Media Articles
Origins has featured in several publications and press articles in Australia and the UK.
If you would like to write an article on Origins, or would like to use our product to create supporting data/visualisations for another topic, please contact Michael Dove.
Australian Press Archive
British Balls Shrinking
The Age Melbourne, 2009Some names are declining in popularity as connotations about a name evolve over time and people respond by choosing alternatives.
Name Shame Causes Cock Shrinkage but Wang is on the Rise
The Australian, 2009As language and meaning evolve, some previously widely used names have become less common as individuals gradually adopt less embarrassing alternatives. This newspaper article describes the outcomes of a comparative study of name frequencies in Britain over the period 1881 to 2008.
As Common as Nguyen
Courier Mail Brisbane, 2006This newspaper articles reports on the prominence of names of Vietnamese origin among Australia’s most common family names.
Changing Names of Aussies
MX News, 2006As a result of migration patterns over the 150 years, some Anglo-Celtic names, notably those of Cornish origin, are now more common in Australian than in Britain. Also, the growing links with Asia are reflected in the dominance of names from the Asian region – all but three of the top twenty non Anglo-Celtic names are of Asian origin.
Lees Catching Up with the Joneses
John Huxley, Sydney Morning Herald, 2006This article on the rising challenge to the dominance of Anglo-Celtic names highlights the effect of variation within the names of cultural groups. Italian and Greek have considerable variation whereas Asian names tend to be less broad ranging. Recent demographic change in Sydney underscores the wider Australian experience.
Nguyens Keeping Up with the Joneses
The Age Melbourne, 2006This additional article on the challenge to the dominance of Anglo-Celtic names in Australia highlights the rise of Vietnamese population and their associated names. Recent demographic change in Australia and the relatively low diversity of family names among Vietnamese and Chinese populations contribute to this trend.
Ho Nguyen chiêm da sô o Úc
VietNet.com.au, 2006This Vietnamese article celebrates the rise of Nguyen as a popular family name in Australia.
UK Press Archive
What’s in a Surname 1 and 2?
BBC, United Kingdom, 2006These BBC articles provide a brief report on some of the findings from the research project conducted at University College London. Many of the insights from this project have been used in the development of Origins, reflecting world’s best practice in the use of names to provide insight into the cultural origins of an organisation’s customers.
London’s United Nations
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard London, 2006This newspaper article highlights how name analysis reveals the diversity of London’s population and identifies the most diverse postcodes in the city. A map is used to represent the dominant minority group for each of London’s postcode areas.
If you’re called Gwyndat or Einir then you’re as Welsh as it gets
Western Mail, 2006The Western Mail takes a Welsh perspective on name incidence and reports on the names that seem to be most purely Welsh. The research calculated for each Welsh first name the percentage that is associated with a Welsh Family name.
Migrants with the Mostest
The Sunday Times, 2006Economic success of different migrant groups can be measured through an analysis of name origins. This article from the Sunday Times highlights the relative success of different cultural communities as measured by their representation in lists of doctors, barristers and successful businesspeople. Linking to a geodemographic classification (Mosaic) also reveals significant variation in how well different cultural communities fare in their adopted country.
Barra ‘the Most Scottish Place’
The Sunday Times, Scotland, 2006The Scottish edition of the Sunday Times ran this article looking at the incidence of Scottish names in Scotland. It reveals patterns of historical settlement reflecting economic opportunities of the time in different parts of the country. The Isle of Barra in the Hebrides was identified as the most Scottish place in Scotland, while the three most Scottish places in England were found to be Berwick-upon-Tweed and Wooler, both in Northumberland, and Corby in Northamptonshire.
Towns Named as the Most English
Ripley & Heanor News, 2006Two towns in the East Midlands were identified as having the UK’s highest proportion of people with family names of English origin. Historical factors, such as distance from the ports and industrialisation that pre-dated the 19th century boom, were identified as factors contributing to the lack of appeal of towns such as this to migrants from other parts of the British Isles, Europe and overseas.
Patriotism – That’s What’s in a Name
Scunthorpe Telegraph, 2006Local media often shows a good deal of interest in the names used by people within the area served by their publication. This Scunthorpe Telegraph article reports on the incidence of names that occur with greater frequency in its readership area of North Lincolnshire compared with the UK as a whole.