Sandra or Sanford Anyone?

I've lived in New York city for a while and I've now officially lived through Hurricane Sandy.  She was a real bitch, to be frank, but I can't complain because I was spared in some major ways.  Some of my friends, family and coworkers were not so lucky and I give them major kudos for trooping it out through flooding, loss of power, loss of water, loss of sanity...

But, this post is not about Sandy the Frankenstorm, she's received enough attention.  This post is about Sandy the name, sort of.  Here's my question: Do you know anyone who named their baby after a storm, major historic event or natural disaster that occurred on the date of the baby's birth?

Any baby girl Sandra's or baby boy Sanford's named over the past couple days?  

If so, tell me about it...stud.

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A Couple of Baby Name AHAs!

Last week, a friend (thanks B!) sent me a very cool article from iVillage about my #1 fav topic - baby names.  The article (here) lists ten categories of baby names (think places, spiritual, antique, etc.) and what choosing a name from each category says about the parent.  For example, parents who choose places as names (i.e. Brooklyn, London, Paris, etc.) envision their child in the limelight.   There's probably definitely no scientific research behind the assertions, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.

This short, sweet article, beyond providing some entertainment, provided two serious AHA! moments for me.  For those of you who don't know what an AHA! moment is, shame on you and I'll explain.  It's Oprah's term for an epiphany.  She made it up and I think it's now in the dictionary or at least the urban dictionary.  It's AHA! as in "I get it!", which is literally how Oprah defines it in her video explanation below.  So strange that this video exists on Youtube.

My first AHA! moment inspired by the iVillage article was the realization that my theory on uniqueness being the single most important factor in choosing a baby name (remember this post?) is not true.  Well, it's not true for everyone.  People have many reasons for choosing their perfect baby name, many of which are totally unrelated to uniqueness.  Aha!  There's more than one end goal for finding the perfect baby name and there's more than one path to get there.

Here are the categories of names listing in the iVillage article:

• Place Names
• Religious Names
• Vintage Names
• Nature Names
• Political Names
• Celebrity Driven Names
• Pop-Culture Inspired Names
• Ethnic Names
• Family Names
• Really Unique Names - this is my category, right?

Here's the other, more significant AHA! - I don't prioritize uniqueness in my baby name preferences.  I don't fall into the "really unique names" category.  What's that?!  Hold up now...

The article, understandably, listed names like Apple and Pilot Inspektor as really unique names.  I don't like either as I've previously mentioned (here).  There both a bit too out there for me.  Too unique.  On the other hand, I'm don't like Isabella or Jacob (the most popular names of 2011).  They're too common for me.  Not unique enough.  But, here is where the AHA! really hit home, if I'm forced between Jacob and Pilot Inspektor, I'm going with Jacob.  Turns out that uniqueness is more of a secondary concern for me.  I know, I'm baffled too. 

This double AHA! left me totally confused about what type of baby namer I am.  For a woman who's written about baby names several dozen times, this was concerning.  I was suddenly without a baby name identity.

Don't feel too bad for me...pretty confident you didn't...all that happened was a daily trip over to Nameberry.com to search around and rediscover who I am.  The process was quite quick and here are the results: my taste is vintage, classic and traditional with consideration (not absolute prioritization) of how popular the name is according to the SSN website.

What type of baby names do you like?  Any of the categories listed by iVillage?  Maybe you're a mesh of more than one or fall into a category overlooked by iVillage?

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Celebrity Babies Everywhere!!!

If you read Next Stop baby with any frequency (and I hope you do), you know that I can't help myself when it comes to celebrity baby news.  It's not a regular posting topic, but I do write about celeb baby names and celeb baby gossip (i.e. rumors about Jessica Simpson's baby name choice, Blue Ivy's conspiracy, etc.) when it's too hot to ignore.  Today is a discussion of both these topics together.

There have been SO many celebrities having babies over the past couple months.  So many.  Let's review with the assistance of some names, dates and photos:

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler 

welcomed Camden Jack Cutler (boy) on August 8th

Kristin and Camden

Giuliana and Bill Rancic 

welcomed Edward Duke Rancic (boy) on August 29th

Edward

Vanessa Manillo and Nick Lachey 

welcomed Camden John Lachey (boy) on September 12th

Camden John (not to be confused with Camden Jack)

Adriana Lima and Marko Jaric 

welcomed Sienna Jaric (girl) on September 13th

Adriana (no pic of Sienna yet)

Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Wilkerson 

welcomed Tucker McFadden Wilkerson (son) on September 18th

Melissa (no pic of Tucker yet)

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. 

welcomed a son in mid/late September...that's all the info I could find. 

