Name In Trend: Sawyer

Sawyer is a name of english origin that means "wood worker", therefore making it an occupational name. However, thanks to Mark Twain naming his hero Tom Sawyer in the novel "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer", it also has a literary connection that most people are aware of.

Sawyer is a name that has been embraced by parents and celebrities alike. The Early Show presenter Erica Hill used it for her son back in 2010. Even though surnames have been adopted as first names for boys since the dawn of time, it wasn't always the case with Sawyer, who is relatively new to the "scene". Let's see how this name has performed on the SSA chart:

2014 List: Mathematical Prediction: Girl Edition

Hello readers! I apologize for the long absence, but I had some personal issues that kept me from updating this blog for a while. I will try to be back more often, however I can't promise anything yet.
Over the last few weeks I have managed to do my mathematical predictions for both genders, the boy edition should be out in the next few days. This time, we start with the girl edition, so let's see how the 2014 list could look like next May:

01 Emma (+1)
02 Sophia (-1)
03 Olivia (=)
04 Isabella (=)
05 Ava (=)

Update On Previous Names In Trend (4)

So it's that time of the year where I take a look back at all those names that featured in my Name In Trend segment, and see if they are still trending. If they fall in the rankings for 2 consecutive years, or if I feel they have been stalling for several years, I drop them from this update.

Declan

Climbed over 20 places in the last year, and its very close to entering the top 100 for the first time. It'll get the for sure, as this name seems to be loved by everyone right now.

Hudson

It's now up to #87, it's highest peak yet. I don't think this is the last time we'll see this name climbing, it's very on trend.

Ryder

Dropped 3 places to #103, so its stay in the top 100 was very brief, only a year. Are people moving on to Ryker instead?

2013 Most Popular Baby Names

So the new list is out, and Jacob is finally off the top spot after a 15 year reign. Thank god for that. However, that is pretty much the only great news I have, at least from my perspective. Most of my favorite names aren't taking off, and the "same old same old" names are still hogging pretty much most of the boys rank.

The top 10:

BOYS

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Jacob
4. Mason
5. William
6. Ethan
7. Michael
8. Alexander
9. Jayden
10. Daniel

Name In Trend: Paisley

The unisex name Paisley is of scottish origin and it means "church". Paisley is actually a place name, of a scottish town near Glasgow. The paisley pattern, which involves a persian inspired design, originated in that town, famous for its weaving industry in the 19th century. Now of course everyone will immediately think of the fabric, rather than the town, but I guess it's not a terrible association. The name in recent years has been embraced by parents of little girls, maybe because the design is quite girly, and it has even been used by celebs like Jennie Finch.

Names In Spotlight: Space Names

Don't you just love to gaze into space, or look at some of it's beautiful pictures? Well, space also possesses some incredible names, that could perfectly be used on a child. A lot of space names are inspired by mythology, so they are old names that were then applied on space objects. A few are just modern space names and terms that have some serious potential as baby names, and a few have space related meanings. Overall, there are hundreds of them, so I had to pick and choose and select some that I think are ready to use, and some that I feel are too interesting to go unnoticed. So sit back, and enjoy the ride, because it's a long one!

GIRLS

Andromeda - Surely you've heard this one before. Andromeda is of course, our nearest galaxy, it is of greek origin, and means "leader of man". It's quite a grand name for a little girl, but if you want a strong legit girl name, this one is perfect.

Astrid - This was the name used by two swedish microsatellites to study some space features. Astrid is of scandinavian origin and means "beautiful goddess". I adore this name, there aren't many female names ending with the letter "d", and I feel this is one of the most usable ones.

Aurora - Some of the most beautiful space pictures feature the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere, with its sci-fi green lights, truly magical. Aurora of course means "dawn", and is the name of the roman goddess of sunrise. This name has a lot going for it, from its roman roots, to its nature and space meanings, to its Disney connection, to its many possible nicknames. You really can't go wrong.

Name In Trend: Declan

Declan is an irish names that means "full of goodness". It is the name of a saint, and it's the birth name of singer Elvis Costello.

America has always been a country that loves to import exotic names from other countries, especially Irish names. Could the rising star Declan be the latest irish import to make a big impression for the next couple of decades? Perhaps. Let's see how it's been performing so far in the SSA ranking:

Names Of The Year 2013

This year my predictions for the 2013 list is a little late, but as long as it's before the list is out, it still counts, right? Anyway, the year 2013 has brought us some interesting and buzzworthy celeb baby names, but little (as far as I can see) in terms of new character names on tv shows - the same old same old are being used instead. But enough about my disappointment in tv names, let's go to the predictions.

For boys:

- I think this will definitely be the year Jacob finally loses its crown after a long and snoozeworthy 14 year reign. The battle will be between Mason, who lost out by a tiny margin last year, and the new "hear it everywhere" name Liam. I wouldn't be surprised if Liam leapfrogged Mason and ended up at #1, but I'm still sticking with Mason being at the top, at least for a year.

Name In Spotlight: Bodhi

Bodhi is a sanskrit name that means "to awaken or become enlightened". It is also a nature name, thanks to the Bodhi tree, which has a spiritual connection to Buddhism - it is believed that the Buddha sat under this tree to reach enlightenment, where you obtain full comprehension of life, especially your own.

It has a very mystical feeling, one of those religious names that sounds very intriguing, but modern and appealing at the same time. This week, Bodhi has been on the spotlight alot - two celeb baby boys were given this name, and both children had some unusual middle names too: Rain and Ransom.

Celebrity Baby Names of 2013 - Review

Another new year rolls in, and as usual, I start off with my review of the celeb baby names from the previous year. 2013 did brought an interesting mix of names, some trendy choices, some unexpected ones too, as well as the obligatory boy names on girls. Overall, I did like them more than the 2012 choices.

BOYS

Ellis James - Like I always say, if you have two names you wanna use, one of them is part of the unexpected underrated category, and one is part of the overused classics category, and you're unsure in which order to put each name, I'll tell you: keep the most interesting name first, the more common one second. It's such a waste when great underused names are wasted in the middle. I do love Ellis.

Milan - Often thought of as a place name, which it can be, but it is also a hebrew name, with a different pronunciation than that italian city: MEE-lan. I didn't know what to expect from Shakira, but I do approve of this choice.

Greyson James - Greyson seems to be the new rising star over the past years, and one I like quite a bit (preferably spelled Grayson). James is the typical filler middle (and first) name, so don't really care for it.

Knox Addison - Ever since the Jolie's used Knox, the name has spread like wildfire, but yet is not at a point where your hear it everywhere everytime. It's that familiar face you don't see too often, one that you enjoy encountering. Addison is a male name that has made a switch to the female side, so I'm always surprised yet thankful when they make the reswitch, even if it's as a middle name. I love the flow of the name too.