July 11, 2002

11:21 AM

Last year's most popular baby names in B.C.Fashions come and go, in names as much as anything else. Madison, Mackenzie, and Taylor are on the rise for girls, Liam for boys, with Brandon and Tyler still on the charts as well as more familiar names like Matthew. This page breaks down every registry for last year; how many different ways can you spell Kayley/Kayleigh/Kaylee? What about the 9 people who named their sons Maximus, or the 6 people who have given the world more Keanus? There are also a handful of Aaliyahs, Brooklyns, Montanas, and of course Brittneys. Where does your name stand?
posted by jokeefe (95 comments total)

Our daughter's name, Mayaan, didn't even make the list. All the more reason to rejoice. We tried to pick something unique but not so unique as to guarantee unrelenting peer abuse. We are crossing our fingers.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 11:32 AM on July 11, 2002

2nd place, baby!

Good thing I don't live in British Columbia.
posted by starvingartist at 11:33 AM on July 11, 2002

Unfortunately, no one else seems to be named "Interrobang" this year...
posted by interrobang at 11:43 AM on July 11, 2002

Unfortunately, no one else seems to be named "Interrobang" this year...
I can't imagine why not.
posted by jokeefe at 11:45 AM on July 11, 2002

Mine is way, way down the list. More boys were named Sukhraj, Navraj, and my personal favorite: Arshdeep, than shared my name.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:49 AM on July 11, 2002

Here is the U.S. list (top 1000 names of 2001).
posted by internal at 11:51 AM on July 11, 2002

d'oh! we went for 'emma' for our 19-day-old, because it wasn't near the top on any u.s. list... (sigh)
posted by krewson at 11:51 AM on July 11, 2002

Geoffrey 8 -- boomshakalaka! The more g-machines the better, even if they are Canadian.

What's scary is that in the US, there are more Tylors than there are Geoffreys.
posted by geoff. at 11:55 AM on July 11, 2002

There are now 17 more Jaxons in BC. Any more proof that we need Parent Licenses?
posted by Marquis at 11:55 AM on July 11, 2002

Where are the names of the future that we were promised so long ago? The Jangors, Zepts, and Zoltrans (those were the ones, right?) The letters of our language go together in zillions of different and interesting ways, and yet so many parents seem fall back on the standard waspy blueblood/soap opera character naming conventions. Sure, you don't want to ruin your kid's lives, but the future's got to start somewhere.


full disclosure: my wife vetoed my first choice of Zinc, and we ended up going with Declan (13), probably a better choice all around...
posted by crumbly at 11:55 AM on July 11, 2002

I've always been partial to Gherkin, myself.
posted by Marquis at 11:56 AM on July 11, 2002

G-machines, heh.

I've been looking for a good site describing the origin of names. Anyone got somethin' for me?

(also, my top choice, Shabazz, didn't make the cut...bah)
posted by Succa at 11:59 AM on July 11, 2002

And I thought the name Jasper (my son) wasn't used much anymore (14 kids).

Zinc is a cool name, as is Maximus. 15 girls were named Piper?
posted by adampsyche at 12:01 PM on July 11, 2002

Hopefully Jack Vance'll gain some popularity after his (inevitable) death next year, and we'll get some Magnuses, Cugels, Murs, Rhialtos, Glawens, and Sessilies.
posted by interrobang at 12:01 PM on July 11, 2002

I have been looking at names recently for a girl due Aug. 5. It can be very "interesting" at times. A few examples for girls in the top 1000 ... at #22 - Destiny; 170 - Diamond; 297 - Heaven; 393 Precious; 877 Princess. I prefer the names that are different, but not weird.
posted by quirked at 12:02 PM on July 11, 2002

That probably was a better choice, crumbly. You know what they say about boys called Zinc, don't you? They end up brittle bluish-white metallic elements.
posted by stuporJIX at 12:06 PM on July 11, 2002

I'd like to see more Shakespearian names. Mercurio? Desdemona?