SMG (no pic of baby boy yet)

Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman 

welcomed Olive Barrymore Kopelman  (girl) on September 26th

Drew and Will (no pic of Olive yet)

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth 

welcomed Tennessee James Toth (boy) on September 27th

Reese (no pic of Tennessee yet)

Two things I noticed right away - they're all baby boys with the exception of little Olive Kopelman and Sienna Jaric.  And who would have thought that two couples would choose the same name (Camden) and initials (CJ) for their sons.  Strange.  I wonder if Kristin and Vanessa are pissed about it, each having thought that they chose such a unique, modern name.  I also wonder if their joint choice will launch Camden into the top echelon of popular baby names?  Like Kourtney K. did with Mason.  Last thought, I love Reese and Jim's choice of Tennessee (though I wouldn't choose it myself).

More importantly, which names do you love and which do you hate?  Whose choice surprised you?  Are there this many celebrities having babies all the time or was January 2012 a particularly romantic month in Los Angeles?

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Katniss Strikes Back...Again...and Again

It's been almost one year since the notorious post in which I declared that Katniss is not a real name.  After all this time, comments are still rolling in about how wrong I was/am.  People love The Hunger Games.  People love Katniss Everdeen.  People think Katniss IS a real name.

There she is.  Badass.

I get it.  In fact, I got it about two weeks after I wrote the original post, so I wrote a follow-up post (here) taking back my assertion that Katniss was the modern day equivalent of Spock - a science fiction character and not a name.  It wasn't a full take back (I never said that Katniss is a real name), but I did admit some wrongdoing.  Nonetheless, the Katniss backlash continues.  So, I'm trying again.

(The beginning of the most recent comment on 

the year old "Katniss is Not a Real Name" post)

I'm still not going to declare that Katniss is a real name (despite the snide, but funny and informative comments I've received).  What I will do is acknowledge that I'm not sure that there is such thing as a "real" name.  Any word is a name, right?  Well, in some states there are words that legally can't be names (think: terrible, horrible 4-letter words) and a judge can actually rename a child if the parent chooses one of the forbidden words.  Beyond those rarest of rare circumstances, pretty much any combination of letters can be a name.

Celebrity parents are the most shining example of taking a seemingly random word and turning it into a name.  Apple Martin (Gyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's daughter) always comes to mind in these type discussions, though there are far more random words that have become celebrity baby names (i.e. Pilot Inspektor).  So, I admit, Katniss is not just the name of a book character, it's also a viable option for the name of a real life lady or gentleman.  That's my amended statement - Katniss could be a name.

Pilot Inspektor Lee (son of actor Jason Lee)

 

Will Katniss become a popular name and someday reign the Top 100 list?  Ummm, I don't know, though I kinda, sorta doubt it.  But, I'm perfectly happy being proven wrong.  So, go ahead - prove me wrong.  Start naming your babies Katniss!!!

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Name Haters

True - I'm obsessed with baby names.  I love listing them, researching them, discussing them and generally pondering them for minutes hours at a time.  I've written about them more times then I care to count (check out the long list of name posts here).

I can't explain my obsession, but I do know that others share it, which is comforting.  I so appreciate a friend who's willing to discuss name meanings and origins with me, repeatedly, because she's equally as passionate about the subject.  I'm a name lover and I know it.  What I don't appreciate is those passionate individuals who claim to be name lovers, but are really name haters. 

Haters gonna hate...

Name haters love talking about names, but their side of the conversation is about how much they hate most names.  The joyful brainstorming session of a name lover is quickly smothered by a laundry list of bad associations and inexplicable distaste from a name hater.  Here a few short scripts to better exemplify:

Name Lover: "I'm really into modern names lately, like Mulligan and Gem".
Name Hater: "Seriously?!  Yuck.  Those aren't even names, they're a golfing reference and the centerpiece of jewelry."

Name Lover: "I'll never stop loving those turn of the century, antique names like Wyatt and Coralie."
Name Hater: "I'll never understand why people like those names.  If you're gonna name your son Wyatt, you have to hope that he's good looking kid because teasing will pick on him like crazy."

Name Lover: "I just met a little girl named Vera, I love it.  Thoughts?"
Name Hater: "It's not horrible, it's just that I had a really annoying coworker named Vera at my last job.  It makes me think of coffee breath and a nasal voice."

GROSS.

There is nothing that will invoke a pleasant reaction from a name hater, except if you reference one of the tiny handful of names that she happens to love.  It's a disastrous conversation when the lover and the hater come together on their favorite topic.  Well, disastrous for the lover.  And yet, a name lover can't easily avoid the conversation because the worst part of name haters is, again, that they think they're name lovers and genuinely love talking about names.

