Does the name Gary need saving?

Back in September, Garry Snow of Canada was in the news. Why? Because he opened the twitter account @SaveNameGary. (Yes, really.)

He launched it “because he says his name is on the verge of extinction.”

Then, in mid-October, a couple in the UK were in the news. Why? Because they decided to name their baby Gary. (Again: Yes, really.)

The father said that one “reason we picked the name is because it’s going extinct.” Something tells me this isn’t the main reason, though, as the baby’s late maternal grandfather was also named Gary.

All of this extinction-talk is ridiculous, of course. There’s no such thing as “extinction” when it comes to baby names. Names that have died out can be resurrected at any time. This isn’t the case for living species. (Not yet, anyway.)

That said…what do you think of the name Gary? Would you like to see it make a comeback? In the U.S., it’s currently ranked 560th (between Vihaan and Bowen).

Sources: Save the name Gary campaign started by Calgary man, Does this look like a Gary to you?

5 thoughts on “Does the name Gary need saving?

  1. Well, I have a friend with a 15-year-old Gary, but he was named for his father. I think it’s a fine name, just dated at the moment, and I wouldn’t worry about “extinction.” Give it another 50 years (enough time for the current Garys to die out…) and I’ll bet people will be picking it right off their family tree and using it again. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that people were cringing at the thought of naming an innocent little baby Henry or Max, and both of those have come back.

  2. Quite nice, to my mind there’s nothing wrong with it, I wouldn’t mind giving someone this name — but then English is not my country’s language, so who am I to grade it?

  3. When the story hit the UK newspapers in spring, I actually had the opportunity to go on the radio (BBC Radio Newcastle) to talk about reasons behind the falling numbers of the name. There’s a link to the clip (which should be audible to people outside the UK) here.

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