Atlas is a Greek boy name widely praised for his strength. A name that evokes both power and gentleness, Atlas is beginning to be recognized for his many relevant positive aspects in the modern naming landscape with an impressively recent popularity. But has Atlas’s speedy ascent to the top of the charts ruined his rare beauty and polluted his potentially timeless nature? Or is Atlas the perfect name for this era and every one after, regardless of his trendiness? This lovely afternoon (or morning or evening, whenever you’re reading this), we’re investigating those very questions. I’m going through some of the pros and cons of the name Atlas for anyone who may be considering him for their little boy or just any person with a fascination with names. My fellow name nerds, expecting parents, and the rest of the Name Warehouse crew, let’s take a look at Atlas.
Pros
Atlas is as current and cool as it gets. He’s thoroughly modern and contemporary, and parents all over the world are just beginning to realize his sparkle. A name that has rocketed in terms of demand, Atlas is the ideal choice for many parents looking for a name that feels perfect for a baby boy today. If you want a name that is modern and cool, Atlas may be an option to consider. In addition to this factor, there’s also the mythological Atlas, the supposed original bearer of this trendy boy name. In the original story, though variations have also spawned, Atlas fought bravely for the Titans against the Olympians alongside Menoitois and other famed figures, loyally defending the king from the uprising his son, Zeus was causing. The Olympians won, punishing Atlas by forcing him to hold up the sky for all eternity. Rough. Personally, I would’ve gone for something a tad bit less permanent. A fine or something maybe? But Atlas took it like a champ, and he’s apparently still holding the sky up over our heads today. The traits of strength, loyalty, and conviction that appear in the story of Atlas are ones that many people would describe as positive to this day, and with the Greek story of Atlas being the figure that most people connect the name with in 2021, Atlas has a fairly positive connotation. Atlas also slides effortlessly into the sound trends of today, fitting that wonderful mix of strong and powerful and soft and sweet that has drawn parents to names like Elijah. He feels masculine and soft, a combination I’d like to call gentle strength. Not only that, his meaning “to hold up” could really be meaningful to plenty of families both now that we’re confronting a global pandemic and in general. Whether your little Atlas is holding up your family during a time of instability and fear or a baby that defeated the odds in a risky delivery, a meaning of strength and power is sweet and personal for many in this day and age, and choosing a name with meaning is often a lovely route to go.
Cons
Ask any few people who aren’t in the process of having named a child in the past couple years how they feel about the name Atlas. Go on. I will too. In fact, I just did. And what I got was a whole lot of “Isn’t that a map?” and a little bit of “Is that even a name?” For a person who isn’t completely obsessed with names or a contemporary baby namer and not pretty darn fascinated with Greek mythology, the map association comes to mind. I believe that an Atlas is a collection of a variety of maps. Which is great and all, but not necessarily incredibly inspirational baby naming material. Hey, maybe your dad really was a cartographer, or you want to pay tribute to your grandmother’s dream of travelling the world. But let’s be honest, a collection of maps doesn’t really deeply affect that many people. The geographical association dominates most of the thoughts people have when thinking of the name Atlas. Atlas is such a word name that it’s hard not to think of the word, particularly because it’s such a strange word with which to call your child. Flowers (Lily) and animals (Bear) and even titles (Prince)? Those make sense in our current naming sphere. But a bunch of maps don’t really fit, making the wordiness a tad too prominent for some people. In addition, Atlas’s sounds mirror those of currently trending girl names, perhaps causing the lady at daycare confusion. Atlas and Alice sound very similar, particularly in some accents that may not put much emphasis on the T sound. The At- beginning also sounds quite a lot like the remarkably “in” Addelynn, Adeline, Addison names. Even the -las sounds similarly to the endings of Felicity, Lissie/Lizzie, and, as mentioned above, Alice. So although his sounds altogether comprise quite a masculine name, the sounds broken apart or combined to an ear unfamiliar with the name Atlas have feminine undertones. On top of that, Atlas is ridiculously hot right now. He’s trendy on a whole new level. Let me give you some numbers. In 2012, Atlas ranked at a meager #1400, not even close to the surface of the top 1000. The next year, he made a huge jump to #779, and six years later, he ranks at #226. He hasn’t even been in the top 1000 baby boy names for six names, and yet he ranks in the early 200s. That’s wild. For a name to so recently jump into the rankings and rack up such a high popularity is insane, and it definitely suggests a lack of staying power for Atlas as well as more climbing. And for this very rapid ascension to popularity, Great Aunt Mary and Grandad’s jaws may splinter on the floor when you introduce them to little Atlas. Of course, you should choose the name that you love over anyone else’s opinion, but if the disapproval of relatives is a giant no-no for you or if you weren’t aware of the shock factor of Atlas, here’s a gentle warning.
Predictions For Atlas:
With these staggering numbers of popularity shooting towards the sky, I would expect Atlas to only gain and gain and gain, although I expect him to start leveling off and steadying at around the late 80s, although he could continue rolling into the future. I see Atlas’s artsiness and strength, and while I can’t shove the geographical image out of my head, I can totally see all of the appeal in Atlas. Thank you all so much for reading, and have a lovely rest of your day, friends!
Sincerely,
-Delphina Moon