Enter two names and this page finds the shortest chain of similar names that connects them. Each step in the chain links two names that are closely related by sound and era.
All 690 unqiue names are connected in an invisible web. The path finder runs an algorithm called Dijkstra's to trace the shortest possible route through that web, from your start name to your end name. One of the features that separates the dataset the most is which gender the name belongs to, therefore, when finding a path between boy and girl names, the jumps may seem more extreme as it has to cross this "gap".
Short paths (2–3 hops) mean the two names are genuinely similar, i.e. close in sound, era, or both. Longer paths (4 or more hops) mean the names are quite different and the algorithm is jumping across several clusters to bridge them. Even the most opposite names will always find a path, just a longer one.