COMPILED FROM THE FEDERAL REGISTERS, 1880 TO THE PRESENT
American first names, tracked to the federal reporting line.

A ROOM OF THE LIST — THE RETURNED

THE RETURNED

Every name in this room spent ten or more consecutive years below the federal line and was then reported again: 18,438 returns in all. The management notes, without editorializing, that some strings come back as different names wearing the same letters (see Methods), and that a return, once achieved, may be surrendered.

Notable holdings

Flossie

RETURNED 2020 AFTER 32 YEARS — BELOW THE LINE AGAIN SINCE 2024

Birdie

RETURNED 1999 AFTER 12 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Zula

RETURNED 2002 AFTER 34 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Jemima

RETURNED 1966 AFTER 16 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Juno

RETURNED 1996 AFTER 76 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Theodosia

RETURNED 2006 AFTER 11 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Ova

RETURNED 2020 AFTER 59 YEARS — BELOW THE LINE AGAIN SINCE 2024

Icie

RETURNED 1977 AFTER 16 YEARS — BELOW THE LINE AGAIN SINCE 2011

Vesper

RETURNED 2008 AFTER 81 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Euphemia

RETURNED 2010 AFTER 20 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Posie

RETURNED 2011 AFTER 85 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

Zorah

RETURNED 1999 AFTER 86 YEARS BELOW THE FEDERAL LINE

The complete room — 18,438 names, by letter

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