  In social sciences, there is currently no consensus on the mechanism for
cultural evolution. The evolution of first names of newborn babies offers a
remarkable example for the researches in the field. Here we perform statistical
analyses on over 100 years of data in the United States. We focus in particular
on how the frequency-rank distribution and inequality of baby names change over
time. We propose a stochastic model where name choice is determined by
personalized preference and social influence. Remarkably, variations on the
strength of personalized preference can account satisfactorily for the observed
empirical features. Therefore, we claim that personalization drives cultural
evolution, at least in the example of baby names.
