Think about all the women you know.
Are you thinking?
Let me then, make a bold prediction: you know no one under the age of 40 whose first name is Judy.
Oh yes, I can prove it…
This chart from the Social Security Administration’s Baby Names website shows the prevalence of the name over the past 50 years.
| Year of birth | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 994 |
| 1997 | 929 |
| 1996 | 845 |
| 1995 | 769 |
| 1994 | 828 |
| 1993 | 763 |
| 1992 | 658 |
| 1991 | 716 |
| 1990 | 575 |
| 1989 | 594 |
| 1988 | 534 |
| 1987 | 511 |
| 1986 | 506 |
| 1985 | 463 |
| 1984 | 413 |
| 1983 | 414 |
| 1982 | 373 |
| 1981 | 381 |
| 1980 | 408 |
| 1979 | 405 |
| 1978 | 379 |
| 1977 | 350 |
| 1976 | 347 |
| 1975 | 306 |
| 1974 | 276 |
| 1973 | 246 |
| 1972 | 221 |
| 1971 | 196 |
| 1970 | 177 |
| 1969 | 161 |
| 1968 | 141 |
| 1967 | 120 |
| 1966 | 97 |
| 1965 | 86 |
| 1964 | 74 |
| 1963 | 70 |
| 1962 | 63 |
| 1961 | 57 |
| 1960 | 48 |
| 1959 | 41 |
| 1958 | 36 |
| 1957 | 38 |
| Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth. Data are not shown for some of the years you specified because the name Judy was not in the top 1000 names for those years. Name data are from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States. |
|
What, you wonder, is my point?
Ask your under-40 friend Judy. She’ll tell you.
actually, I work with a teacher named Judi who is under 40.
However, in my fourteen years of teaching, I have not taught a “Judy”…..yet, I have only taught one “Jared” and one “Jodie”….hmmmm.
You should have entered Judith, since Judy is often short for Judith. The ranking is significantly higher, though not exactly high. But I do know a few <40 Judiths, all of whom go by Judy.