Counterfactual
The Parallel Lives of Margaret and Vanessa
In 2,436 girls, Margaret found its level. 50 years earlier, Vanessa occupied that same statistical address.
1880–2025
Margaret
Peak year
1921
Peak births
28,468
Latest count
2,436
Status
Endangered
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
1900–2025
Vanessa
Peak year
1985
Peak births
7,563
Latest count
813
Status
Declining
Peak generation
Millennial
In 2,436 girls, Margaret found its level. 50 years earlier, Vanessa occupied that same address. One peaked in the Millennial era; the other in the Greatest Generation world. They never met. But the data remembers them both.