The internet is a strange, wild, and sometimes twisted thing, but (today’s obvious understatement) it can certainly be useful.
Take the matter of finding era-appropriate names for characters. If you’ve ever needed to know whether Madison would be a good name for a baby girl born in the U.S. during the 1890s, this handy resource from the Social Security Administration is here to help!
Short answer: no. You’d be better off with Edna, Ethel, Bessie or Minnie. But check out some of the other options on the site. If your character was born in Alabama in the year 2000, Madison would be right on target (it was the third most popular name that year!) And if you’re wondering why I sometimes use my initials, check out #3!
* Brought to you by Obscure Information for Writers, Inc. (not a real thing, except oh wait, that’s basically the internet in a nutshell;).
J.R. Johnson 
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