“Hillary” was, once upon a time, a popular name. Until 1993—the year after Bill Clinton took office. Interesting.

Here’s the data, culled from the Social Security website. According to their records, the name has never again reached even close to its pre-Clinton status.

Hillary. Hilary. Hilaria. Hill-a-ree. It’s perky. It’s singsong. It’s deeply unpopular. And the timing begs the question: Is our nation’s swift rejection of Mrs. Clinton’s first name a case of causation or correlation? I’m no statistician so I think it’s suffice to say—who knows? Still, the Baby Name Wizards, who are far more qualified than I, offer us two insights on the matter:

  • “I really like the name Hillary for a girl, however I would never use it because I hate Hillary Clinton!”
  • “This name sounds too thick, like the person saying it is gurgling.”

Here’s what I say—you could find a name worse than Hillary for your baby.

HT The Washington Post. Images via AP, SSA.gov. Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.