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Strollerderby
Baby Names to Avoid in 2010
If you are having a baby anytime soon, chances are you’ve already given a lot of thought to what to name your little bundle of joy. But have you given any thought to what not to name your child? While nobody wants to saddle their child with a bad baby name, even a good baby name loses its appeal when everybody else chooses it, too.
To avoid picking a name that will turn the heads of 10 children when called out in kindergarten class, lots of parents turn to the Internet to find out what baby names are the most popular. And then they avoid them. While that sounds like a pretty good strategy, it doesn’t account for all the other parents who are doing the exact same thing. More important than crossing off the names that were popular last year is determining which ones will be popular this year and next. And to do that, you need advice from the baby name experts.
That’s where Laura Wattenberg, creator of Baby Name Wizard and ParentDish’s “Ask the Name Lady, and author Pamela Redmond Satran of Nameberry, come in. These two have a bead on what’s going on in the world of baby names and have choosing a unique one down to a science.
Their current list of baby names to avoid includes some obvious picks (anything Twilight-related) and some not-so-obvious ones (Piper, Sookie and Isla). Even if you aren’t having a baby, their knowledge of what factors contribute to the popularity of baby names makes for interesting reading.
Oh, how I wish I had access to such information back in the early 1980′s when I named my own daughter. In my mind, her name is a nod to a beautiful country music singer who I admired very much. Sadly, in the minds of just about everyone else, her name is either shorthand for an illicit drug or the stage name of a stripper. Sorry, sweetie!
Image: kaatjevervoort/Flickr
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5 Comments
bob commented on Jul 23 10 at 8:24 pmI have lots of respect for Laura Wattenberg. She has a strong data-based grasp of baby naming trends. She’s a true expert. Redmond Satran strikes me as someone who banks on her personal taste primarily, and marketing savvy. An article that melds their judgments together therefore strikes me as rather odd.
Lucky commented on Jul 25 10 at 12:40 pmI see Lola on the list. We chose Luna… very under-appreciated. I expect it to explode in the next 5 or 6 years. Then she’ll have a bunch mini-Lu’s following her around. :)
Mary Garcia commented on Oct 13 10 at 3:02 pmI named my daughters LILY and LYNDI and until recently hadnt heard anyone else with the name thinking I accomplished what I had set out for which was a name not often heard! Well Lily seems to be getting to be a more popular name as time goes on! Lyndi I still have to myself! My son I named Gordon and I have still yet to meet another!The baby girl on the way her name is still to be determined
Amy commented on Jul 03 11 at 12:52 amThis is he second time I have heard of someone who named their baby Luna and now I feel a little bad because I just named my dog Luna!
BioPHD commented on Feb 27 12 at 3:35 pmMy dog is Luna too. She is 9.
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