Erica's Answer:
In the 1950s, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center began giving names to tropical storms. All the names were female. It is said that the storms were affectionately named after the forecasters' wives and girlfriends. In the late 70s, the NHC decided to expand the naming convention, alternating men's and women's names. 6 lists of names are currently in rotation. When a storm is devastating as far as damage or lives lost, the name of that storm is retired.- Erica