My Top Boy's Names August 2017

The recent ascent of this English surname is due to two things: the megapopular Ash beginning and TV/movie hottie Ashton Kutcher. The name peaked at Number 76 in 2004, a year after Ashton Kutcher's (both Christopher Ashton) hit TV show Punk'd made its debut.

Mitchell has had something of a roller coaster ride, showing some panache in the forties and fifties, when it was seen as a sharper alternative to Michael with its cool Mitch nickname, slipping a bit, then resurfacing in the 90s when it reached as high as Number 71. Mitchell Pritchett is one of the leading characters on the TV sitcom Modern Family.

Sofia is a refined variation of the Greek name Sophia, which was derived directly from sophia, the Greek word for wisdom. It was the name of a Roman saint—the mother of Faith, Hope, and Charity—and queens of Russia and Spain.

See TADEN.

A strong single-syllable surname with a joyful meaning, Tate is finding a place on more and more birth certificates.

Tayden is a modern masculine name that follows the popular contemporary pattern of blending familiar name elements. It likely combines the 'Tay-' prefix (as in Taylor or Tayler) with the trendy '-den' suffix seen in names like Aiden, Jayden, and Brayden. Created in the early 2000s during the height of the '-den'/'-dan' name trend, Tayden exemplifies the modern approach to creating new names with familiar sounds. While not among the most popular modern coinages, it has seen steady usage in the United States since its emergence. Tayden has a contemporary, energetic quality that appeals to parents seeking something modern yet accessible.

See the popularity graph below for the name Theo? It's been heading straight uphill since 2010, when it hopped back onto the Top 1000 after a 60+ year absence.

The name of the Greek mythological hero famous for slaying the Minotaur is also heard in Chaucer and Shakespeare. While Theseus might have sounded pretentious for an American baby a decade ago, today with so many babies getting ancient mythogical names, it just might work.