Do Celebrity Parents Impact Baby Name Statistics?
Do celebrity parents really have a big impact on what new moms and dads name their babies? We spoke to BabyCenter, the number one online destination for new and expecting moms, which has the largest, most comprehensive baby name database in the world: Over 100,000 names, origins and meanings. For 2008, Emma has returned to the top of the Girl Name list after slipping to number 2 last year, and Aiden continues its reign at the top of the Boys list for the third year in a row!
We all know celebs consistently push the envelope when it comes to picking a name for their newborns. Will the name Bronx be in the top 10 names for 2009 because of Ashlee and Pete Wentz? The name Jayden – Britney Spears‘ and Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s name choice — is #2 this year. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named one of their newest additions Vivienne. Vivienne is ranked #1128 on BabyCenter and its Latin origin means “Alive.” Will Vivienne climb the charts next year?
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden decided on Harlow for their baby girl, turning one in just a few weeks. Harlow is ranked #3659 on BabyCenter and has spiked in population since 2007. The number of baby Harlows has increased tremendously in the past year!
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Click below for more on baby names!
The name Ava has been a popular one for girls amongst many celebs, including Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe and more recently, Jason Priestley and Caroline Rhea. Did Reese and Ryan start this trend? The name Ava has shot up the baby name list in the past eight years, and sits at #6 for 2008.
Mathew McConaughey and his girlfriend Camila Alves named their little boy Levi. Levi is ranked #150 on BabyCenter and its Hebrew origin means “joined to.”
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Jessica Alba and Cash Warren named their baby girl Honor. The name Honor was popular between 2002-2004 and then declined in ranking. Honor has come back in popularity this year and has spiked in the rankings from last year. Currently it is #3254.
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BabyCenter.com, the largest online resource for expectant and new parents around the world, has nurtured more than 100 million parents since its launch in 1997.
- Posted on Dec 30, 08 at 8:00PM
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- 60 Comments
December 30th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I think celebs to impact it in some way. Same goes for characters on television and in movies. A few years ago (2005 & 2006), I worked at a Santa Claus set in a mall and the top names that I heard were Emma and Aiden, all about the of 3 and 4 years old. I was thinking why there were so many Aiden’s and Emma’s, and then it hit me. Emma was the name of Rachel’s daughter on Friends and Aiden was Carrie’s boyfriend on Sex in the City. I think those two characters definitely had a impact on the naming trends. Not to say that they direct result of those shows, but probably had something to do with it. Also, when a celeb uses a more unusual name, you start seeing it crop up more in everyday life. I know a few babies that were named Kingston after Gwen Stefani had her son, a few girls named Violet after Jennifer Garner had her daughter and the same with the name Maddox. I don’t think that they are necessarily copying the celebs, but if someone goes and names someone something that is not conventional, it makes it easier for you to do the same thing.
December 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Let me tell you, I can’t stand popular names, and both names that I picked for my daughter’s turned out VERY popular. The name we pick for our third, non-existent child, will be different. Not Emery different, because I’m sure that will be popular soon. I do think some shows and some celebrity children DO influence a spike in popularity of certain names. I just don’t want my children to feel like the hundred’s of Emma, Emily, Madison, and Ava’s of the world!
December 30th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
definitely agree with the tv character theory, i heard the name addison was a popular around the time kate walsh’s character by the same name appeared on grey’s anatomy.
this despite the fact that its a boys name traditionally and means son of adam.
December 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I prefer more unique unusual names. Kingston has been one of my favorite names since I was very young. And then Gwen and Gavin ’stole’ it. I don’t think I would name my child something just because a celebrity named their child that but if I liked it then why not?
I think it is true that celebs and celeb baby names impact baby names. There is a lot of 8-9 year old’s called Britney or Beyonce and others.
December 30th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I agree Allie, that when I have children they are having uncommon but not too out there names. My husband’s name is Michael and he ended getting called by his surname since there are so many Michael’s his age. He hated it. I didn’t have so much of a problem since Devon wasn’t that common and still isn’t. However my middle name is a surname so I was always confused with being a boy. To avoid these problems I’ve already started tracking names I like and crossing them off the list when they get above 75 or so on the top 100 names. Weird, I know, but it’s really important to me that my child isn’t lumped into the group where they are called Michael S, Michael L & Michael N or Jennifer W, Jennifer L, Jennifer G or have the same problems that I had as a child.
