Counterfactual

The Parallel Lives of Valerian and Dick

In 23 boys, Valerian found its level. 50 years earlier, Dick occupied that same statistical address.

1914–2025

Valerian

peak 2018 2025 18801900192019401960198020002020
Peak year 2018
Peak births 24
Latest count 23
Status Rising
Peak generation Gen Alpha
1880–2005

Dick

peak 1934 2025 18801900192019401960198020002020
Peak year 1934
Peak births 1,131
Latest count 0
Status Extinct
Peak generation Silent Generation
Valerian is climbing again in the present tense, but Dick — its 50 shadow — never made it back. The same statistical force that now carries Valerian forward once carried Dick and then abandoned it. Names are not immortal. They are merely borrowed.