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America’s Favorite Baby Names, Says Nameberry
America's top name is anything but modern.
Forget the newest names and the hottest names, and even the coolest baby names on the block. A lot of moms and dads want to hear America’s favorite baby names.
Of course, choosing any favorites is a subjective endeavor (for example, Giants this Sunday cough, cough) but Nameberry, the popular baby naming website, wanted to conduct a full search into the hearts of Americans to get their all time favorite names. So they collaborated with HuffPo Parents to get as many votes as possible. In the end, the results come from thousands of people weighing in with their selections.
Here are the finalists Nameberry settled on, along with brief explanations of why they are beloved:
GIRLS
Amelia: A finalist is Amelia, a German name that means “work,” is rising to take the place of former No. 1 names Emily and Emma.
Lila: Finalist Lila is a new darling of parents enchanted by its lilting loveliness. Lila is one of a raft of double-L names including Layla, Leila, Lily, and even Lola and Delilah that are on the rise.
Ava: Runner-up Ava, “bird” in Latin, is an ancient saints’ name that also feels sleek and modern. Glamour girl Ava Gardner helped launch its revival, and Reese Witherspoon catapulted it to a new generation of stardom when she chose it for her daughter.
Charlotte: America’s favorite baby name for girls: Charlotte! Charlotte has also been Nameberry’s No. 1 baby name for girls for the past two years. The feminine for Charles, Charlotte is a royal name also notably the name of one of the Bronte sisters and the literary spider.
BOYS
Aiden: Aiden is an old Irish name that means “fiery” and was virtually unknown in the U.S. until the advent of actor Aidan Quinn and boyfriend Aidan on “Sex & the City.”
Finn: Third place Finn, one of Nameberry’s favorites, is the name of the greatest hero of Irish mythology, Finn McCool. More recently, he’s the hunk on “Glee.”
Jackson: Second place boys’ name Jackson is now more popular than father names John or Jack. Artistic references include painter Jackson Pollock and musicians Jackson Browne and Michael Jackson.
James: And America’s favorite boys’ name is: James! A premiere fashionable classic, James derives from the same root as No. 1 name Jacob and has the same meaning, “supplanter.” Attractive James include Bond, Dean and Franco.
What is your favorite name?
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6 Comments
CW commented on Jan 31 12 at 11:50 amNames I love that I will never get to use because my DH keeps vetoing them: Genevieve, Annelise, Sylvia, Emmeline, Julian, Elias, Leo, Matthias. DH thinks they are “old lady/men” names, while the names he likes are super-dated ones popular when we were growing up: Shannon, Lauren, Megan, Maureen, Patrick, Ryan, Karl. So our girls wound up with names neither of us particularly like but both of us can tolerate, while I did finally win over DH for a boy’s name of my choice (it helped that it is a variation of his own name!)
bob commented on Jan 31 12 at 1:16 pmIs there a business relationship to Nameberry here, or are you guys just suckers for their press releases? They only serve to confuse people because the information they provide is not collected in a reliably representative manner. They assemble lists through voluntary surveys of narrow populations, add their own interpretations and then disseminate them as broad societal insights.
Linda, T.O.O. commented on Jan 31 12 at 8:39 pmBabble’s whoring for Nameberry again, I see.
Genevieve commented on Jan 31 12 at 11:55 pmPick Genevieve!!! I love my name and have only ever been told its lovely…lol but I am bias
G commented on Feb 01 12 at 2:05 amWouldn’t using Huffington Post Parents tend to skew their results? Liberals and conservatives tend to name their children differently. Those lists are a lot different than most of the most-popular lists that come out.
Liza commented on Feb 01 12 at 2:59 pmWell, I was ahead of the curve a bit, naming my daughter “Charlotte” 4 years ago. At least there won’t be dozens of them in the same class with her, like all those poor Sophies now…
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