Name Popularity List: Two new Latin names and how they got there
By Nephele
Now that the Social Security Administration has released its annual baby names listings beyond the top 1,000 (including all names that had at least five occurrences in any given year), names researchers can better track the influence of popular culture on our names.
For example, a girl’s name appearing in 2009 for the first time on the SSA lists is “Greidys” – with an astonishing count of 186 baby girls having been given that name in 2009. Its variants “Greydis” and “Greidy” also appear for the first time on the 2009 list, again in the astonishing numbers of 100 and 25 occurrences respectively.
Another girl’s name appearing in 2009 for the first time on the SSA lists is “Chastelyn” with 150 occurrences. Its variants “Shastelyn” and “Chastelin” also appear for the first time in 2009, with 34 and 33 occurrences respectively.
While we may expect new names to appear on the SSA lists each year, these new names generally don’t have more than a dozen occurrences, if even that. Why are the names “Greidys” and “Chastelyn” (with their variants) suddenly so prominent in their first appearance on the SSA list?
Our Latin friends can answer that question easily enough. These names shot to popularity with those who watch the Spanish television network Univision’s reality TV show called Nuestra Belleza Latina * (which translates into “Our Latin Beauty”). The winning contestant in the show’s third season (2009) was a Latin beauty from Cuba, named Greidys Gil. Another popular contestant was Chastelyn Rodriguez from Puerto Rico. And thus were two new names embraced by American moms (or dads!) in search of baby names.
For those interested in other names appearing in 2009 for the first time on the SSA lists, here is a selection, including some cultural crossovers, yooneek spellings and out-of-the-box word names:
GIRLS
Amazen 5
Anime 5
Anistin 7
Chastelyn 150 + Shastelyn 34 + Chastelin 33 + Chasteline 11 + Chastelyne 8
Elisabella 6
Emagine 7
Embrey 6
Evangelena 5
Fiamma 6
Finna 5
Greidys 186 + Greydis 100 + Greidy 25 + Greidis 13 + Greydi 10 + Greydys 8 + Gradys 5
Harlequin 6
Hunny 7
Iceland 5
Ivanya 6
Izzabel 9
Jessabella 5
Kellia 5
Knightley 6
Kouture 5
Lexii 12
Lilani 5
Malila 6
Merlot 5
Millia 5
Olana 5
Pailyn 23 + Paelyn 16 + Paylan 6 + Paylen 6
Pippin 5
Prayze 6
Renesmee 17 + Renesme 5
Sofiana 5
Sophialauren 5
Sovereign 5
Temperence 6
Theoni 5
Trillium 5
Violeth 6
Yafa 5
Zephyra 7
Zimora 5
Zolie 8
BOYS
Aceon 5
Anatoli 6
Arjit 8
Arkangel 6
Braddox 7
Brecon 5
Brex 5
Brox 9
Carbon 5
Cashmiere 5
Castiel 13
Danger 5
Ezekio 5
Fawkes 5
Fender 8
Fenway 5
Hopper 6
Issay 5
Jaico 7
Jeshaiah 5
Jurian 7
Kado 5
Kix 7
Knighton 6
Knoxx 10
Kypton 17
Lenoxx 5
Luck 5
Madoxx
Maxxon 6
Mercutio 5
Oli 5
Padric 7
Parson 8
Pennington 6
Quirt 6
Rodion 6
Scottland 8
Serj 5
Sonic 5
Tavern 5
Tevez 6
Thiego 5
Trigger 15
Wake 8
Wilde 5
Zabriel 5
Zao 5
Zaxton 8
Zekariah 5
Zepplin 5
Zim 5
*Nuestra Belleza Latina (English: Our Latin Beauty) is a reality TV show] revolving around young women competing with each other to become a personality for the Spanish television network Univision, which has aired the show since March 27, 2007. The show returned for a fourth season on March 9, 2010.