The thing is, name haters aren't always haters across the board.  Some of the nicest people I know are name haters.  It's weird.  I think because it's not necessarily rude to give a blunt opinion on a movie or restaurant, people think the same rules apply to names.  But that's not true.  Name opinions are personal and much more akin to fashion choices or haircuts.  The love of a name speaks to personality and taste.

I love shopping at JCrew (online sales), wearing my hair in a ponytail and classic, but less popular, names.  I get a bit peeved when someone disses any of these things.  So, if you're suddenly self identifying as a hater - quit it!




   

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The Most Popular Names of 2012 (a psychic prediction)

I've put my super psychic powers internet searching and excel spreadsheeting skills to use one again.  Last week I went to one of my favorite online baby name resources (Baby Namescape) to check out baby name popularity by state.  Baby Namescape not only breaks down popularity by state, but it also shows popularity by city and hospital.  The mystery about Baby Namescape (that remains unsolved despite my grueling efforts) is how often the lists are updated.  I can't tell whether the lists reflect daily popularity, weekly popularity, monthly popularity, yearly popularity so far...or something different.  My frequent use of the site tells me that it's a daily aggregate of the most popular names, but I have no corroboration of this.

Below is a snapshot of the Baby Namescape website - the stats below are from yesterday (8/27/12) for New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.  You can also look up New York as a whole and Brooklyn as a whole.  Not every hospital is included on the website, so the results aren't ironclad.  But it's certainly a great tool for researching general naming trends.  

The lists below contain the most popular baby names in the country (last Thursday, August 23) based on the number of states that had the name as the #1 most popular name.  The rest should be self explanatory.  The only thing that is not self explanatory is the most popular boy name in Iowa. 


GIRLS

• Sophia (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin)
• Emma (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Vermont, West Virginia)
• Ava (Georgia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island)
• Isabella (Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee)
• Olivia (Colorado, Mississippi, New Hampshire)
• Addison (Iowa, Nebraska)
• Chloe (Louisiana, North Dakota)
• Avery (Maine)
• Ella (Utah)
• Jordynn (Delaware)
• Josie (Montana)
• Kylee (Alaska)
• Logan (Washington DC)
• Mia (South Dakota)
• Nevaeh (New Mexico)
• Rylee (Wyoming)

BOYS

• Mason (Georgia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, New York, Virgina, Washington)
• Jayden (Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada)
• Jacob (California, New Jersey, Texas)
• Carter (Vermont, Michigan, Wisconsin)
• Liam (Indiana, Kansas, Colorado)
• William (Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina)
• Aiden (Utah, Hawaii)
• Ethan (Connecticut, South Dakota)
• James (Maine, Missouri)
• Michael (Illinois, Maryland)
• Noah (Minnesota, New Mexico)
• Alexander (Oklahoma)
• Benjamin (Wyoming)
• Brayden (West Virginia)
• Bryce (Alaska)
• Daniel (Delaware)
• Eli (North Dakota)
• Gabriel (Washington DC)
• Isaac (Oregon)
• Jace (Idaho)
• Jackson (New Hampshire)
• Jose (Nebraska)
• Joshua (North Carolina)
• Nicholas (Montana)
• Ryan (Massachusetts)
• Security (Iowa)....REALLY?!????

If this random sampling is any indication of general 2012 trends, Sophia, Emma and Isabella are going to remain on top...for a while.  On the boy's side, it seems that Mason may just overtake Jacob for the number one spot in 2012.  And where did Carter come from?  It was #36 most popular name in 2011, but it seems to be on the rise.  Is this the result of the undeniably, ever-charming Carter Oosterhouse?  Could be.  Regardless of the cause, it looks like Carter is going to make a star appearance on the 2012 list.

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Popular Names by Decade

Check out my handy dandy lists of popular names by decade.  Okay, it's technically not my handy dandy list, it comes from the Social Security Administration website (here) where all things baby name related are born.  Just because a name makes the Top 10 list in any given year doesn't mean it's overwhelming popular through the entire decade.  The names below speak to each decade as a whole and, thus, to each generation as a whole.  Even if your child is born in 2012, you can give him or her a throwback name from your favorite past decade.

These statistics are based on the number of people that were given the name in each decade (and not the percentage of people).  You can see that in more recent decades the most popular names jockey quite a bit where as at the turn of the century...the 19th century...very little changed.  You can also see that popularity of girl names changes much more drastically decade to decade as compared to popularity of boy names.

