Who Is Your Favorite Sibling Out Of Fifteen?
A1 English listening practice · American English · Curated for beginners
Why do American kids have first names like Paisley, Kennedy, and Presley?
A popular American baby-name trend uses old family names or place names as first names. The kids in this clip include Paisley, Kennedy, Presley, Sadie, Lily, and Navy. Many of these names started as last names or places (Kennedy is a famous American family, Presley is associated with Elvis Presley, Paisley is a fabric pattern from Scotland).
The trend grew strong in the 2010s and continues today. Many American parents pick the names because they sound modern, soft, and a bit unusual. You hear them often in the South and the Midwest. This clip shows a family of fifteen kids, and the trend shows up across many of the names.
Vocabulary frequency
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General English frequency
Spoken English frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A1 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In American baby-name websites (Nameberry, Behind the Name, BabyCenter)
- ▸In American big-family TV shows (Bringing Up Bates, 19 Kids and Counting)
- ▸In American country music star birth announcements
- ▸In American mommy-blogger content
- ▸In American Southern church and school class lists