The Top Berrybaby Names of 2012

The Top Berrybaby Names of 2012

This year, for the first time, we have–with the invaluable help of our invaluable intern Hannah Tenison, tallied the final name choices reported by Berries on the Birth Announcement forum.  So here is what happened when all the hypotheticals were winnowed down to a single reality.

(Of course we know many more babyberries arrived this year, and hope you’ll all remember to enter your news in the future.)

FIRST NAMES given to more than one babe

Among girls’ first names, two three stood out with four uses each: AliceRuby, and Matilda.

The following were chosen three times:

Charlotte

Cordelia

Eleanor

Eloise

Felicity

Georgia

Hazel

Ivy

Louisa

Philippa

Violet

Vivien/Vivienne

Wren (also a Wrenley)

2 Uses:

Agnes

Audrey

Ava

Caroline

Cecily

Clara

Clementine

Daphne

Eliza

Elizabeth

Elise/Elyse

Emeline/Emmeline

Emily

Eva

Frances

Juliet/Juliette

Lila

Lily

Lucinda

Maeve

Margaret

Miette

Penelope

Serena

When it comes to boys’ first names, two stood out: Henry and Leo both were chosen four times.

Those with three uses:

James

Miles

Silas

Theodore (plus one Theo)

Walter

2 Uses:

Alfred

Archer

Beckett

Bruno

Charles

Walter

Elliot

Felix

Graham

Griffin

Hugo

Isaac

James

Jonah

Jude

Levi

Samuel

William

Zachary

MIDDLE NAMES

Some surprises here, with a lot more commonality.  Six Josephines!  Eight Jameses!

All the six-timer girls:

Jane (and one Janemarie)

Josephine

June

Pearl

Elizabeth /Elisabeth

5 uses:

Claire

Margaret

4 uses:

Charlotte

Elizabeth

Genevieve

Penelope

Rose

3 uses:

Beatrice

Beatrix (and one Beatriz)

Belle

Faye

Jean

Mae

Maeve

Scarlett

2 uses:

Anne

Blythe

Cecily

Eileen

Elisabeth

Elise

Grace

Helen

Isabelle

Louise

Marie

Matilda

Paige

Rae

Ruby

Victoria

BOYS’ MIDDLES:

8 Uses:

James

7 Uses:

Alexander

6 Uses

Michael

5 Uses:

Edward

William

3 Uses:

Alan/Allan/ Allen

Henry

John

Lee

Paul

2 Uses:

Albert

Arthur

Atlas

Carter

Charles

David

Donald

Elijah

Jones

North

Patrick

Phillip

Raphael/Raphiel

Robert

And now for the multiberries born this year— where name nerds have had the incredible (and challenging) opportunity of picking up to nine names at once!

Triplets:

Emmeline Amelia Story, Jack August Hopper and Hugo Thackeray Fox

Flora Beatriz Pearl, Damon Jeremy Elijah, and Julius Maxwell Reid

Hazel Magnolia June, August Django Kit and Walter Phineas Bay

Girl/Girl twins:

Alice Louise and Cora Lilith

Bernadette Rome and Ramona Milan

Cecily June and Tuesday Sienne

Eleanor Ivy and Matilda Snow

Eliza Cecily and Fleur Viola

Emma Scarlett Paige and Lily Charlotte Grace

Lila Olive and Nora Charlotte

Lotus Mirabel and Eulalie Saga

Mabel Mazarine and Primrose Penelope (Posy)

Mara Juliette and Ruby Sienna

Miette Tulip Priscilla and Ruby Lilac Jessica

Boy/Boy twins:

Elliot Paul and Kurt Donald

Emery Lee and Finn Henry

Girl/Boy:

Amabel Artemis and Felix Apollo

Cordelia Janemarie and Cormac Sebastian

Delaney Meadow (f) and Boone Avery

Felicity Rae and Everett Lee

Genevieve Matilda Mae and Charles Ellington

Greyson Belle (f) and Jensen Carter (m)

Hazel Auria Belle and Seamus Allen Beau

Leighton Paige (f) and Dashiell Carter

Lila Maeve and Brady Bowen

Lucinda May and William Charles

Matilda Josephine and Archer Desmond

Scarlett Rowena and Murphy Atticus

Hope we didn’t leave anyone out!  Any favorites here that weren’t on yesterday’s list?  What would you name a set of triplets?

About the Author

Linda Rosenkrantz

Linda Rosenkrantz

Linda Rosenkrantz is the co-founder of Nameberry, and co-author with Pamela Redmond of the ten baby naming books acknowledged to have revolutionized American baby naming. You can follow her personally at InstagramTwitter and Facebook. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed New York Review Books Classics novel Talk and a number of other books.