Latin culture is influencing everything in the United States, including baby names. With the growing prominence of Latin stars and parents of all ethnic backgrounds more interested in using culturally significant names, Hispanic choices are moving up the popularity lists.
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Jessica Alba and Ricky Martin may be among the most famous Latin celebrities, but their names were inspired by the general culture and are hardly inspiring modern baby namers in search of an authentic Latin choice. The Latin celebrities (and a few fictional characters) from the worlds of film, music, sports, and fashion whose names have proven influential in the U.S. include:
Female
AMERICA FERRARA
CAROLINA HERRERA
EVA MENDES
ISABEL TOLEDO — A favorite designer of Michelle Obama’s
OFELIA — The young heroine of Pan’s Labyrinth
PAULINA RUBIO
SALMA HAYEK
SONIA BRAGA
ANTONIO BANDERAS
JAVIER BARDEM
OSCAR de la RENTA
RODRIGO SANTORO
photo by Sara Atkins
Several names that rank high on the popularity list in the U.S. have a Latin flavor and are well-used by Hispanic parents along with parents of many other ethnic backgrounds. Isabella, Olivia, Sophia, Angelina, and, for boys, Gabriel fit into this group. Names (and variations) with a more distinctly Latin heritage that are climbing the popularity list in the United States – and are definitely not for Latin babies only — include::
Girls
Boys
For parents who love Latin names but want to look for choices less well-known in the U.S., here are some names with a Spanish, Catalan, or Basque background virtually unused here but ripe for import:
Girls
Boys
YERAY
Tags: Basque names, Catalan names, Hispanic baby names, Latin baby names, Latin celebrities, Latin designers, Latin names, Latina names, Latino names, Spanish baby names, Spanish names
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 12:17 am and is filed under Basque baby names, Catalan baby names, European baby names, Hispanic baby names, Latin baby names, Spanish baby names, baby name popularity, baby names of 2008, celebrity baby names, celebrity names, ethnic baby names, exotic baby names, name popularity, name trends, popular names, undiscovered names, unique baby names, unusual baby names . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Some of those Basque and Catalan names are especially pretty. I really like Laia (LYE-yah). Candela is one of my favorite Spanish names. Rocio I don’t like as much as its meaning, but the reason why I like Rocio is because of its meaning and associations, if that makes any sense at all. Noa I have always prefered on a girl. Nuria reminds me of the Arabic Noor, which I also like. I have always loved Otthilie so Otelia is very pretty to me.