Born in the 2000s

1. Jacob

2. Michael

3. Joshua

4. Matthew

5. Daniel

1. Emily

2. Madison

3. Emma

4. Olivia

5. Hannah

Born in the 1990s

1. Michael

2. Christopher

3. Matthew

4. Joshua

5. Jacob

1. Jessica

2. Ashley

3. Emily

4. Sarah

5. Samantha

Born in the 1980s

1. Michael

2. Christopher

3. Matthew

4. Joshua

5. David

1. Jessica

2. Jennifer

3. Amanda

4. Ashley

5. Sarah

Born in the 1970s

1. Michael

2. Christopher

3. Jason

4. David

5. James

1. Jennifer

2. Amy

3. Melissa

4. Michelle

5. Kimberly

Born in the 1960s

1. Michael

2. David

3. John

4. James

5. Robert

1. Lisa

2. Mary

3. Susan

4. Karen

5. Kimberly

Born in the 1950s

1. James

2. Michael

3. Robert

4. John

5. David

1. Mary

2. Linda

3. Patricia

4. Susan

5. Deborah

Born in the 1940s

1. James

2. Robert

3. John

4. William

5. Richard

1. Mary

2. Linda

3. Barbara

4. Patricia

5. Carol

Born in the 1930s

1. Robert

2. James

3. John

4. William

5. Richard

1. Mary

2. Betty

3. Barbara

4. Shirley

5. Patricia

Born in the 1920s

1. Robert

2. John

3. James

4. William

5. Charles

1. Mary

2. Dorothy

3. Helen

4. Betty

5. Margaret

Born in the 1910s

1. John

2. William

3. James

4. Robert

5. Joseph

1. Mary 

2. Helen

3. Dorothy

4. Margaret

5. Ruth

Born in the 1900s

1. John

2. William

3. James

4. George

5. Charles

1. Mary

2. Helen

3. Margaret

4. Anna

5. Ruth

Born in the 1890s

1. John

2. William

3. James

4. George

5. Charles

1. Mary

2. Anna

3. Margaret

4. Helen

5. Elizabeth

Born in the 1880s

1. John

2. William

3. James

4. George

5. Charles

1. Mary

2. Anna

3. Emma

4. Elizabeth

5. Margaret

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The Popularity of Being Unpopular

Who saw the news that Kourtney Kardashian had her baby girl?  And named her Penelope Scotland Disick.  I was intrigued, per usual, by the name choice.  The middle name choice was a hit in my book.  Ireland is a common enough name that Scotland didn't feel crazy.  And, I read, that it was chosen as a tribute to Penelope's dad, Scott.  Cute.  The choice of Penelope was also a winner for me.  I like the name and it feeds into a theory of mine about the popularity of unpopular names.  Though the popularity of Penelope has been on the rise for about a decade, it barely made the Top 200 most popular names of 2011.  Meaning, while Penelope may be a great name choice for the new Kardashian lady, it's not a popular name choice.

OK Magazine is already all over the Penelope Scotland news...okay, not really.
This cover was back from the gender announcement.
I wonder which tabloid will be the first to print photos.

Nowadays, parents prioritize uniqueness over all other factors (i.e. possible nicknames, family names, etc.) in their search for the perfect baby name.  This naming trend has presented itself in two ways: old school names and non-name names.  Old school names are suddenly (and fiercely) in vogue.  By old school, I mean turn-of-the-century school - names that were popular between 1880 and 1920.  Non-name names have been trending for a while now.  These are names that were not traditionally thought of or used as names.  This category includes last names that are being used as first names (Harper) and nouns that are being used as names (Sky).

With so many people jumping on this uniqueness bandwagon, unusual names are becoming not so unusual.  Everybody's doing it.  What's interesting about this trend is that it's not necessarily resulting in all babies sharing the same handful of names.  In five years, I don't think every kindergarten class is going to have a dozen girls named Penelope, but I do think that Penelope isn't going to be a radically unique name amongst her classmates.  There won't be three Jennifers, two Samanthas, four Michaels and one unique Penelope.  Everyone will have different names, all equally unique.  Penelope will fit right in with her friends Viola, Sullivan and Cash.

What do you think - is/was uniqueness important in your name choosing process?  how did you find a unique name?  did your name choice end up being unique after all?

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You Wanna Name Your Kid What?!!!

Choosing a baby name is truly the first act of parenting.  Well, for those that sit on the birth certificate for a few days unable to decide, maybe not.  Even so, it's at least one of the first acts of parenting. 

It's a choice that has become slightly more complicated over the years.  A hundred years ago the pool of commonly used names was relatively small and parents were, generally, less creative in their choice.  Nowadays, there are many, many, many commonly used names and parents are inspired to make unique choices.  Why the change?  My guess it twofold.  First, the world is becoming smaller thanks to travel and technology, so we're sharing and comparing naming ideas like never before.  Second, being unique is a modern and highly coveted characteristic.  We want to be unique (by choosing a rare name) and we want our children to be unique (by being named something less common).

