Disasters in diapers

Human psychology is probably one of the most amazing things in our world. Sometimes it amazes much more than the mind-blowing and complex mysteries of the structure of the Universe. For example, how can we understand why parents name their children after the greatest tragedies in the history of our planet? As statisticians from the American Social Security Administration note, after the severe Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern coast of the United States a year and a half ago, in the affected states this name not only did not become a symbol of trouble, but even gained some popularity.

Of course, Katrina is far from the most common name in the United States. Even at the peak of its popularity, in the 80s of the 20th century, it was, at best, one of the top 100 parental preferences. In 2005, before the hurricane, this name became very rare and was then ranked only 247th, AP reports. In other words, girls with this name did not have to worry about too many of their namesakes being around them at school or kindergarten. And after a hurricane with this exotic name swept along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, flooding New Orleans and causing multi-billion dollar losses to the national economy, Katrina’s newborns became almost a museum rarity in America. Last year, statisticians counted only 850 cases in the United States in which girls were named Katrina at birth. This is catastrophically low: only 382nd place in the ranking of parental preferences.

But there are only two places in the States where there are no fewer Catherines. These are the same coastal states of Louisiana and Mississippi where the hurricane gained its maximum power. In the 12 months before this cataclysm, only eight Catherines were born in Louisiana; during the same period after September 2005, 15 girls named after the tragedy were registered. In Mississippi, in more than a year and a half (from January 2004 to August 2005), only seven Katrinas were born; for the rest of 2005 and 2006, 24 girls were born, reminiscent of the hurricane.

Mikhail MANSKOY