My mother's name is Ophelia and I have a niece named Ariel, so we're doing our part. Unfortunately, my brother and I got the slightly more prosaic names of Ricardo and Antonio.
posted by vacapinta at 12:08 PM on July 11, 2002

I'm not on either list. Feeling weird. Lourdes made the list? Thanks, Madonna.
posted by allpaws at 12:08 PM on July 11, 2002

Succa, see here.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 12:14 PM on July 11, 2002

The mothers of my (late 60s-early 70s) generation weren't exactly reaching out for new names. I must know 20 guys named Scott. I suspect the same thing is happening in day cares and pre schools with the many Madisons and Sams.

My sister thought she was going for a non-top ten name in 1983 when she named her first son Joshua. Was she ever wrong.

Krewson, Emma and Hannah and all those charming grandmotherly names are everywhere where I live...sorry 'bout that.
posted by GaelFC at 12:20 PM on July 11, 2002

Destiny; 170 - Diamond; 297 - Heaven; 393 Precious; 877 Princess. I prefer the names that are different, but not weird.

Or ones that sound like stripper names. I second that motion for more Shakespearian names. Desdemona, or Titus Andronicus even. Ophelia works too.
posted by adampsyche at 12:22 PM on July 11, 2002

Re: futuristic sounding names, I know a guy named Zoltan.
posted by ODiV at 12:24 PM on July 11, 2002

Destiny; 170 - Diamond; 297 - Heaven; 393 Precious; 877 Princess.

Those sound like hooker names. I also would avoid names that sound like the fake by-lines on porn spam- Ashlee, Brianna, Kimberley, Teena.

Worst name ever:

Rhiannon. And there are 8 of them on the list. Leave it to the Canadians. (I kid)

Unfortunately I share my name with 113 British Columbian boys born 2001. That's 113 boys destined to be called "Ivan", "Even" "Evahn" and the hundreds of other mispronunciations that I get on a daily basis. I never understood it, since Evan seems to me one of the most self-explanatory pronunciations in namedom.
posted by evanizer at 12:25 PM on July 11, 2002

and the shakespearian names have a lot in common with some of the far-out sci-fi names.

me, i always wanted to have a daughter named Inertia.

oh honey, you have so much potential! So unlike your sister, Entropy.
posted by th3ph17 at 12:29 PM on July 11, 2002

And I third the Shakspherian names. Anyone for "Coriolanus"?

I also love old-fashioned, upper-crusty, ivy-league boys' names, like Addison, Angus, Preston, Aloysius. Glad to see that some of them are on the rise. But for full effect, two or more of them need to be paired together. Like Addison Angus Preston Aloysius Izer, which my son, should I ever have one, will be named.

Correction. Addison Angus Preston Aloysius Coriolanus Izer.

And 17 Mohammeds but no Jesuses? What's up with that?
posted by evanizer at 12:33 PM on July 11, 2002

Joshua is, unfortunately #2. However, my original given name, Topeka, is not there, nor is my brother's (Banana). My mom, after waking up after the anesthetic, changed my dad's original choices to something more socially acceptable.
posted by luriete at 12:34 PM on July 11, 2002

Tybalt! Prospero! Titania! Rosalind! Falstaff! Okay, maybe as a middle name. But do not name your kid Puck.
posted by furiousthought at 12:35 PM on July 11, 2002

Cornelius.

I also must admit that it has been a lifelong dream of mine to be able to name a daughter Crayola.
posted by adampsyche at 12:38 PM on July 11, 2002

although i'm a huge shakespeare fan...desdemona? who would do that to a child?

"hey des, we named you after a vapid, spineless ninny! maybe your husband will smother you in a baseless fit of jealous rage as well!"

along th3ph17's lines, with my last name being stone, i've always favored the idea of naming one daughter precious, and the other semi-precious. oh, what fun! sit back and enjoy the ride!
posted by witchstone at 12:41 PM on July 11, 2002

I'm #15 on the list. Though I somehow doubt I'll ever have children, if I do have a son, I'd name him Isaac or Graham.

While (tangentially) on the subject of names, it's always momentarily confusing when I see a post or comment by this guy.
posted by Danelope at 12:49 PM on July 11, 2002

Welp. No one named Linus in the US, yet again.

Someone find a link to a list from Finland and Germany, maybe there's hope there.

=)
posted by linux at 12:54 PM on July 11, 2002

Not one Oriole on the list, but there are 10 Puneets? Go figure.