December 30th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Yeah, there are three Emma’s in my nieces kindergarten class and I’m sure a few Madison’s as well. Jaden, Caden, and Aiden all in the top five for boys, how boring!
December 30th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
waffle: That sort of thing baffles me, too. Actually, a lot of the more popular girl names now (Madison, Addison, Finley, etc.) are distinctly male in origin and IMO are so trendy they’ve become unappealing. It’s one thing to inadvertently name your child something that is very popular at that point, but I don’t understand why anyone would purposely give their kid a name knowing that there will be 6-7 children in their classes with the same one. I think this kind of thing was especially noticeable in the early 90’s when you could walk into any given classroom and say “Jessica” or “Brittany” and have like four heads turn at the same time. lol.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Heather Locklear, Reese Witherspoon, and that guy from Blink 182 all have an Ava Elizabeth!
I think it’s weird when people name their kids after some of the more… unique celebrity baby names. Case in point, Lleyton Hewitt’s son Cruz, after the Beckhams’ little boy.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I really wanted to name my child Ava, but because it is insanely popular (probably because of Reese and Ryan) I will not name her that.
I try really hard to stay away from popular names and celebrity baby names. The year I was born my name was the number 1 name (1990) and I hate that it’s so popular.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
i believe it does to some extent. but i also believe these were already names before celeb named their children them.
for example in my nieces school there is an 8 year old girl named Coco, a 5 year old boy named Bronx, I could go on, but they do have a little influence.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:02 am
On New Years Day this year, so she’s about to turn one tomorrow NZ time, we had Freya, middle name Isabelle. Very girlie to me as I’m not a girlie person but we didn’t want usual middle name of Rose or Grace etc, no offence to anyone who has that, just so popular/common here too. Freya (pronounced Fray-a) may not be everyone’s choice but mostly have had comments people like it and think it’s pretty. It’s an Old Nordic name, was a feminine name in our eyes, not too long-winded & liked the sound of it and the fact it’s not common/boring. As a friend said, there’s so many Emmas, Emilys (which I don’t really like being honest, no offence to Emmas etc out there!) Mias, Ellas, Madisons, Isabellas etc. I read about a lady who had a baby she named Freya in a UK mag one day and I liked it straightaway, but it’s very subjective & personal of course!
December 31st, 2008 at 1:48 am
My 8yo daughter is Chloe Ava Madison. All of which weren’t that popular when she was born but now I think they are all in the top 10 for 2008! We have yet to meet another Chloe close to her age (a few which are 5 and younger).
I don’t think people name their babies after celebs but because they are in the public eye they bring attention to names that people wouldn’t necessarily have heard about otherwise.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:50 am
I also have to add that I hated being “Erin M.” all throughout elementary school because there was an “Erin F.” as well. Some kids would even call me that when the other Erin wasn’t even around!!! There were also 3 Davids in my year as well.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:21 am
Erica, I think most people just really like the name – Just because there will be other kids with that same name is not a reason enough to choose another name.
Having said that, My grandma is a kindergarten teacher, and the most popular names are Emma, Ava, Mia, ect. And for boys, there are a lot of Jacks, Thomas, ect. But I guess these names are popular for a reason – They’re not out-there names, and sound pretty.
December 31st, 2008 at 4:15 am
Lol, I have an Ava Elizabeth too! Richie Sambora (and Heather Locklear) brought the name to the front of my mind when I was pregnant, but it’s actually an old family name, so it’s not really a celebrity choice, the Sambora family just kinda helped out lol. Elizabeth is my mum’s name, so that’s where that came from. It wasn’t until later that I realised that there were a lot of Ava Elizabeth’s out there! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have changed my mind, because Ava isn’t as big here in the UK as it is in the US, which is odd I suppose, considering it is European in origin. The Sambora’s kicked off the trend for the combination I suppose, but I like it because it’s phonetically pretty. I like having a long middle name to go with a short first name.
There are other celebs that have used Ava, it seems to be one of the most popular famous choices now. I know Chad Smith from the Chili Peppers has an Ava, and I’m sure there are others out there, I just can’t think of them right now!
December 31st, 2008 at 6:24 am
Some people might pick more popular names for the very reasons some of you find them distasteful. Having had a ‘unique’ name with a made up spelling, I despised it all my life and would never do that to my child. I’d have much rather been a Jennifer or a Heather.
