From '60s flower children to '80s glam rockers, everything from the pop culture to politics has affected how parents choose baby names. But according to Marcia Turner, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to 40,000 Baby Names, the biggest deciding factor isn't so much the public zeitgeist as the expectations that parents have for their children, as names "reflect the parents' personalities and interests." A survey of Cookie readers found that everyone agrees on one factor in the selection process: It has to be unique. Here's a rundown of baby-name trends:
Recurring Themes
Traditional: Jennifer Moss, author of the One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book, says that more parents are choosing old-fashioned names for girls. "Isabellas and Emilys are less frequent, and Addisons and Madelines are taking over."
Biblical: "When times get tough, people get more spiritual," Turner says, adding, "Churches are seeing a surge in attendance." It's most common for children of difficult pregnancies to have religious names. Over the years, Jacob, Caleb, and Ethan have been very popular for boys.
Family: Using the first name or surname of grandparents, like McKensey, Madison, or Jackson, is one way parents pay homage to family members. Cookie reader Melissa Rosa says that her daughter is the seventh child in her family to have the name Ellie.
Specific Trends
Historical and Cultural Figures or Literary Characters: To show ethnic pride, some parents tend look to historical texts for the names of influential leaders and pioneers. One reader has an Irish husband who grew up with tales of the mythical god Fionn Mac Cumhal. Since their son was born six weeks premature, her husband said their child "needed the strength of this legendary folk hero to make it—and he did." Other readers were inspired by literature, like Jen, who gave her son the middle name Atticus after the character in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Kathryn, who named her daughter Zoe after J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey.
Maiden Name: Instead of completely dropping maiden names when they get married, some women are starting to use them for their children's first names. It's "becoming more common than it was 20 years ago, as women have become more prominent in our society," says Turner.
Alliteration and Assonance: When naming twins and triplets, the most common trend is to use the same letter and/or sound, like Ashton and Ashley. The reknowned Duggar family of TLC's 17 Kids & Counting, which has recently added the eighteenth member to their brood—daughter Jordan—is surely familiar with the troubles of baby naming, especially since they made a decision long ago to have each one's name start with the letter j.
Modern Trends
Environmental: Since the green movement has affected where we buy our groceries, which clothing brands we wear, and even which furniture we decorate our homes with, it should be no surprise that it's now affecting how we name our children. More parents are giving their children names like Bay and Forest to "show a respect for the environment," says Turner.
One of a Kind: According to Turner, "Years ago, the family was all about tradition to honor ancestors," but today's parents, especially celebrities, are more interested in having their children stand out from the crowd. For example, Turner says that a popular name from 2007 was Nevaeh, which is heaven backwards. Parents often "think too far ahead on how it's going to sound on their son or daughter, the senator. So the name they choose sounds weird until they're older," Turner says. However, Cookie reader Lori says, "I think names should be individual and are a mark of distinction for the person who has been named. It is something you gave them that they carry with them forever."
Reader Favorites:
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Boy Names |
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Naming Tips
While individuality may top your list for name requirements, it's important that you take our baby-name experts' advice and consider these three tips:
- Say the name out loud as if you're introducing yourself to see if it's something that they can live with.
- Make sure it isn't too difficult to spell or pronounce.
- Consider whether the child is going to be blatantly teased for it.