My brother always swore he'd name his kids Homer Apollo and Jethro Archimedes. Luckily, thus far he's still childless.
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:55 PM on July 11, 2002

Parenting.com has a cool Name-O-Meter (goofy name itself) that tracks popularity of names by decade for the 20th century. Interesting if you like statistics and trends, too.
posted by quirked at 12:58 PM on July 11, 2002

re: Shakespeare.

I have a friend called Regan. As in Goneril. What's next? "This is my daughter, Lady Macbeth Anderson."
posted by Marquis at 1:08 PM on July 11, 2002

who would do that to a child?

I like the name through purely aesthetic reasons!

...hey, it's better than Lavinia...
posted by adampsyche at 1:08 PM on July 11, 2002

Picking up on the Madison trend, let's start naming kids after other state capitals. Meet little Albany! Adorable Sacramento! Sweet l'il St. Paul!

Or, if it's from James Madison's last name, perhaps Fillmore and Polk will be enrolling in daycare soon.

I like the various urban legends, some of which might actually be true, of deluded moms naming their kid things like "Caesarian," because they heard it in the hospital and it sounded pretty. Or Lexus or Porsche, because, you know, it's a big fancy car!

Isn't that how the name Tiffany got popular...it was a last name and a jewelry store and people thought: Hey, classay.
posted by GaelFC at 1:11 PM on July 11, 2002

Not one Oriole on the list, but there are 10 Puneets? Go figure.
We're blessed with a large South Asian population in B.C. And my (Shakespearean) name didn't make the list either--and just as a btw, being named after someone who offed herself at the age of 13 for forbidden love has its good and bad points...
I was suprised not to see any Beyonces. Maybe next year?
posted by jokeefe at 1:14 PM on July 11, 2002

Too late evanizer, my son already has the name Arthur Aloysius.
posted by patrickje at 1:21 PM on July 11, 2002

I can't believe that more girls are named "Maggie" (20) than are named "Margaret" (19).
posted by MattD at 1:24 PM on July 11, 2002

I once knew a young woman from a small east-central Texas town. Her name was D'Arlen, and she pronounced it "Dee-Arlen". One day it stuck me that her parents probably pronounce it "Darlin'". Poor girl. If I were her, I would have done more than just find a (somewhat) better pronunciation.
posted by tippiedog at 1:25 PM on July 11, 2002

Re: futuristic sounding names, I know a guy named Zoltan

Working retail years ago I came across two customer names that I'll never forget -- Zoltan Hiss and Jesus Pagan. Cool...
posted by crumbly at 1:26 PM on July 11, 2002

The (middle) name I use didn't make either list; bird-watching continues to decline as a popular pastime.

My first name, however, is already #507 in the US, and yet somehow the telemarketers still can't pronounce it.
posted by junkbox at 1:27 PM on July 11, 2002

There's a rural legend around parts of Central America where the US has at one point sent in its armed forces (i.e.:all of it) that there are children named Usarmy and Usnavy, because the parents saw it written on the side of ships.
Don't know if it's true, though.
posted by signal at 1:29 PM on July 11, 2002

Registering people for classes at my former job, I saw many wonderful names, but the one that has stayed with me the longest is Fiametta Yack.
The thing I find most interesting about baby names is how they signal class--Tiffany screams "stripper" to me, as well as any girl's name written with Ys--Jordyn, Haylee, Makayla. And how many girls were named Trinity before The Matrix, I wonder...
posted by jokeefe at 1:44 PM on July 11, 2002

Picking up on the Madison trend, let's start naming kids after other state capitals.

How upwardly Mobile of you. Still, rather childish I say, but Boise will be Boise!
posted by wackybrit at 1:45 PM on July 11, 2002

Im BC, 8 were given the same name as me (Kristian). It also shows up on the most popular names in America at #420 (the significance of which will not be lost of my stoner friends) at 600 lucky little boys.
posted by tankboy at 1:45 PM on July 11, 2002

Of course, now I feel stupid as I realize Mobile isn't a state capital. Doh.

