Kevinismus

Kevinismus ("Kevinism") is a German term for the practice of giving children trendy, exotic-sounding names as opposed to traditional German ones. It is often considered to be an indicator of low social class. The prototypical example is Kevin, which like most such names came to Germany from Anglo-American culture. Specifically, the 1990 comedy Home Alone (the German title of which, Kevin – Allein zu Haus, includes the hero's name) is credited with making Kevin the most popular boys' name chosen in Germany in 1991. Kevin Costner's 1990 film Dances with Wolves is often cited as an additional factor. Both films were released in Germany in 1991 and were the two most successful films there in that year.

Sometimes Chantalismus ("Chantalism") is used as a female equivalent, from the French name Chantal.

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