BABY NAME TRENDS: Heading Up

February 10th, 2009 at 3:11 am

I like a lot of these and would love to see them more. However Dahlia scares me, since it is very high on my list. I’d prefer for it to not become popular. haha.

February 10th, 2009 at 8:17 am

Have baby named Claire. I am hoping for it to peak soon, but I guess that is wishful thinking. I hope I am somewhat ahead of the peak at least. Didn’t want her to be Claire M. Also, I was wondering what happens to first name popularity once a name becomes popular as a middle name? Does it effect its rise up the charts like a name such as Grace? I see Claire being used a lot as a middle name. I also didn’t see some of the Twilight names on here such as Alice, Esme, Edward, and Rosalie. I thought those names would be getting a bump in popularity too. Also I am wondering why Aubrey and not Audrey made the list. I am done now I promise. : ) Nice post by the way!

February 10th, 2009 at 9:20 am

The octuplets have names that fit with those trends. The girls are Maliyah and Nariyah; the boys are Noah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Isaiah, and Makai. I’ve heard all of them except Nariyah, but I could see that one catching on.

February 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am

I was bracing myself before reading this list, really hoping not to see any of the names I’m seriously considering! Thankfully, none of my favorites are on the list.
I love blog posts like these. We tend to only look at popularity ranks while trying to estimate how popular a name is/will be, and we can sometimes completely miss the fact that it’s part of a clear trend. It’s not necessarily a reason not to use something we love, but I’d rather be aware of it rather than realize three years later how trendy a choice it was.

February 10th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

I am so happy to not see any of the names on my lists here *whew*!

There are a good handful on here that I really wouldn’t mind seeing more of, but I hope none of them are going to be as saturated as Ava/Jacob/Emily are now. “Variety is best, people, stop thinking like sheep”! is something I want to start yelling on the baords (not here, other places!)

February 10th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Claire! Noooo. My baby’s name is Clare (”the original, more prosaic spelling” according to this site). I too hope it has peaked.

Malia was on my list but with it being one of the President’s daughter’s name I believe the popularity is going to soar.

Too many names on this list I like, booooo.

February 10th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

I love Claire, but probably won’t use it.

Lucia is the only one on our short list here, and I am surprised to see it.

February 10th, 2009 at 4:39 pm

Not every one of these names will keep trending up. But if I had to guess, I would pick Lucia as one of those most certain to get more popular, thanks to the stylishness of Lucy and the fashionable “a” ending.

February 10th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

Phew! Like others, I read this list while holding my breath. I’m really saddened by Annabelle’s popularity, as it’s been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. I guess I’ll have to replace it with Anne…

Linda, when you chose Chloe, it was essentially unheard of, and I’m wondering how you feel about its popularity.

Thanks so much, Pam and Linda, for this entry!

February 10th, 2009 at 6:19 pm

You’re welcome! there is hardly a belle name that has escaped the upward trend, except maybe Clarabelle, and that’s only because of the cow.

February 10th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

I have to say that seeing “Lyric” on that list made me chuckle. On my birth club there are a couple of women who are naming their soon-to-be daughters Lyric and think that they’re being completely original. It’s interesting to see that they aren’t the only ones who are using it.

February 10th, 2009 at 9:49 pm

I think some of us are overreacting at the thought of our baby names appearing on this list. I’d guess there’s 60 names on this list, and they won’t necessarily all be in the top 100. Also there’s such a variety in naming nowadays, the chances of there being 4 Claires in 1 class is slim to none (unlike Jen’s of the 80’s)

And people think Lyric is original? Jada Pinkett played a character named “Lyric” in a movie that came out around 15 years ago and it had a rise in popularity then

February 12th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

Good god, I think that nickname names need to die off the charts. Lexie, for example, needs to go away. So do other ridiculous names, like Paisley (a print), Cruz (ugh!), Tessa, Kamari (sounds like Calamari).
I am very opinionated, yes. But I think Parker should have never become a girls name. Same with Ryan.
Girl’s names are girl’s names, and boy’s names are boy’s names. Some can cross over acceptably, but not ones that are heard everywhere.

I love Amelia, which is actually on my favorites. I don’t know anyone, personally, with the name. I’ll be so upset when it’s number one by the time I have kids

July 13th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

All this popularity scares me! I love a lot of these but they are “dead” to me once they hit top 100…

July 30th, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Well, we shouldn’t freak just yet, after all, these are predictions of naming trends. I do love one on here but I won’t say which! LOL Sure, I am bummed to see it here but it is hard to imagine with an more uncommon name that it will suddenly appeal to so many different people like Emma and Isabella have, right? Who knows why a name enters the lexicon (reality tv, twilight books) and then everyone loves it?