How about naming a kid 'Truth or Consequences' after the town in New Mexico? :-)
posted by wackybrit at 1:45 PM on July 11, 2002

corroboration for "USNAVY" (search the page for it, it's in the long list at the bottom)
posted by signal at 1:47 PM on July 11, 2002

Tiffany screams "stripper" to me, as well as any girl's name written with Ys

Thats funny. I was just thinking of how Juliet(te), to me is a name I associate not with Shakespeare but with a Cuban prostitute. But, of course, you're right - she spells it with a 'Y'.
posted by vacapinta at 1:53 PM on July 11, 2002

Really now, isn’t it hard enough to spell without “Zachary 141, Zachery 5, Zackary 21, Zackery 11”.
posted by Gary at 1:55 PM on July 11, 2002

evanizer- no love for rhiannon? *sigh* it's my favourite name...but then, i got stuck with numbers 75 (BC) and 39 (US).

a pox on all of you who name ther daughters amanda. she'll live through years of "amanda panda banana."

and mandy. people will call her mandy. *hiss*

i work in a daycare and some bad names? bud (a boy), lyndon (a boy), malaysia (a girl), and mattie (a girl.)
posted by amandaudoff at 2:00 PM on July 11, 2002

When Madison, Brittany, Ashley, et al, are grey-haired grandmothers, will people be naming their babies Esther, Hortence and Beulah? Or are some names just detined never to regain popularity?
posted by Oriole Adams at 2:12 PM on July 11, 2002

Welp. No one named Linus in the US, yet again.

Yes there is, he is always in my funnies, especially on Sundays. Yet I did meet a Linus, can't remember where.

And yes there was a Governor "Hogg" in Texas that named his daughter Ima the legend says he had another daughter Youra. Ima was very generous to charities, how I found the truth.

My name when I was born both (if) as a girl(Lisa) or a boy are now in the teens, I like finding myself in a crowd.

I could go on as I use to put the names on sailor hats, and yes the spellings to some names are due to the drugs before and during the labor.
It's odd you can tell a lot just by a name, like "Ch" vs "K" and hair does go with the spelling, and religion too.
I like the vary ways people spell Daniel, Danial, Danielle, Daneile, Daniele and finally true fact Danyell, he was a boy, like he said I didn't pick it.
posted by thomcatspike at 2:14 PM on July 11, 2002

Our daughter doesn't crack a mention
Although it's amazing the people who remember her namesake
posted by johnny7 at 2:17 PM on July 11, 2002

children named Usarmy and Usnavy, because the parents saw it written on the side of ships.

It's true. I've also heard USMAIL believe it or not. And I've heard of Hitler, McGiver (sic), Clinton, Yordan (as Michael Jordan, you know). And the most incredible thing I'd ever heard: he-man. As you can see, many of them come from what people see on TV.

In some countries in Latin America you can tell what economic level the person is because of their names. Yerling, Will, Jhonny, Maikol, Yerson, Waldier, Wilmar, Ashley and Kristal combined with last-names such as Pérez, Rojas, Madrigal, López and Gutiérrez.

This is a magic land.
posted by papalotl at 2:21 PM on July 11, 2002

I always wondered why names like Alabaster and Ruddiger never caught on.
posted by will at 2:31 PM on July 11, 2002

As another Shakespeare-named person (damn Disney and their stupid mermaid!), I'm becoming more fond of other Shakespeare names. After reading "This Body," now I'm especially fond of Puck and Thisby. But would that be too much?

"Hi, I'm Ariel, and this is my son, Puck. If you're not careful, we'll team up our mischievous sprite power and blast you, so WATCH OUT!"
posted by arielmeadow at 2:31 PM on July 11, 2002

Oh, and I forgot a girl in college named "lady sexy"
posted by papalotl at 2:33 PM on July 11, 2002

Picking up on the Madison trend, let's start naming kids after other state capitals.

Augusta is a fine name, I think.
posted by JanetLand at 2:36 PM on July 11, 2002

I think 'he-man' and 'lady sexy' need to meet.
posted by vacapinta at 2:37 PM on July 11, 2002

I have met a kid named Pepsi.
posted by Succa at 2:42 PM on July 11, 2002

My name when I was born both (if) as a girl(Lisa) or a boy are now in the teens, I like finding myself in a crowd.

Uh, OK.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:44 PM on July 11, 2002

I'm 93 (Jason) on the Canada. When I was born, it was the number one name (in the US) for that year. Now it's 41.

Speaking of strange names - I knew a boy named 'Duke' - I always thought of a Great Dane when I heard it.
posted by jazon at 2:45 PM on July 11, 2002

A state capital name worked fine for Olympia Dukakis. Ditto Austin Powers.
posted by GaelFC at 2:55 PM on July 11, 2002

thomcatspike translator on!

