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Web site charts
the name game

As Juliet said while pining for Romeo, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet -- a keen insight that belied her youth.

Then again, even Shakespeare knew he couldn't write about a 13-year-old girl killing herself over a guy named "Poindexter" -- it would never play in the peanut gallery, not even in the 16th century.

Likewise, babynamewizard.com also puts a lot of importance on labels. Author Laura Wattenburg's Web site touts a free java-based application called NameVoyager that charts the popularity of U.S. first names during the past century, based on Social Security Administration data.

Simply click on the link and type in almost any name, from Aaron to Zulma, to see how it stacks up against the top 1,000 names in every decade since the 1900s (and finally 2003, when the top two were Jacob and Emily).

Her book details the history of names, and the factors that influence their popularity. But Digital Slobs will find it more fun to type in a few favorites online and draw their own conclusions.

Below are a few examples. After each name are numbers that represent its ranking in every decade from the 1900s on, forming a crude timeline. It's less visually coherent than the Web site, but for now, Slobs can make due. An "X" means the name fell out of the Top 1,000 during that decade:

Boris (976, X, X, X, X, X, 977, X, X, X, X): This name barely cracked the Top 1,000 twice in 100 years -- first because of an influx of European immigrants in the 1900s, and again in the 1960s, most likely due to the influence of the "Rocky and Bullwinkle Show."

Napoleon (506, 598, 605, 809, 725, 826, X, X, X, X, X): This first name got a better ride than you might expect in the 20th century, given its 19th century baggage.

Still, history is written by the victors, and that includes birth certificates. So, as a rule, if you want your name to stick, don't invade Russia in the winter (see also Adolf -- 560, 833, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X).

Paris (X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, 509, 275): Sometimes, social shifts catapult a name to great heights, almost out of nowhere. This one owes its recent success to a kind of technological perfect storm -- the Fox Network, the Internet and video cameras with night vision.

Percival (977, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X): I'm one of the few people to ever make a Percival sighting -- I spotted one such tragic specimen in the wild back in first-grade. A mid-year transfer, he was roughly 100 years younger than any other Percival in captivity at the time.

At recess, bullies didn't even have to get their hands dirty, since the mere sound of his own name made him cry without exception. He never showed up for second-grade -- few Percivals ever do.

Rocky (X, X, X, X, 703, 273, 365, 400, 401, 745, X): When Rocky Marciano won the heavyweight title in 1952, his fists helped pound the brutish moniker up the charts. And it had legs to go the distance, until Sly Stallone KO'd it forever by fighting Hulk Hogan in "Rocky III."

Names to watch by 2010: Due to the MTV effect, expect elementary schools to soon overflow with Beyonces, Hoobastanks, Ludacrises and 50 Cents (or its more informal nickname, 4 Bits).