Counterfactual

The Parallel Lives of Arlis and Dick

In 23 boys, Arlis found its level. 50 years earlier, Dick occupied that same statistical address.

1906–2025

Arlis

peak 1931 2025 18801900192019401960198020002020
Peak year 1931
Peak births 48
Latest count 23
Status Rising
Peak generation Silent Generation
1880–2005

Dick

peak 1934 2025 18801900192019401960198020002020
Peak year 1934
Peak births 1,131
Latest count 0
Status Extinct
Peak generation Silent Generation
Arlis is climbing again in the present tense, but Dick — its 50 shadow — never made it back. The same statistical force that now carries Arlis forward once carried Dick and then abandoned it. Names are not immortal. They are merely borrowed.