"My name when I was born both (if) as a girl(Lisa) or a boy are now in the teens"
=
The name with which I would have been christened had I been born female is Lisa. The name Lisa and the name I actually received when I was born are both between number 20 and number ten on the list of most popular baby names in the U.S. for the year 2001.

monju_bosatsu, was that really so difficult? ;)
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:57 PM on July 11, 2002

I came very close to being a Linus (my father was in a class taught by L. Pauling when I was on the way), but my mother vetoed. A geologist, he also wanted to name my sister Cambria so he could refer to the time before her birth as Precambrian. Instead we wound up non-top-20 but still run-of-the-mill Mark and Brigitt.
posted by skyscraper at 3:05 PM on July 11, 2002

Aaron ranked 79.

I went to school with a Sunshine, Rainbow, Indra, Ananda, Doogran and a Mike Hunt. Bloody Hippies.
posted by Spoon at 3:06 PM on July 11, 2002

We named our new baby Jasper. She's gonna love us for it, I'm sure. While Jaspreet appears on the list, Jasper does not.
posted by daver at 3:10 PM on July 11, 2002

A friend who teaches kindergarten relays the story of two children whose Laotian immigrant parents named them, appropriately enough, "He" and "She."
posted by luriete at 3:11 PM on July 11, 2002

My little brother went to elementary school with a kid named - get this - Molester. Pronounced: MALLester. This is a true story. I saw the kid a couple of times.
posted by interrobang at 3:16 PM on July 11, 2002

ok, i worked with a woman who was married to a vladimir rodriguez. his brothers (back in the dominican repulbic) were hochi and karl (as in minh & marx).

go figure.
posted by elsar at 3:35 PM on July 11, 2002

We named our new baby Jasper. She's gonna love us for it, I'm sure. While Jaspreet appears on the list, Jasper does not.

Jasper does appear on the list, but as a boy's name. That is what I named my son.
posted by adampsyche at 3:37 PM on July 11, 2002

(warning: semi-self-link)
posted by adampsyche at 3:37 PM on July 11, 2002

Two parents, seven kids, 1 hit on the list. Kid coming, possible names give... 1 hit on the list, but at #10 in popularity. Strike "Benjamin" from potential names list, go back to original spelling, (Binyamin) Netanyahu references be damned. It's fun being a family of original names.

Addison Angus Preston Aloysius Coriolanus Izer

Evan, that's just cruel, unusual and sublime. I don't know if I should doff my (imaginary) hat or give you a virtual snub.
posted by Dreama at 3:37 PM on July 11, 2002

I want to name a son I have Winston. Unfortunately no girls I've dated have been keen on it. :(
posted by ODiV at 3:47 PM on July 11, 2002

hrm... Sounds like I already have a son, doesn't it? News to me.
posted by ODiV at 3:55 PM on July 11, 2002

My name, which is not short for Nathan (33 US) or Nathaniel (64 US), does not appear anywhere. I am not surprised.

I've thought about changing it, but whatever I changed to would probably also be fairly unusual. More likely I'll just name my kids unusual names. (Not too much so, though.)

I cannot stand the trend of goofy-sounding weird new girl names-- the Madisons and Mackenzies and what have yous. Makes me retch.

I have to admit, I never thought I'd see the day where Todd (459) was a less popular name than Declan (452), Ramiro (457) or Jaron (448).

And how are Jaylon (423) and Brayan (424) more popular than Roy (428) or Bruce (426)? What the hell is going on in this country?
posted by nath at 4:18 PM on July 11, 2002

I'm very common, Scott [27], but my daughter will be called Morgana if i can possibly persuade her mother.
posted by selton at 4:19 PM on July 11, 2002

Zardoz would be a fantastic name for a boy. A middle name perhaps.
posted by bargle at 4:25 PM on July 11, 2002

I used to work with a guy named Zoran; everyone called him "Zorro", which I thought was a cool nickname. A classmate of mine was Alice Cooper, which was perfectly mundane until we reached high school, and the singer gained fame. Poor girl got nothing but laughs and catcalls whenever her name was announced at assemblies.

