Breaking Traditional Rules

The onomastic revolution—the adoption of names for newborns that departed from centuries-old traditions—is a proxy for a shift in mentality that began in Western countries during the eighteenth century. This change in naming practices cut across traditions that persisted for generations (vertical conformism) as well as within a single generation (horizonal conformism). Data from Italy, France, and the United States suggest that the onomastic revolution and the demographic transition, which were largely conterminous, have likely connections that are worthy of further detailed investigation.

Demographic change · Demographic transition · Historical demography · Population · Proxy (statistics) · Transition (genetics) · Autobiographical and Biographical Writing · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research · Race, Genetics, and Society