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| © FatCamera / Getty Images |
The
few people who know what they will name their babies as soon as they
find out about the pregnancy are lucky. The rest employ various
strategies to create a unique name or at least give their bundles of joy
an nontraditional name.
The methods include asking family and friends for opinions, considering initials and possible nicknames, combining first and last letters of different names, reading Greek mythology, looking up at the sky for inspiration, working on separate lists and then shortlisting the names both parents picked. The tactics are endless.
The reality is expectant parents don’t have to worry so much. Their child will grow up and be able to legally change his or her name to whatever he or she pleases, including a name as unusual as Facebookdotcom Forwardslash-Mountaindew UK.
Although this is an extreme example, more and more people, at least in the UK, are applying to have official documents with their chosen names. In 2015, more than 85,000 people did so, more than double the number from 2005.
Cultural traits often play a role in baby name trends, research has found. Until about five years ago states neighboring states with similar views also share the same baby names. For example, people in Southern states like the same names, as do people in big states such as California, New York and Florida.
The methods include asking family and friends for opinions, considering initials and possible nicknames, combining first and last letters of different names, reading Greek mythology, looking up at the sky for inspiration, working on separate lists and then shortlisting the names both parents picked. The tactics are endless.
The reality is expectant parents don’t have to worry so much. Their child will grow up and be able to legally change his or her name to whatever he or she pleases, including a name as unusual as Facebookdotcom Forwardslash-Mountaindew UK.
Although this is an extreme example, more and more people, at least in the UK, are applying to have official documents with their chosen names. In 2015, more than 85,000 people did so, more than double the number from 2005.
Cultural traits often play a role in baby name trends, research has found. Until about five years ago states neighboring states with similar views also share the same baby names. For example, people in Southern states like the same names, as do people in big states such as California, New York and Florida.
Methodology
The
ranking of baby name trends for boys and girls is based on data
provided by Nameberry, a popular guide to baby names. The names are the
most viewed on the site, not names actually given to newborns. The data
“measures which names the site’s visitors, mostly expectant parents, are
most interested in,” said Pamela Redmond Satran, Nameberry’s co-creator
and CEO. The list represents baby name trends across the world because
the site’s audience is 55% from the United State,10% from the United
Kingdom, 10% from Canada and Australia, and the remaining 25% from every
country in the world. The list is as of November 15, 2018.
15. Felix
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| © Buda Mendes / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 246
> Notable people with that name: Felix Baumgartner, parachutist
> Origin: Latin word for "happy" or "lucky"
15. Ada
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| © Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons |
> 2017 Rank: 321
> Notable people with that name: Ada Brown, singer
> Origin: German cognate of the name Adah, also Ibo word for "first born" female
14. Leo
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| © Hulton Archive / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 61
> Notable people with that name: Leo Tolstoy, writer
> Origin: Latin word for "lion"
14. Iris
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| © Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 149
> Notable people with that name: Iris Apatow, actress
> Origin: Derived from Greek mythology, the goddess of the rainbow
13. Oliver
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| © Juan Naharro Gimenez / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 9
> Notable people with that name: Oliver Stone, movie director
> Origin: Derived from the Old French word "olivier " (olive tree)
13. Maeve
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| © Courtesy of HBO |
> 2017 Rank: 360
> Notable people with that name: Maeve Millay, fictional character from the television show "Westworld"
> Origin: Anglicized form of Meadhbh
12. Declan
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| © Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 116
> Notable people with that name: Declan Bennett, rock singer
> Origin: Irish in origin, commonly associated with sixth-century saint
12. Ophelia
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| © Jeff Spicer / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 416
> Notable people with that name: Ophelia Lovibond, actress
> Origin: Best known for Polonius' daughter in "Hamlet," although believed to derive from Sannazaro's "Aracadia."
11. Oscar
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| © Hulton Archive / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 192
> Notable people with that name: Oscar Wilde, poet
> Origin: Norman in origin, popularized by Fanny Burney in her novel "Evelina"
11. Genevieve
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| © McCarthy / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 184
> Notable people with that name: Genevieve Bujold, actress
> Origin: Celtic in origin, meaning is unclear
10. Finn
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| © Joe Scarnici / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 167
> Notable people with that name: Finn Wolfhard, actor
> Origin: Irish in origin, from the word "fionn" (white, clear)
10. Eleanor
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| © Keystone / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 35
> Notable people with that name: Eleanor Roosevelt, activist
> Origin: English in origin, popularized by Jane Austen's novel "Sense and Sensibility"
9. Henry
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| © Getty Images / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
> Origin: Introduced to the English after the Norman invasion in the 11th century, evolved to common spelling in the 17th century
9. Rose
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| © Anthony Harvey / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Rose Leslie, actress
> Origin: Originally associated with the Old English word "ros" (horse), now most commonly associated with the flower
8. Wyatt
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| © Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons |
> 2017 Rank: 25
> Notable people with that name: Wyatt Earp, gunslinger in the Old West
> Origin: Combination of English and French names Wyot and Guyot, respectively
8. Ava
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| © Hulton Archive / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 3
> Notable people with that name: Ava Gardner, actress
> Origin: Thought to be short form of Germanic word "aveza" or "avia"
7. Silas
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| © Hugh Thomson / Wikimedia Commons |
> Notable people with that name: Silas Marner, character in George Eliot novel.
> Origin: Aramaic in origin, name of Paul's companion when he was arrested in Philippi in Acts 16
7. Amelia
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| © Getty Images / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 8
> Notable people with that name: Amelia Earhart, aviator
> Origin: Derivative of the German word "amal" (work)
6. Theodore
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| © Hulton Archive / Getty Images |
> 2017 Rank: 62
> Notable people with that name: Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president
> Origin: From the Greek word "theodoros" (God's gift)
6. Charlotte
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| © Topical Press Agency / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Charlotte Brontë, novelist
> Origin: French in origin, often the feminine diminutive for Charles
5. Jack
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| © National Archives / Wikimedia Commons |
> Notable people with that name: Jack Kerouac, writer
> Origin: Originally a nickname for John or Jackson, now more often an independent given name
5. Aurora
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| © Ragnar Singsaas / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Aurora Aksnes, singer
> Origin: Latin for "dawn"
4. Asher
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| © Mike Coppola / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Asher Monroe, singer
> Origin: Hebrew in origin, name of Jacob's eighth son in "The Book of Genesis"
4. Cora
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| © C. L. M. Daniels / Wikimedia Commons |
> Notable people with that name: Cora Linn Daniels, author
> Origin: Greek for "maiden," often attributed as a byname for Persephone
3. Jasper
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| © Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Jasper Johns, painter and sculptor
> Origin: English form of Gaspar, from the Gospel According to Matthew
3. Amara
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| © Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Amara Karan, actress
> Origin: The word for "grace" in Igbo
2. Milo
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| © Christopher Polk / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Milo Ventimiglia, actor
> Origin: German in origin, either from the German "mild" or Old Slavonic "milu" (merciful)
2. Isla
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| © Handout / Getty Images |
> Notable people with that name: Isla Fisher, actress
> Origin: Scottish in origin, derived from the pronunciation of "Islay"
1. Atticus
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| © Courtesy of Universal Studios |
> 2017 Rank: 350
> Notable people with that name: Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's 1960 novel "To Kill A Mockingbird"
> Origin: Greek for "from Attica"
