 
520 3 |a Previous research analyzed rankings of common baby names and indicated that common names decreased in Japan, suggesting an increase in uniqueness-seeking and individualism. However, it did not directly examine whether unique names increased. To adequately understand the historical changes in naming practices and underlying cultural trends, overcoming this limitation is important. Therefore, I analyzed raw data on baby names and directly examined the historical changes in the rates of unique names in Japan between 2004 and 2018. The results showed that the rates of unique names increased for both boys and girls, providing further evidence of the rise in uniqueness-seeking and individualism. Additionally, unique names increased more rapidly for girls than for boys, which may suggest that parents came to have stronger hope for their daughters that they become unique and independent. This is new evidence showing that sex is a moderating factor of cultural changes in naming in Japan. © 2021 The Authors 
650 0 4 |a Baby 
650 0 4 |a Cultural change 
650 0 4 |a Individualism 
650 0 4 |a Name 
650 0 4 |a Naming 
650 0 4 |a Sex difference 
650 0 4 |a Uniqueness 
700 1 |a Ogihara, Y.  |e author 
773 |t Current Research in Behavioral Sciences