I'm a modern lady and a fan of interesting names.  I like names that make me pause and consider, like Jessica Simpson's Maxwell and Alicia Silverstone's Bear.  But, once in a while, even I can be thrown by a name choice and find myself feeling judgy.

Who felt judgy watching this video?

Last week I was checking out Nameberry.com as I often do and noticed the following "Names Searched Right Now": Whizdom and Tequila.  I probably don't need to explain why I felt judgy toward both of these names, but I will anyway. 

Part of my problem with Whizdom is that I can't stand unnecessarily strange spellings of commonly use names (and words).  Especially if you're choosing a rare name, go with the least rare spelling.  That's my 2 cents.  Of course my other problem with Whizdom is that, regardless of the spelling, it's a self-important.  Typically, I love names that are nouns (i.e. Violet, Hunter).  But I also hate braggers (more on that here).  Choosing a name like Wisdom...or Whizdom...forces the child to live up to the parent's ego or suffer trying.  

Next up, Tequila.  Tequila happens to be my favorite alcohol, but I don't appreciate it as a name.  I wouldn't appreciate a child named Bourbon or Rum or Vodka either.  Whiskey might be a cool name for a rockstar, but you can't really plan for these things at birth.  I just think it would be hard to take someone seriously if she introduced herself as Tequila.  "Hi, I'm Tequila Smith, your daughter's 3rd grade teacher."  Hmmm...

Reasonable minds may certainly differ.  I don't doubt that some people think Whizdom and Tequila are fantastic names.  I bet there's someone out there that thinks alcoholic beverage baby names should be the next big trend.  So, maybe it's all just a matter of opinion.  Or is it?  Are there any names that are just universally wrong?

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I'm Kinda Psychic

Last week, I posted the Top 10 baby names (boy and girl).  Earlier this week, I summarized my deep thoughts on all the apparent trends revealed in the 2011 list.  Today, I'm revisiting predictions that I made last year and deciding whether I should quit my day job and become a full time psychic. 

I'm not sure I can handle the psychic uniform

Last year I posted 3 times (here, here and here) about my predictions of the hot name trends that were marking 2011.  My predictions were based on zero science.  I was just frequenting Nameberry and other baby name websites, and paying attention to naming trends amongst my peers.  My overarching theory was twofold.  First, traditional, century old names were hotter than ever (think Charlotte and Benjamin).  Second, non-traditional, modern names were hotter than ever (think Hudson and Skye).  These two extremes were simultaneously at work through most of last year.  The common, middle of the road names, like Jessica and Jeremy, were out of favor.  And yes, this wasn't rocket science - these trends have been hot for some time now.

With these theories in mind and considering some important pop-culture phenoms, I developed a list of  names that I thought would be big in the 2011 SSA results.  Turns out, I was pretty damn accurate.  Well, I was fairly damn accurate.

For the girls, none of the names I predicted lost popularity.  Nice.  For the boys, I wasn't as on point.  Two of my boy name predictions (Harry and Kyron) fell in popularity.  For both boy and girl names, a few of my predictions didn't even make the Top 1,000 list.  My humble belief for those names is that I'm just ahead of the curve.  Check out the details below:

GIRLS

• Adele � up 282 spots from 909 to 627
• Adelina � up 25 spots from 910 to 885
• Azalea � still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Avery � up 5 spots from 23 to 18
• Dahlia � up 109 spots from 647 to 583
• Daphne � up 38 spots from 488 to 450
• Emery � up 40 spots from 312 to 272
• Finn � still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Frankie � still not breaking top 1,000 (last on list in 1974)
• Joey � still not breaking top 1,000 (last on list in 1970)
• Marilyn � up 2 spots from 547 to 545
• Philippa � still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Pippa � still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Primrose � still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)

BOYS

• August � up 29 spots from 427 to 398
• Brayden � up 3 spots from 40 to 37
• Everett � up 30 spots from 287 to 257
• Grayson � up 25 spots from 122 to 97
• Harry � DOWN 58 spots from 658 to 709
• Henry � up 10 spots from 67 to 57
• Kyron � DOWN 60 from 824 to 884
• Wallace � still not breaking the top 1000 (last on list in 1993)

At some point in the next month or so I should once again pull together predictions, seeing that I'm so good at it.  Have you noticed any particular names or name trends picking up traction this year?

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Consideration and Deliberation of 2011's Most Popular Baby Names

Today's post title is hardcore (read: long).  If you've read prior baby name posts on NSB you've come to know that I get hardcore about the subject.

For starters, thanks to fabulous comment from Amy in a post from last week (here), I now know that the Social Security Administration posts the most popular baby names from the prior year on the Friday before Mother's Day.  I knew it was an annual occurrence, but I didn't know there was a precise date.  I had thought it was just a random day in May.  Not so.  There is a sentimental method to the madness.