Cruz didn’t start with the Beckham’s. It’s a Spanish name and was the name of a wildly popular soap characters in the 80’s–Santa Barbara.
December 31st, 2008 at 7:46 am
Frannie, the name Cruz has become WIDELY KNOWN because of the Beckham family though. It may have been a big one already in certain areas, but it wasn’t massively heard of until the littlest Beckham boy arrived. In the UK in particular, it wasn’t even a ripple until David’s doppelganger popped out! I must say, I really love the fact that the celeb world has brought back Violet, because that’s such a pretty name. My grandmother’s name was Violet and she was born in 1910, it’s timeless and beautiful.
December 31st, 2008 at 7:54 am
In the book Freakonomics, it suggests that many celebrity names were an *effect* of name popularity, and not the cause. For instance, all the women named Shirley in the 30s were not named after Shirley Temple, but rather Shirley Temple was named Shirley because the name was popular then.
That said, some of the less common names are definitely celebrity-influenced, I would beg to guess. While this is not a celebrity baby name, a teacher friend had a Beyonce in her class.
December 31st, 2008 at 8:07 am
I think the celebrity parents and tv/movie characters do have an impact. Then again people are going to name their kid what they want to name them reguardless who or what it is from. My aunt stole the name my mom was going to use for my brother, and my cousin was born a year before my brother. I named my daughter Kiera Elizabeth (17 mo.). I first heard it from Kyra Sedgwick and Keira Knightley and really liked it. Elizabeth is my mom’s middle name. It was also the only name I could think of that my husband actually agreed on. The original name I was set on was Noelle.
December 31st, 2008 at 8:38 am
I definitely think it brings “publicity” to a name, therefore possibly bringing it up in popularity.
My mom thought she was being soooo unique when she named me Jessica (b. 1990). Needless to say, I have been in classes with as many as FOUR Jessica’s. I will try to give my kid a name that is ‘normal’, yet not the most common name.
December 31st, 2008 at 9:20 am
I have an Ava too (but not Elizabeth), born 6/2003. When I picked the name in Jan. 2003 (after I found out she was a girl), Ava was 124th in the most popular names list. My choice had nothing to do with celebrity babies. I loved the meaning and how it flowed with the middle name choice. It’s also classy, sassy, and timeless. By the end of 2003, it was in the top 25. And now it’s in the top 10. We have not met any Avas her age or older. But there are tons younger than her. We are African-American, and the name has not caught on in our community yet. So I’m grateful for that.
What really surprised me was how popular her middle name has become. My great grandmother’s first name and my mother’s middle name is a french name very popular in the south that I don’t like. i wanted to honor them both by using it, so I found common a variation of it that is beautiful and goes perfect with Ava. I now know five little girls with the name, and it was because of my choice.
December 31st, 2008 at 9:24 am
As a 33 yr old Emma from the UK, I think it’s really cool to think of there being so many little Emmas in the US. The majority of Emmas over here are all grown up!!
December 31st, 2008 at 9:25 am
Oh yeah, I definitely think celebs/TV shows help make names popular.
I have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the name Lilly since I was 12 years old (I’m 24 now). It really wasn’t that popular 12 years ago. But what brought it to my attention was baby Lilly on the show Step By Step! And I was so drawn to it at first because it seemed so different (even though it is an older name). Now it seems to be quite popular, but I am still so in love with that name that if I ever have a girl (fingers crossed!), that will be her name
But all my other “future children’s” names are impacted by populartity as well. Execpt for Lilly, I have crossed many off my list (Ava being one) because there just seem to be so many!!
December 31st, 2008 at 9:34 am
I totally agree about Ava, Emma, Emily, Madison, Aiden, Jayden, etc. What cracks me up is that these are the new Heathers, Kim, Jennifer, Michael, etc. Everyone thinks that their child has a unique name and it ends up just the same as always – there are 3 others in the class. I’m a Jennifer and while I usually had at least one in my elementary school classes it is rare that I run into another one now – I’m 35. I think there may be one or two other Jennifers in my workplace (hospital). I think as you get older the popularity of your name becomes less important. Every generation has names that are really popular and some classics always stay at the top of the list as well.
My daughter always has several Emmas and Madisons in her class. Piper is also becoming popular. My son usually has several Aidens but Max and Alex are also popular.
My son’s name is Dominic and we don’t see that much in Atlanta but I know up North it may be a bit more popular. My daughter’s name Jayna reflects my husband’s Indian heritage and she never runs into another.
