Name fame

Names come and go like fashion trends — some stay timeless, while others make surprising comebacks or disappear without a trace.

Earlier this month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) released its list of the 1,000 most popular baby names in the United States for 2024, offering a fascinating snapshot of what's trending — and what's fading — in the ever-changing world of names.

For the sixth year in a row, "Liam" and "Olivia "have secured the top spots, holding steady at number one. "Emma" and "Noah" continue to follow closely in second place.

Alongside the list of top names, the SSA also highlighted those that saw the most significant shifts in popularity this year. Notably, "Ailany", meaning "chief", experienced the largest rise among girls' names. For boys, the name "Truce", meaning "peace", made an impressive leap — rising 11,118 spots from 2023 to break into the top 1,000 at No 991.

The SSA also offers a feature called "Change in Popularity", which allows users to track how a name's ranking has shifted over the decades.

For instance, the name "Nicholas", a top-10 favorite for boys in the early 2000s, has declined in recent years and now ranks No 118. Similarly, the name "Jessica", which ranked eighth for girls in 2000, has dropped to No 574.

Supermarket beachcombing

It might be hard to believe, but "beachcombing" — a hobby typically associated with the seaside — has found an unlikely new setting in China: the local supermarket.

The trend began when a social media user discovered live sea anemones clinging to fresh scallops she had bought at a grocery store. She rescued the anemones, placed them in her home aquarium, and fed them shrimp. Within just two weeks, the once-struggling creatures not only revived but settled comfortably into their new urban home.

Her viral videos sparked a wave of curiosity among young Chinese. On the lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote), searches for "beachcombing in the supermarket" lead to posts of shoppers showing off their surprising marine hitchhikers — everything from sea snails and algae to pea crabs hiding inside shells.

These unexpected "finds" offer city dwellers a miniature version of coastal foraging, bringing nature's wonders into everyday life.

Even before this trend took off, many young consumers had already begun treating supermarket seafood sections as informal entertainment zones. Office workers stop by to watch lobsters "duel" in tanks, while some parents turn grocery runs into impromptu marine biology lessons for their kids.

"Watching the fish glide through the tanks gives me a sense of calm in the chaos of daily life," one Xiaohongshu user shared.

What started as a routine trip to the grocery store has become, for many, a soothing escape.