Blake

The name originated as an Old English surname, deriving from early roots associated with flame and light. It was established as a hereditary English surname by the thirteenth century and later borne by the eighteenth-century engraver and poet William Blake. The name first appeared in American birth registrations in 1883, lingering quietly at the margins until a steep upward climb began in the nineteen-eighties.

The name reads as a twenty-four-year-old who arrived five minutes early to an orientation session. A Blake tends to be pictured adjusting the straps of a backpack, packing a cooler, or explaining the terms of a car lease. Because the name peaked in 2012, it carries the specific memory of middle-school track ribbons and early tablet computers. It sounds like someone who has never once misplaced a driver's license.