December 31st, 2008 at 9:34 am
our first son is named Nathan, popular but not too popular.. this baby on the way is going to be named Xander..not popular at all :]
December 31st, 2008 at 9:43 am
You go Frannie That is when
i first heard the name Cruz from
my Fav Show Santa Babara
I loved Marcy Walker Eden
December 31st, 2008 at 9:44 am
I teach on the High School level, the day before Winter Break a group of students and I had this discussion. Most of the girls loved unique names that would make their children stand out as they got older. I then told them what my parents did before naming me; they stat down and thought of every nickname imaginable and then went from there. I was then named after my grandmother and let me tell you, at 7 I hated being Ruth…I wanted to be a Jessica or Ashley because of the names popularity. Now that I’m in my mid 20’s I’m glad I was the only Ruth throughout high school and college. When I have children, I won’t shoot for unique but “old fashioned.”
December 31st, 2008 at 9:54 am
Now remember…..a name is just sound you call your child(according to Chris Martin and SO many people on here agreed) who cares if everyone else has it…
Totally being a smart a**
I don’t know why people would purposly name their child a name that everyone else has. My friend just had a baby a few weeks ago and named her Madison. I know SOOOO many Madisons. It’s a pretty name, but not unique at all. I also have a friend who named her daughter Sara. They must like it, obviously, but I am sure there are other names they like too. I like unique names, but not weird, far out there names. And I love boy names for girls. Like Drew. I love the name Drew for a girl. And Devon….I actually just asked my hubby what he thought of Devon for a girl (he likes it!
so thank you for the idea. At the end of the day, its their kids, their choice what to name them, I just feel sorry for kids who have the same name and so many people and they will be labeled, like someone said as Madison A, Madison M, etc, in class.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Erika….I know 3 little boys named Xander. I think it is defintly gaining popularity.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:32 am
I like names that are different but not “out there” When my daughter was born I was set on Jasmine, but by the time she came I saw too many with that name. I wanted to name her something else, but was overruled. So she is named Jasmine but spell it will a y. So far she hasn’t had anyone in her class with the name(she’s a fifth grader), but 2 girls at church are Jasmine but older. We call her Jazz, because her middle name is “made-up” after her dad. My son hasn’t meet another Damion and I rarely see it spelled that way. One out of two isn’t bad.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:47 am
I think the celebrities merely bring different/unusual names to the forefront of people’s minds therefore they do become more popular. I’m an elementary school teacher and have numerous children with the same name in my class including Ava, Aiden, Mia etc. I have four children of my own, all under 4, whose names have now become hugely popular; Ruby, Olivia, Maddie and Isabella (Bella). In some ways I don’t like it but in others, they’re all little individuals to me and fit their name to a tee, so it’s not a huge deal.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am
My name is more common in the UK, but I grew up in The Netherlands, and I’ve never met anyone with my name.
When I was younger I used to be annoyed, because for some reason nobody could either pronounce or write my name correctly. And in my opinion the name Philippa isn’t that hard.
I’m really happy with my name now (I’m 20), I really like it and it’s unique enough without being weird.
When I have children, I want to give them names that aren’t popular, much used names, but not too weird either.
For instance, I love the name Honor, long before Jessica Alba used it for her daughter. I’d love to use that name if I have a daughter one day.
Which means I do have to find myself an English speaking husband
@Sam & Freya’s mum:
I love love love the name Freya!!
December 31st, 2008 at 10:52 am
I like ‘traditional unique’ names, like Julia, Isabella, Madison, Ava, Sophia, Emma, Grace, Christopher, Nathan, Alexander, Preston, Daniel…I am not a fan of the ‘unique’ names nobody can pronounce and you have to spell it all the time someone asks you what your name is lol Now I do have fallen in love with some unique ‘celebrity’ names, like Harlow, Tallulah, Kingston, Cruz, Coco etc. I have even thought if I have a daughter I want to name her Harlow
Thanks Nicole and Joel ha ha
I do think celebrities and TV/movies have some impact, I fell in ove with the name Emma after Rachel and Ross named their daughter that on friends and the funny things is I have an aunt named Emma and I never liked it before! lol
December 31st, 2008 at 11:09 am
I live in Mexico, but I am a huge fan of this site, as the names are not the same, I saw here happens the same with the names.