As for me, my parents were apparently onto a theme (yes, my real first name is Oriole), as I have a sister named Robin. My brother Gordon lucked out; he could've been Bob-O-Link or something worse.
posted by Oriole Adams at 4:34 PM on July 11, 2002

Boobie. Boobie Adams.

That would have rocked.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:40 PM on July 11, 2002

Eight Rhiannons and not one Ruth or Ruthie??
Rough.
posted by bonheur at 5:33 PM on July 11, 2002

What, no Shooby?
posted by brookish at 5:43 PM on July 11, 2002

My husband came up with a lengthy list of baby names he liked.

The problem is, they are all titles. Like "Senator" or "Doctor."
He would just LOVE to name a child "Chief Justice Simpson."

And people ask why we don't have kids...
posted by litlnemo at 7:30 PM on July 11, 2002

I am laughing so hard I'm crying. This is hysterical. I love your "translation"of thomcatspike, Mr_crash_davis. I frequently feel that I need that.

I was named Kelly when I was born but my ultra-waspy grandmother was horrified that I would have an "Irish catholic name!" (Gasp!) so demanded that it change. She was happy with Amanda, I guess. My parents tried to name my sister Susanna, but good-old-grandmother freaked again and Susanna ended up Amy. Amy Elizabeth Armstrong. How waspy can you get?
posted by msacheson at 8:10 PM on July 11, 2002

15 girls were named Piper?

My niece, almost two years old, is named Piper. Her dad is a plumber. teehee!
posted by loopy at 8:16 PM on July 11, 2002

I don't mean to go all PC on you, but names like Destiny, Diamond, Heaven, Precious, and Princess may sound to you guys like 'stripper names', but they're very popular with blue-collar black parents, to whom they probably sound romantic rather than trashy. And who's to say? A name means what you and your culture think it means. I'm sure to those parents, names like Madison and Taylor sound stiff and pretentious.

On the other hand...

I see a lot of these kids in the course of my job, and I worry that a name like 'Precious' may limit job opportunities down the line, it's such a marker for a lower-class background. Sort of like Italian-American parents naming their kid Carmine or Giuseppe.

There's a line in To Kill a Mockingbird, that naming boys after Southern Civil War generals makes for slow, steady drinkers.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 9:53 PM on July 11, 2002

What is it with dads and names? Mine wanted to name me Kershplucket or Dinglebat (I might have been happy with the former, it certainly couldn't have made elementry school worse than it was), but mom overruled and I became Tom. Now when I think of names I think of things like Nautical and Parsec and Pirhana (which, stripped of meaning, I think is really pretty).
posted by Nothing at 10:18 PM on July 11, 2002

My son is named Griffin. ( I call him Griff.)I chose the name because it sounded decent, and I had never even met a Griffin in my life. What do you know, his name turned up on that list.

Doesn't matter, however. I live in Texas. He'll be the only boy in his grade who is NOT named Cody, Dakota, or Colby.
posted by bradth27 at 10:36 PM on July 11, 2002

my wife just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last week. we've named her 'dong_resin elizabeth lang', but we're quite worried about that first name becoming overly popular. i guess she could always go by liz if necessary.
posted by mlang at 10:53 PM on July 11, 2002

Hey, jokeefe, don't you have a blog to run or something? These things don't run themselves.

(Grumpy because my name is still less popular than Hugo and Ezekiel.)
posted by pracowity at 11:22 PM on July 11, 2002

Hey, jokeefe, don't you have a blog to run or something? These things don't run themselves.
Hey, you guys have been doing all the work--I've just been sitting back and watching...
I kinda like the name Hugo, myself.
posted by jokeefe at 11:53 PM on July 11, 2002

Seem to be a lot of Logans born in North America last year. 2031 is going to be interesting.
posted by rory at 6:01 AM on July 12, 2002

Hee Hee. But that's the movie, rory. If you go by the book, it'll be 2022 that's interesting.
posted by JanetLand at 6:18 AM on July 12, 2002

I'm #14 in British Columbia and #24 in the US. 125 new Rachels in BC, 9403 in the US.

Jennifer is going way down in popularity...didn't even crack the top 20. When I was growing up it seemed like every third girl in my class was named Jennifer.
posted by SisterHavana at 7:39 AM on July 12, 2002