Biblical names are out and pop culture is in for America’s newborns – if 2012’s list of most popular baby names are anything to go by.
The once hearty trend of parents naming their babies after Biblical scripture has shown a steady decline in recent years according to an annual baby name report by BabyCenter.com.
What can be gathered in supplement shows a perhaps surprising uptick in inspiration from pop culture such as erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, TV show Downton Abbey and even Apple electronics.
Among names taken from the Bible for 2012 there were just three boys’ names among the list of top 10 – Ethan, Noah and Jacob – while none made the top 10 list for girls.
That’s a stark contrast from 12 years ago when Biblical names dominated the top 10 list, in 2000 it being: Michael, Jacob, Matthew, Joseph, Joshua, and Andrew.
For girls in 2000 it was Hannah, Sarah and Elizabeth.
If any trend can be seen this year one could blame at least one other book Americans are reading right now.
From EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey, first name Grey shot up 155 spots. Anastasia rose 43 spots and Elliot – Christian Grey’s brother – went up by 14%.
If any Downtown Abbey fans received visits from the Stork this year, they may be mutually held responsible for an increase in the names Branson (by 32%), Charlie (23%), Elsie (29%), and Daisy (27%). Names Edith, Sybil, Robert, Cora, Isobel and Violet also rose.
Perhaps further showing the times – contrasting back when actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay musician Chris Martin named their baby “Apple” surprising many who had never heard of the fruit and widespread computer manufacturer used as a name – Apple rose 15% this year.
Adding to the Apple iPhone, iPad, iMac buzz, the name Siri – Apple’s computer generated assistant – climbed by 5% while Mac for boys jumped by 12%.
All three names are still deep down on the list, however, with Apple taking 3,204th place, Siri taking 1,427th, and Mac taking 624.
Musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s uniquely named Blue Ivy Carter also perhaps stirred a rise in names Blue and Ivy which both saw an increase this year – Blue by 51% and Ivy by 27%.
Though Blue is still down on the list hitting 2,571th place, Ivy rose to 157th place.
Among this year’s most popular names, Aiden tops list of top 10 for the eight year in a row while Sophia continues to hold her own among the girls’ 10 for the fifth year running.
2012’S TOP 10 BABY NAMES
TOP 10 BOYS NAMES:
- Aiden
- Jackson
- Ethan
- Liam
- Mason
- Noah
- Lucas
- Jacob
- Jayden
- Jack
TOP 10 GIRLS NAMES:
- Sophia
- Emma
- Olivia
- Isabella
- Ava
- Lily
- Zoe
- Chloe
- Mia
- Madison
