2012 Most Popular Baby Names

So the new list is out, and here is the top10:

Boys

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

Name In Trend: Scarlett

Heard of any little Scarlett's lately? Odds are, you have.

Scarlett is a name of old french origin, and means "red", so you can use it as a color name if you wish. Scarlett was first used as a given name in Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone With The Wind", which featured heroine Scarlett O'Hara. It is also a hollywood name, thanks to actress Scarlett Johansson, and it is also the middle name of one of Mick Jagger's daughter Elizabeth.

Let's take a closer inspection at the name Scarlett and its popularity throughout the years:

Name In Trend: Brantley

The name Brantley is of old english origin, a variant of Brand and Brant, and it means "sword" or "fiery torch". A famous bearer of this name is country singer Brantley Gilbert, and I suspect the overnight explosion of this name has a lot to do with him.

Here is how the name Brantley has performed on the SSA ranking:

Name In Spotlight: Rainbow

Everyone knew Holly Madison was naming her daughter "something unusual", but were we expecting a baby Rainbow Aurora? Probably not. Aurora is a legit name around the world, a beautiful name for sure, but the spotlight tonight goes to Rainbow. Obviously.

My parents told me that they named me Skye because they liked the sound of "sky", and also the image of peacefulness and tranquility a blue sky evoked to them. The added "e" was just an attempt to make it different (my parents loved alternative spellings...). I've always liked my name and always get positive feedback on it, especially for how "unique" it is to most people. It also made me fond of nature names, especially for boys, and I'll probably carry on that naming style with my kids.

Baby Name Advice

Hello fellow trenders! From now on, I will be taking your questions on baby names, giving you my advice on your choices, suggesting names for those of you who are stuck or struggling for ideas, or if you need help choosing a name for a sibling, for example. Don't forget to explain what your name problem is (if there is one), what your style of naming is, what kind of names your searching for, so that I can help you get the best options available.

Send your emails to xxnamesintrendxy@hotmail.com

I'll be waiting for you!

Celebrity Baby Names of 2012 - Review

As usual during January, I do my review of several celeb baby names that were born the year before. 2012 wasn't a particularly exciting year for baby names, especially if you like outlandish choices, but if you do like old school female names, it was particularly intriguing to see which ones are making a comeback.


BOYS:

Edward Duke - Not a fan of either choice to be honest. Edward is a bit dated imo, and I'm not a fan of title names, so Duke gets a "no" from me too. Plus, if you're gonna call him Duke, just put Edward in the middle, makes no sense to me when middle names are the prefered choice to call someone.

Camden Jack - Camden has been making waves lately, with at least 2 celebrity couples naming their son Camden. I quite like this choice, it's popular without being too overused, plus like many classics that are now below the top100, it doesn't have the baggage that there are a million older men with the same name. I can't stand Jack, but at least it's hidden in the middle spot.

Zander Jace - I like Zander but I do prefer the "x" spelling better. It's one of those nicknames that to me just sound better than the formal name, in this case, Alexander, which is very overused. Jace is a newby name that apparently surfaced as a nickname to Jason, and again, it's a fresher choice than the formal name.

Names Of The Year 2012

So another year comes to an end, and it's time for me to make my predictions for the SSA list coming out next May. This time around, I'm just gonna make some basic predictions because I haven't had as much time this year to make a more exhaustive research.

For boys:

- I think that for the first time in about 12 years, Jacob will no longer be at the top. The replacement? Mason of course.

Winter Names

So December is upon us, and during this month arrives the season of winter. Now I must admit I cannot stand winter because I hate the freezing temperatures, but I do like it during the brief period between Christmas and New Years. Although I'm not a fan of the season, it does have several interesting names that could be used on a child.

I've divided the names into boy/girl categories. Although any of these names could be used on either sex if you want to, I decided to split them into the sex I feel would wear the name best. A few of them do pop up in both lists:

Boys

Name In Coffin: Fanny

Fanny, as a name, is a nickname form of Frances, and means "from France". As with many nicknames used as full names, some are everlasting, such as Charlie or Lily, others fall from grace. Fanny falls into the latter category, which might be surprising for some since nicknames such as Danny are still in vogue. However, it's not so much it's sound that has become outdated, it's the meaning the name has in slang talk that has probably sealed it's fate as a coffin baby name.

"Fanny", as most of you know, means your backside aka your butt. Probably not the best meaning to name a girl these days. Even worse, go to the UK or Australia, and "fanny" over there means the female sexual organ aka vagina. Heck even fanny packs are seen as unfashionable and outdated these days.

Halloween Names

Who doesn't love Halloween? Well maybe a few people who get scared too easily, but I think most people enjoy this holiday and have a lot of fun decorating the house and getting the most outrageous costumes.

Of course, if you love this holiday and want a Halloween inspired name, there are plenty around to choose from. All of these are wearable, although a few might be for brave baby namers, but if you love Halloween, you have to be a bit brave. So take a look at the list below, and write down the ones you love the most.

Girls

Sabrina - after the "Teenage Witch"
Morgana - the evil witch from "Merlin"
Artemis - Greek goddess of the hunt
Persephone - ruler of the underworld
Lua/Luna - moon, in portuguese and spanish respectively
Aurelia - golden