I was going to announce the winners of my baby name game from December
31st at the beginning of this blog but not enough people played L
so everyone who played is a winner, thanks for all of your suggestions, and for
playing! Maybe next time we will get more of a turnout if I do another client
game!
This week for my third and last post in my popular baby name series I’m
going to talk about the top ten in the United States for 2012. “What makes
these names popular?” is the main question I’m going to try to answer because I
think that we all have that question, though, I might not be able to answer it
for all of the names because there are some that even I don’t understand J
Feel free to disagree with anything I say, these are just my opinions and
thoughts.
Sophia- The lovely Sophia, I adore this name, but can’t use it (I have
a cousin with this name). I think that this name is popular because of wide
spread appeal, it appeals so parents looking for a name that has strength,
parents who want a child to have a name with a good meaning (wisdom is pretty
awesome), modern parents, and old fashioned parents. This name covers all the
bases.
Emma- Many people think that Emma became popular because of Friends but that is not the case, it was
already rising when Rachel stole this lovely name from Monica; though I’m sure
that Friends did help it rise faster.
The main reason I think Emma became popular was because it was an alternative
to megastar Emily.
Isabella- This is another name that people think became popular because
of a popculture phenomenon (Twilight)
but Isabella was already number 1 when the first movie came out and in the top
20 when the first book did. I think Isabella was the starter to the trend of
long and frilly names for girls, with cute little nicknames. This name gives
parents options, a long a flowy name or a short spunky nickname (Izzy or
Bella).
Olivia- Olivia has been a rising star since the 90s, and I just love
this one. Olivia along with Isabella is part of the long and filly girls name
trend. I think it appeals to parents because it’s long and strong, but there is
also the adorable nicknames of Liv and Livi
Ava- Ava is like a counter to Olivia and Isabella. While Ava is still
girly and beautiful, it’s not long and frilly, it’s simplistic, short and
sweet. It has the same appeal as Olivia with the funky V sound in the middle
but is much shorter, and has no nicknames.
Emily- Emily was a dominate power for YEARS, until Isabella dethroned
it. I think the appeal of Emily is the old-fashioned charm, while still
sounding modern. Emily is just a pretty name, it’s not harsh at all, and just
sounds sweet.
Abigail- I think that Abigail has the same appeal as Emily, although
some might find the B sound kind of harsh. Abigail has old fashioned appeal,
while still staying a little bit modern with the lovely nickname Abby.
Mia- Mia, like Ava, is a counter to the long and frilly names that are
becoming more and more popular. Mia, even though it’s popular, is like a breath
of fresh air to all the long a girlie names that are getting more popular. I
think that Mia has universally appealing sounds (feel free to disagree but
that’s my opinion), and it’s just a cute little name.
Madison- Honestly, this name doesn’t appeal to me, but obviously it
appeals to a lot of other parents. I think it might be the nickname Maddie, but
I’m not sure.
Elizabeth- I ADORE the name Elizabeth, and clearly so do other parents.
I think the appeal comes from the fact that it is a classic name that will never
go out of style. If you hear the name Elizabeth, you don’t link it to a certain
decade or area in time, which I’m sure appeals to a lot of parents.
Jacob- Jacob is a name that seems like it has been popular for forever
(and it kind of has) so obviously it appeals to a lot of parents. Jacob is just
a friendly name to me, you can use the adorable nickname Jake or the full Jacob
and have the same ‘boy next door’ appeal.
Mason- I think Mason got a huge boost from the Kardashians, though it
was already rising. No one would use this name BECAUSE of the Kardashians, but
having heard it more and more means that parents were thinking of it more. This
name is an occupational name without being too obvious, and I think parents
like this. It’s also is a nice alternative to Jason.
Ethan- Ethan has been popular for a while too. Clearly boy’s names
stick around for longer, and I think that’s because they have more overall
appeal. There are a few famous people and characters named Ethan, so I think
that helped it out. It’s also a softer sounding name, still strong, but not in
your face masculine.
Noah- This lovely, Old Testament name is just becoming popular again.
Like Ethan, it has a softer sound, while still being masculine, and I think
that parents really like that in a name. It is also a nice name for parents who
are looking for a biblical name but don’t want something like David or Joseph
William- This is my number one boy’s name, so obviously I see the
appeal. I find William as a strong, classic, masculine name. It has the sweet nickname
possibility of Will, which I find adorable. I like that William has been used
for years, and will never go out of style.
Liam- Liam originated as a nickname for William but is now a standalone
name. Liam is another softer but masculine name for boys. I think Liam is very
very handsome, and reminds me of the great Liam Neeson. The only thing about
Liam is that I don’t think it has staying power like a lot of the other names
on this list.
Jayden- I don’t even know…
Michael- Michael has been popular for YEARS; it appeals to many people,
in many different walks of life. I feel like Michael might still be popular
because of honoring purposes (whether baby is named after Dad or Grandpa Mike)
because it sounds a little bit dated to me, but is still a lovely classic
choice.
Alexander- This name is similar to William to me. It’s strong and
classic, with lots of nickname possibilities. There’s the friendly Alex, the
modern Xander, and the cool Lex. Alexander has royal appeal (as does William),
and brings to mind some of the great leaders of the past.
Aiden- Aiden is one of the leaders in the –aiden trend that I don’t
quite understand. I’m a lover of popular names, but to me, even though I love
the sound of Aiden, it’s just around too much for me now with all the different
names that are in use now a days.
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