Next, let's get down to business and discuss 2011's most popular baby names.  I'll start with some interesting notes on specific names, girls first.

• Aubrey/Aubree - Both versions of this girl name gained noteworthy popularity last year.  Aubrey broke into the Top 20 and Aubree jumped from 223 to 99.
• Avery - As I predicted (more on that later in the week), the popularity of Avery continues to rise.  She jumped 5 significant spots from 23 to 18.
• Briella - This name jumped 394 spots from 2010 (#891) to 2011 (#497).  Not only that, but 2010 was the first time Briella was even in the Top 1,000.  She jolted from not listed to Top 500 in 2 years flat.  Impressive.  My previous (here) and current theory on the sudden popularity of Briella is also known as the Jersylicious Effect.  Jerseylicious is another trashy, fabulous reality TV show that stars, amongst many, Briella Calafiore.  Ms. Calafiore's mom must feel like an innovator.
• Brisa - She fell the most spots of any girl name, sliding from 464 to 807.  It's a relatively common name amongst Latino families, but can't seem to hit it's stride in the US of A. 
• Sophia/Sofia - As if Sophia overtaking Isabella for the #1 spot wasn't enough, Sophia's less popular twin sister (Sofia) broke into the Top 20.  I don't think this name (either version) is going anywhere anytime soon.

Briella Calafiore.  Jerseylicious.

Now the boys.

• Benjamin - It may be hard to believe, but this boy name has never been this popular.  It broke into the Top 20 for the first time. 
• Brett - Bye, bye Brett.  Much like the career of Brett Favre, this name's hay day has passed.  It went down a whopping 119 spots in a year from 389 (2010) to 508 (2011).
• Joseph - Perhaps one of the most significant changes to the Top 1,000 boy name list was the movement of Joseph.  He is officially out of the Top 20 for the first time in the history of the SSA keeping tabs on this stuff. 
• Liam - It's the shorter (if we're counting letters), Irish brother of William and it's yet another name that broke into the Top 20 for the first time in 2011.  Liam has been on the rise since the mid 1990s and after becoming a popular choice for celeb baby boys (i.e. Liam McDermott, Liam Costner, Liam Stewart), I imagine it will maintain it's stronghold for years to come. 
• Mason - Well hello there fella.  A mere 15 years prior, Mason hadn't even broken the Top 100 and now he's Number 2.  Nearly 1% of all little boys were named Mason in 2011.  Can we blame credit Kourtney Kardashian for this trend?
• Brantley - This is the biggest mover and shaker of the 2011 boy names list.  Brantley jumped from 736 in 2010 to 320 in 2011 (that's 416 spots).  Brantley Gilbert could be the reason...possibly, maybe.  He's a country music singer/songwriter who released his first songs and music videos in 2010 and also made headlines for surviving a messy DUI.

Brantley Gilbert.  Countrylicious.

When it comes to girls versus boys, there isn't much to report.  The characteristic differences between these groups seem to have held true in the last year.  For example, in 2011, like every year prior that I cared to run the math on, a significantly larger percentage of boys (% 43.77) were given a Top 100 boy names than were girls (% 31.12) given a Top 100 girl name.  This means that it is (and has always been) more likely that your son will share the same name as his bestie than will your daughter.  On the other hand, the Top 5 girl names held strong with only slight jockeying between the ranks while the Top 5 boy names lost Ethan and Michael and gained Noah and Mason.     

Did you have a chance to peruse the SSA website and see if you're favorite baby name(s) were on any of the Top lists?  Any trends that you're seeing so far in 2012?  Do you get as excited over baby names as I do?

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SSA 2011 Top 10!!! (at last)

By sheer stroke of luck, I decided (moments ago) to check out the Social Security Administration website to see if the 2011 updates were finally posted.  Each May, the SSA releases the Top 1,000 baby names from the previous year.  The exact day in May isn't scheduled (to my knowledge).  I had somewhat patiently ignored the urge to check the SSA website on a daily basis for the past two weeks and instead decided that I would eventually catch wind through news outlets.  But it's mid month and I hadn't yet heard anything, so I caved and checked the site myself.  BAM.  They are up and ironically just went live.  The Top 10 lists are below and of course I'll give you my full two three cents after I've had time to paroose and digest the full list.

Top 10 Girl Names for 2011

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Mia
10. Chloe

Top 10 Boy Names for 2011

1. Jacob
2. Mason
3. William
4. Jayden
5. Noah
6. Michael
7. Ethan
8. Alexander
9. Aiden
10. Daniel

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A Name Before a Baby

I seem to know more and more parents-to-be who choose and publicize a baby name before the baby is born.  Do you know any of these folks?  Are you one of these folks?  Is it a recent trend or am I just noticing it now that I'm baby crazed?   

