Between 2005 and 2022, American parents named more sons Maverick and the US Treasury issued more debt, and the two numbers have risen together (r = 0.957) with an aptness that feels almost poetic. A certain kind of American optimism produces both: the self-proclaimed maverick, and the self-underwritten borrower. Both, for now, continue.
Babies named Maverick in the US grew from about 440 per year in 2005 to over 5,300 per year by 2022, a 12x increase paced by the 2011 reboot of Top Gun news and capped by the 2022 sequel; the US national debt grew from about $8 trillion to over $31 trillion in the same window, driven by wars, tax cuts, recession stimulus, and pandemic relief. Both are expressions of American comfort with the un-hedged bet: name the kid after a disobedient fighter pilot, and fund the government on short-term paper that must be rolled. The interest on both, eventually, comes due.
A name is entered on a birth certificate. A bill is sold at auction. Both gestures, presumably, meant well.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “US national debt” vs “Babies named Maverick (US)” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
