FROM THE REGISTER — THE RETURNED
RETURNED 2020 AFTER 59 YEARS — BELOW THE LINE AGAIN SINCE 2024
The same flicker: a long silence, a brief return, silence again. First reported in 1881, Ova fell below the line and stayed there from 1961 through 2019 — 59 years. It returned in 2020 and was reported as late as 2023; it is below the line again now, 2 years and counting.
| First reported | 1881 |
|---|---|
| Last reported | 2023 |
| Peak | 1919 — 51 births |
| Total recorded, 1881–2025 | 1,364 |
| Years above the line | 70 of a possible 145 |
| Longest absence | 59 years (1961–2019) |
| Returned | 2020 |
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