We wanted a unique name for our baby boy, and me and my husband are so against mexican people who name their children with “english” names like Brayan (BRIAN), Cristofer (CHRISTOPHER),Leidi (LADY), OMG!, I HATE THEY ALSO SPELL THEM WRONG because of the pronunciation here, eww.
So well, we look for and “old fashion” and very masculine name and we avoid all names of people we know or knew, we name our kid Santiago, and as I haven´t met any other Santiago yet, and in his class (he is 3 years old) there is not any Santiago, I saw a very similiar list but in spanish that is become one of the 10 most popular names in 2007. AGH!
But I have known many Diego,Emiliano,Maximiliano, Sebastian, names that were in our list, I am glad we didn´t pick one of them.
Now I am looking for a girl´s name, but all names I like, seems that everybody else like them, like Renata, Camila, Fernanda, are all so popular, I will try to find a very unique name. cross my fingers.
By the way my name is Angela Cristina, and even that is a “regular” name, I haven´t met any other Cristina yet
December 31st, 2008 at 11:19 am
I’ve never been one to go with trends. Hubby and I have names picked out that are normal average everyday names. I know growing up sometimes it was fun to have someone with the same name as you. Hubby has three friends with his name! No biggie to them. I’m not going to just not name my child something just simply because there’s too many of people with that name. How many Chris/Christophers do you know? I can name around 50 off the top of my head.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:34 am
When I was pregnant with my first child, my husband and I wanted a name that worked in English, French and Spanish beacause we both speak those languages currently( except for my English,which is bad,sorry about that)So when she was born we decided to call her Isabella and I have to admit that what influenced me was ABC’s TV show Grey’s anatomy
!! There is one caracter named Isobel( Izzie) and I loved that name. Isobel doesn’t work too much in Spanish so instead we called her Isabella but her nickname is still Izzie.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:35 am
For me, I am more inclined to name a child AFTER a celebrity, rather than a celebrity’s child. The many ridiculously beautiful, talented and graceful Cates and Kates have sparked a surge in the name (K)Catherine being popular. The Richie-Maddens named their girl Harlow (recalls Jean Harlow) and perhaps the many Avas are popular due to Ava Gardner? I personally love the names Blythe and Gwyneth, but I can’t help but think that’s weird! I don’t know if I could use either of them because they so readily recall the Paltrows!
My mother named me Erin because it was Irish, was unique at the time, and she liked it. My best friend Erin’s mother thought the same thing and so did several other moms having girls in the early 80s. By grade 9, there were 6 Erins in my homeroom class, and three of them (myself included) were Erin Elizabeth! That being said, if you have an Ava Elizabeth and are tired of kids having the same name, you can always nickname her. Elizabeth has so many shorts: Eliza, Liz, Lizbeth, Betty, Beth, Betsy, Elle, anything. Just a thought.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Angie, I am mexican and I so understand what you mean! My god sons name is Bryan and his parents (who live in Mexico) call him ‘Brayan’ and spell it like that all the time even though on his birth certificate is spelled Bryan! Aghhhhhhhh its a pet peeve of mine…lol But I respect them so I keep my mouth shut! lol
I LOVE the name Santiago…I also like Camila, Fernanda, Antonia, Valentina, Sebastian, Emiliano, Renato/a…I like ’strong’ names too…I don’t care if my children end up with a popular name after all they will be MY children and I can name him/her whatever I want….lol
December 31st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
hi, im from the UK and i really like more unusual names like Zuma and Harlow and older names like Lily and Rose. However im not sure about giving a girl a boys name or vice versa, it just seems strange to me.
I think I am influenced by celebrities baby names for example the names Ava and Suri I probably wouldnt have thought of if there wasnt celeb children already with these names.
I also cant believe how popular Ava is in the US, it doesnt seem to be as popular over here.
I finished school in June, and even in a significantly reduced year group (many students leave their original school at 16 in the UK) there was about 10 Emmas, most of them in my form
I always liked having a more unusual name, I ve only ever met 2 other Eleanors which is pretty cool. However it can be quiet annoying as very few people pronounce it correctly Elenor rather than EleAnor also finding personalised things in shops is pretty difficult, but overall its nice not to be known by my full name rather than by my first name
December 31st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
My husband is a 25 year old Christopher, and he HATES it. There were so many other Chris’ in our school, everyone came up with nicknames for them to differentiate. His first request when we talk about potential baby names is that it is not in the top list of names.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:30 pm
brandi, I’ll have to ask my Christopher what he thinks of his name in a few years’ time, haha! I’ve always loved the name Christian myself, but as godmother, my vote didn’t count for much, though his mom was deciding between the two and dad’s vote pushed it over the top.
