FROM THE REGISTER — LONG MISSING
BELOW THE FEDERAL REPORTING LINE SINCE 1990 — 36 YEARS
A nursery form of Martha from the porch-swing South. Reported from 1880 to 1989, with a peak of 153 in 1920 and 6,298 births recorded in all. Nothing since 1989 — 36 years below the line, though a name last seen this recently has had less time to come back than the older vanished stock.
| First reported | 1880 |
|---|---|
| Last reported | 1989 |
| Peak | 1920 — 153 births |
| Total recorded, 1880–2025 | 6,298 |
| Years above the line | 102 of a possible 146 |
| Longest absence | 36 years (1990–2025, ongoing) |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national names file (1880–2025). Names below 5 occurrences in a year are not reported.
Somewhere, a grandmother is unsurprised.
A collection of THE MUSEUM OF HOPEFUL MACHINES