Death of a Name: Mildred, Bertha & Todd

Mobituaries with Mo Rocca

iHeartPodcasts and CBS News

Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 20.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2022

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What’s in a name…that makes it popular to one generation, and downright ugly to the next? From "Bertha" and "Layla" to "Reagan" and "Katrina," history shows us that politics, pop songs and news events all play roles in sending baby names skyrocketing or plunging in the rankings. Mo (short for "Maurice"!) returns to his elementary school to speak with his fifth grade teacher about his own name then talks to Columbia University linguist John McWhorter and actor Todd Bridges about other names that have seen better days.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	A while back, I visited my alma mater.
0:10.6	I'm talking about my first alma mater, Wood Acres Elementary School in Bethesda, Maryland.
0:16.7	I am Mr. Raka.
0:17.7	I went to this school.
0:19.7	When I first came to Wood Acres in the third grade, I wasn't Mo.
0:23.6	I was Maurice Raka.
0:25.6	Maurice, a name which felt hopelessly out of style.
0:29.7	I was the only Maurice in the whole school, but maybe the name has a better rep now.
0:35.0	I'm going to ask each of you a question, and that's what I've come back to find out.
0:39.6	I started off slowly, though, asking about other names which peaked long ago.
0:45.4	When I say the name, Mill Dread, what do you think of?
0:50.2	Um, London.
0:51.5	I think of an old British person, I don't know.
0:55.1	Yeah, I agree.
0:56.1	Me too.
0:57.1	Okay.
0:58.1	Now, what about the name Bertha?
1:00.8	Um, an old lady that's fat.
1:03.8	What do you mean Bertha?
1:05.2	I agree.
1:06.2	I agree.
1:07.2	I agree too.
	...

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