I totally agree with those who say their favorites are names that are unique without being weird. Isabella is one of my favorite names for a girl and has been for years, but now that it’s become enormously popular, I may have to reconsider an alternative I think is just as beautiful but far more unique-Isla. Same with Ava-I think it’s a beautiful name, but with the enormous steam it’s gained, I’d be more inclined now to choose Eva-which, if pronounced correctly, is “Eh-va.” Only problem is that an Eva in America would inevitably be called “Ee-va,” which isn’t nearly as elegant imo.
My favorite celeb baby boy names are Cruz David, Kingston James (not crazy about the Magregor part), Max Liron, Ryder Russell, and Every Bear. I would definitely consider naming a son any of those. Favorites for girls are Isabella Rose, Vivienne Marcheline, Harlow Winter Kate, and Anja Louise. I do definitely agree with the TV theory as well as the celeb one. But ultimately, parents are going to choose a name that appeals to them. Much as they occupy so much of our time, the world does not revolve around celebrities.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Well, I do believe that it makes an impact because my husband and I both LOVED the name Harlow,
so we named our daughter that. She was born a few days aftter Harlow, too.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I definitely think it impacts people’s name choices. Not too much for me though. My favorite names include Allie (which I want to make shortened for something like maybe Allianna which is definitely unique!) Gracie, and Alexis (Lexie) I know Grace/Gracie and Lexie might be getting more popular but I’m OK with that. They still aren’t extremely popular (from what I can tell) As for boys… well I kind of like Tyler which I know isn’t very unique at all. I’m not a huge fan of boy names so my future husband (whoever that may be lol) will probably get a big say in the boys’ names.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
We gave our daughter a unique name, for the same reasons as everyone else is saying. It’s a “real” name, not spelled oddly, and no one ever has to ask us to repeat it, because it’s a well-known name, just you rarely hear it. An A-lister named her daughter this, but we didn’t even realize the name was the same until we chose our girl’s name and then someone pointed out to us the celebrity’s girl’s name, too.
Also, to XOXO, I agree that Ava and all the names you mentioned are traditional names. I love traditional names. But would you really categorize them as unique, given that they are so popular?
Lauren, is Freakonomics the same book that shows the parents’ education has an effect on the child? Whatever book that was, I looked up mine and my brother’s name, and it was spot on with my parents’ education levels! I like what you said about TV characters being named after popular names, not vice versa. I’ve often noticed that.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:11 pm
XOXO my friend has a niece that was called Britni (after Britney Spears, of course) and as I say we all live in Mexico, her grandtaher didn´t know how to pronounced it he kept calling her Brindi (breen-dee) hahaha, poor girl.
I love the name Violet, because I love Violet Affleck, I want to call my daughter like that, but in spanish it has to be Violeta (bee-o-leh-tah), and it´s not popular….yet
December 31st, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I am sorry, hehe little mistake, I mean “her grandfather”
December 31st, 2008 at 2:55 pm
When my eldest son was born in 1997, I was a huge Formula 1 Racing fan. I named my son Jack Michael (after my grandfather & father as it happens) but EVERYONE kept asking if he was named after Jacques Villeneuve (champion in that year) and Michael Schumacher. Sometimes it’s just coincidence that we choose a celeb name you know!!!
December 31st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I’m from south america. (sorry my english) I think the spanish names are more clasics names, like ana, maria, sara, cristina, francisco, santiago, diego, josé. The weird names that the latin culture use are the english names like brayan or kevin that whit spanish last names don’t match at all Kevin Rodriguez???:(
I think for every culture we have to find the most clasic and meaninful names, and is better if we try to find a name that in any language means something special o sounds pretty. My daughter’s name is Anabella, a mix of my name and bella (beautiful in italian) but name your daugher apple, or coco (coconut in spanish) can bring consecuences for the kid’s future. We have to avoid other kids make fun of them…
December 31st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Note to Erika: I work in a daycare we have 3 Xanders (one spelled with a Z)!!! So I’d rethink that not popular thing lol!!!
