<p>The patterning of children’s first names has changed dramatically over the last century. In the early 1900s the given names of children were far more widely shared than is now the case. Boys’ names, especially, were more tightly associated with both biblical figures and paternal lineages. We describe these changing patterns using publicly available time-series data listing the first names assigned to newborns in British Columbia (1924–2024), Ontario (1921–2023), and Canada (1991–2023). Our findings show that, first, the diversity of forenames given to children has expanded. Second, the amount of diversity among girls’ and boys’ first names is now almost identical. We briefly explore, and test where possible, the reasons why these historical changes might have arisen. Changing patterns among given names are associated both with the waning of tradition (e.g., religion) and the rise of individualism (e.g., increasing identity differentiation). We end with a brief note on the increasing use of androgynous names in the last three decades.</p>