Forty years ago (maybe even thirty), sonograms simply weren't standard parts of prenatal care.  Without a sonogram or two, the gender of the baby can't be discovered.  And, in most cases, without knowing the gender of the baby, a single name can't be settled upon.  So, relatively speaking, it is a trend for parents to decide on a single name before the baby is born thanks to modern technology.  But, if I'm considering only the last five years (the years when my peers started to become pregnant), it's really the last two years that I've noticed this naming habit.

While I won't choose this route, I don't think it's wrong or bad.  At all.  Quite the opposite, I understand the fun in it.  I imagine that it's fantastic to call him or her a real name rather than a nickname or...a pronoun.  Using a name (the name) might make it feel all the more real?  Choosing a name as early as possible hopefully prevents pregnant friends, acquaintances and coworkers from scooping up your jewel before the due date.  But I don't think any of these reasons are why people do it.  My theory on this seemingly newish trend is that people have been taken by all the amazing baby swag that requires a name or initials.  Below are a few examples of these desirables.

Pottery Barn has a bunch of personalized books, like the one below.  In fact, Pottery Barn has an entire section of their website dedicated to personalized baby stuff (here) with everything from blankets to toys to furniture.

The wall decal below by Stephen Edward Graphic ($35) is one of many that you can find on Etsy.com.  Personalizing a nursery can be nearly instant.

Two blue peas has a slew of awesome, inexpensive (!) baby gifts that can be personalized with a name or initials, like the giraffe and raccoon blanket below.  Check them all out here.

While I just realized this name picking trend, I have known of the general love for personalized gifts since the start of NSB and written about it twice (here and here).  So, was it the chicken or the egg?  Did personalized gifts become popular because people were choosing names before babies arrived or were people choosing names before babies arrived leading savvy retailers to capitalize?

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Jessica Simpson's Baby Name Revealed...

Maxwell Johnson

These days I have been posting on Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays (Stuff People Google day).  But I had to throw in an extra post today when I caught wind of this intriguing news.  According to the NY Post, Jessica Simpson and her fiance Eric Johnson plan to name their baby girl-to-be Maxwell Johnson.  Thoughts?  They will call her Maxi.  Thoughts? 

I'm all for interesting names.  I'm all for gender bending names.  So, I don't dislike Maxwell for a girl.  I'm not, however, a fan of Maxi.  It reminds of me maxi pads....

Discuss!

   

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All in the Family

It's been a while since I wrote about baby names.  One month and thirteen days exactly.  That post (here) was about Seraphina and Katniss.

Choosing a baby name is easy peasy for some people.  They've been brainstorming names for the past decade (or more) and had a top five boy and girl list before even becoming pregnant.  Others don't find the name selection process easy...or fun.  When you don't have a top anything list and you're not sure what names you like, much less love, it can be quite stressful to imagine narrowing the search to ONE.

For the latter group of people, there are a few methods for easing the process.  About a year ago I posted a huge list of these methods (here), but today I'm going to focus on one: choosing a family name (aka heritage name).  For sentimental folks who want to feel personally connected to the name, this is the best method.

Start the process by filling in the branches
(image here)

THE NAME - In order to find a family name that you love enough to choose for your child, you first need to learn your family names.  So, start by asking questions.  You likely know the name of your aunt and grandfather, but great uncles and great great grandparents might be unknowns.  Get a list going.  Your relatives can help you collect.  There's always one aunt who has a subscription to ancestry.com.  Give her a ring, she'll be thrilled.  Ask about first, middle and last names.  Ask about nicknames.  Back in the day (pre-electricity day) nicknames weren't obviously connected to full names.  Sissy was a nickname for Cecelia.  Kitt was a nickname for Christopher.

Sissy Spacek born as Mary Elizabeth Spacek

A NICKNAME - If you've done your research and you're not digging anything, don't fret yet.  I have a couple more suggestions.  Consider modern nicknames for the old school names.  Maybe you can't see yourself naming a daughter Henrietta after your great grand aunt.  But Etta is pretty cute.  Eleanor doesn't strike your fancy, but maybe you're a fan of Ellie?  Derivatives of the family name can carry on the sentimental value of the name, even if the derivative wasn't actually used as a nickname.  The newly formed nickname will be unique to your new family member and still an homage to your old family member.

SPECIAL LETTER - Still nothing?  Scrap the name.  Forget about the nickname.  Use the first letter of the name of a beloved relative.  You adore your grandpa Herman, but don't adore his name enough to pass it along to the next generation.  Check out other "H" names, there are plenty - Henry, Harrison, Hayden.  This works even if your loved your grandpa Herman and you have a little girl (Hazel, Hailey, Harlow).  