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I am not one for liking the popular names but also not into naming my kid anything outrageous like the celebs do. I used to love the name Jaden after Will Smith named his son that but now I can’t stand it! Infact I met a little girl named Jadyn and thought it sounded much cuter on a girl then a boy! I work in a daycare and we have Cadens, Aiden’s, Braden’s, Jaden’s and Aidens like nothing I’ve seen before (yikes)some of our other popular boys names are Cole, Luke and of course Jake. Our most popular girls names are Ava, Emily, Olivia, Alexa, and Gianna. My neighbor had a baby 5 years ago and named him Brady. I thought it was cute at the time but now that name is too becoming more popular. So it is true. Names will make their way around eventually.
The only celeb unique baby names I really like are Kingston, Ryder and Harlow. Everything else is just so-so. I do think that some characters and celebs do influence baby names but who really wants to name their kid something and have someon go, “oh did you name him after so and so’s baby?!”
December 31st, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Angie, that is so funny..Britni…lol Yeah I like Violet too. but I am not too crazy about Violeta….Same thing with Rose, I like Rose but not Rosa or Jacob and Jacobo…lol
Ana, I am not too crazy about the ‘American’ names with ‘hispanic’ last names either…I mean Charlotte Lopez or William Garcia… LOL….but we can name our children anything we like right!?
December 31st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I loved growing up as a Joy. Nobody had it. Definately glad my mom didn’t go with my dad’s pick of Nicole (a very pretty name but I knew about 20 of them in highschool lol)!!
December 31st, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I don’t know why, but it seems more appropriate to me to give a girl a unique name… My two sons have quite common names (although neither of them have another boy with the same name in their class) but my daughter has a more unusual name; Lila.
At least, it’s unusual in the UK, not sure about other countries? On the whole, children in the USA seem to have a far wider variety of names than in the UK
December 31st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Four years ago I had my first child. I named him Brody Michael. Now the name is becoming popular, because of Brody Jenner from “The Hills” On MTV. At first I was annoyed that it was gaining popularity. Now I have accepted it. I can’t fault another person for liking the same name. I fell in love with it, as did many other parents before me. So here is to all the other little Brody’s in the world. May you be just as beautiful as your name!
December 31st, 2008 at 6:01 pm
The name I am so over is Sienna…everyone seems to be naming their daughter that nowadays. Boring…find something new.
December 31st, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I actually did a research project about this very phenomenon. My original hypothesis was that celebrities and fictional characters are very influential on the rising popularity of names, but I actually found in my research that this is not true. Popularity of names is based on collective tastes changing in a gradual manner, and has far more to do with the linguistic qualities of a name. I would recommend the book A Matter of Taste by Stanley Lieberson if you’re interested in a detailed explanation. It’s quite fascinating.
December 31st, 2008 at 7:27 pm
i definitely don’t follow trendy celebrity baby names although i do like selma hayak baby’s name. if i have girls they will probably have spanish names, but for boy names i prefer something biblical.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I don’t know why people love the Harlow name so much, I personally dislike it. Imagine saying “Hello Harlow”
January 1st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I think alot of people name their child for whosever popular at that time. I remember when Eminem first came out my friends were starting to have babies and were naming them Marshall and Haillie.
I work in a mall at a children’s store and there’s a lot of kids coming in named Kingston, Violet, Brody, Heidi(after the chick from the Hills), Katy, Harlow, Max, I’ve even heard a couple of Zumas
January 1st, 2009 at 2:53 pm
my kids have five uncle mike’s (two by blood, and three by aunts with a “mike”), as well as a step dad mike. it is just ridiculous, and impossible to just refer to any of them as “mike” or “michael”. it is also my son’s middle name.
growing up (class of 2002), there were 3 jennifers (though they went by jen, jeni, and jennifer, at least) and 2 or 3 jasons, in elementary school. there was another jackie in jr. high, but my mother made up the spelling of my name, and i’ve always HATED that.
my son is the only timmy is his class, and i’m pleased about that. there aren’t too many 2-year-olds named melissa right now, as it was more popular in my generation and before. i want lots of kids, and would never intentionally give them a “popular” name. there were a few girl names i was considering for my son, and i’m so glad he ended up a boy, because they’ve become sooo popular, in the past few years.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I love the name Bryan. It is a classic irish name that means STRONG. Our baby was named Bryan & we think its great. We don’t know any other baby’s named Bryan, so he is sure to stand out. When his peers say “bryan”, they will certainly think of our little boy.