Trump effect? Lucifer may overtake Donald on Scottish baby names list – leader comment

According to the National Records of Scotland, just six babies born in Scotland in 2018 were given the name Donald, down from ten the previous year. One boy was called ‘Lucifer’, up from zero in 2017. Could Donald Trump be killing off a name once closely associated with his mother’s homeland?

Donald Trump has often spoken about how much he loves Scotland (Picture: Susan Walsh/AP)

Donald Trump seems tremendously fond of his Scottish roots.

The ascension of such a Scotophile to the exalted title of ‘Leader of the Free World’ would have been a significant boost to this country – if only he had been a very different human being.

Instead, the US President has attracted condemnation from across the political spectrum.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said if it’s true he “hates” her then she “should take it as a compliment”; Labour’s Richard Leonard has pointed out his “racism” and “bigotry”; and the Conservatives’ Ruth Davidson has warned of his “desperate and dangerous sycophancy” towards Vladimir Putin.

As has been suggested in these columns before, Trump has given Donald a bad name and now it appears he could even be killing off a name that is one of the most closely associated with this country.

There were just six Donalds born in Scotland last year, down from ten the year before.

In fact, if short-term trends continue (genuine statisticians may wish to look away now), Lucifer will be a more popular name than Donald by 2020.