Life has changed during the pandemic, and so has the practice of choosing baby names. New parents have unwittingly begun naming their children after the pandemic pastimes related to physical activity. In a major linguistic shift, the new most popular names can also apply either to boys or girls. To wit:

Fisher (no need for -man or -woman suffix)

Hunter (ditto)

Walker (double ditto)

Ryder (the “y” brings together all riders: car, cycle, you name it. Y? Because they want to.)

Gym (no longer reserved exclusively for Jungle Jims)

Lancer, “Lance” for short (applies to javelin throwers; if they throw a LOT, then they may also be referred to as “Lancelot”)

Names (in corresponding order) that haven’t thrived:

Caster

Gatherer

Runner (including Dasher)

Dryver (aka Driver)

Court (though Courtney still retains a strong presence)

Spike (probably due more to connotations relating to Coronavirus than to volleyball, javelin, or Fonzie’s cousin)