Any other creative ideas for using a family name without using a family name?  

 

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Stuff People Google 40

Baby names are a prevalent NSB topic.  I love looking at baby name websites and blogs.  I love discussing baby names with friends.  I love stalking celebrity baby name choices.  I love all things baby name related.  And so, today, not only am I posting a phrase that someone googled, but I'm also taking the liberty of responding to the phrase (it's a question).

is manee a guy or girl name 

Manee isn't a name, if you're defining "name" as a word that is listed on the social security administration website (as a name) or a word that is listed on nameberry.com (as a name).  Both the SSA website and Nameberry are about as comprehensive as it gets in the lovely world of baby names.  But, if you love Manee, here are a few name suggestions that are on those websites, all of which Manee could be used as a nickname:

Boy Names

Manuel

Emmanuel

Girl Names

Manuela

Manuelle

Emmanuella

The only "Manee" I know (not personally) is Manny Ramirez.  I'm assuming that "Manee" would be pronounced the same as "Manny".  FYI, Manny Ramirez's full first name is Manuel. 

Manuel "Manny" Aristides Ramirez Onelcida
image here

I'm all for choosing the name that you like, regardless if it's a name as defined in this post or if it has an unusual spelling.  Your baby, your name choice.  Period.  But, in this specific case, if a person is digging the name Manee...perhaps going with Manny would be a better choice?  For me, "Manee" is too close to manatee and that's not an awesome name reference. 

This is a manatee
image here

   ?

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Goodbye Katniss and Seraphina

I popped by Nameberry last week as part of my weekly (and sometimes daily) ritual.  Shock.  For the first time in a very, very long time neither Seraphina nor Katniss were listed in "Today's Most Popular Names".  What?  WHAT?!!  For the better half of 2011 both Seraphina and Katniss were listed every single day, all day long, without fail.  But on February 8, 2012 at approximately 2:54 p.m., neither were listed.

Had the queens been dethroned?  Well, not quite.  I went back to Nameberry over the weekend and there she was, Katniss, not giving up so quickly.  Seraphina, however, was still missing.

Here is what the "Today's Most Popular Names" section of Nameberry looked like for most of 2011.  This screenshot is from a post I wrote in the beginning of November 2011 (here).  Notice the prominence of both Katniss and Seraphina.  The size of each name indicates how many people are searching it (bigger size = more people), pink is for girl names and blue is for boy names (if that wasn't obvious).

Here is what the "Today's Most Popular Names" looked like this past weekend.  Small Katniss, NO Seraphina.

BUT WAIT, this is what it looked like just a couple hours later.  NO Katniss, small Seraphina.

And another couple hours later...

Why was I stalking Nameberry this past weekend and why am I giving you the play by play?  I want a record.  I want visual proof that the times, they are a changin'.  This is clear indicator that the next wave of baby name trends is almost upon us.  I'm guessing there will be a resurgence of Katniss when the first Hunger Games movie comes out in a little over a month, but the "it" factor is no longer.

So what are the new "it" names?   I spent a great deal of 2011 predicting what they would be (here, here and here).  Now that it's 2012, we don't have to guess anymore.  There are proof points all around us.  Unfortunately, the only thing proven by Namberry this weekend is that Seraphina and Katniss are on the way out, I didn't see any clear names or trends that are on the way in.  The three babies born into my (extended) circle of friends since the new year are a baby boy named Luc, a baby girl named Peyton and a baby girl named Penelope.  Not enough material to show a trend.

Celebritywise, here is the latest for 2012:

BOYS

Exton Elias (son of Robert Downey Jr.)

James Timothy (son of Danny Pudi)

Micah Emmanuel (son of Sarah Drew)

Jonah Christopher (son of Jo Dee Messina)

GIRLS

Elliotte Anne (daughter of Marla Sokoloff)

Maxwell Lue (daughter of Lindsay Sloane)

Kaya Emory (daughter of Lindsay Davenport)

Fiona Lee (daughter of Danny Pudi)

Beatrice Jean (daughter of Bryce Dallas Howard)

Romy Hero (daughter of Aaron Johnson)

Blue Ivy (daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z)

Willa Lou (daughter of Keri Russell)

Sebella Rose (daughter of Roselyn Sanchez)

The only trend I spot is amongst the girls: the middle names Lue, Lee and Lou are nearly identical.  Hmmm.  It's a kickback to the 1920s/1930s South?  

What names and names trends are you noticing?  What have the babies in your life been named?  What names are your pregnant friends pondering?  

PS - Happy Valentine's Day!  Here's to hoping you find yourself in the presence of dark chocolate and champagne by the day's end.

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