Name In Trend: Hendrix

Hendrix is an ancient germanic name that stems from the same root as Henry, meaning "estate ruler" or "home ruler". Hendrix as a surname is tightly linked to german and dutch origins as a variant of Hendrik.

Name In Trend: Royal

  

 I get it. The royal family is everywhere these days. Prince William and Dutchess Catherine are the new and hip "it" couple in the royal world that everyone loves to talk about - they're the young Diana and Charles, except this time the prince is actually likeable.

Update On Previous Names In Trend (5)

How quick did last year go? It's already time for me to do my yearly update on the monikers that featured in my Name In Trend segment, and see how they performed on the ranking since we last talked about them. 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

This is the first year it dropped, from #121 to #122, so it was basically a stall. I find it hard to believe people are over this name since I hear it everywhere. Probably just a bump in the ride.

Hudson

Climbed 7 spots to #80, so definitely still trending. It has all the right ingredients to go very far, but like always boy names just take much longer to get there. For example, can you believe Lucas only now cracked the top20?

Ryder

Name In Trend: Kyrie

Kyrie is a name of greek origin that means "the Lord", through the root kyrios. I suppose with that meaning, you could say it is a religious name, that isn't as in your face as say Messiah for example. However, given the person who popularized the name in the US, professional basketball player Kyrie Irving, this moniker is now more of a sports related name, a companion for Xavi or Crosby. The official original pronunciation is "kee-ree-ay", but since Kyrie Irving pronounces his name as "kai-ree", the latter pronunciation has taken over, which I guess is what most people would assume if they never heard of it before. Personally, I find both valid.

Kyrie is a fresh name in the SSA rank, as its only been there for 2 years.  In terms of baby numbers, here is the graph:

Kyrie was flying completely under the radar with approximately 10-30 baby boys getting the name every year, until 2011 came around. This was the year Kyrie Irving rose to fame as a promising new basketball player, so it makes sense. It terms of SSA rank numbers, Kyrie first debuted in 2012 at #866, and in 2013 it shot up to #590. With Kyrie Irving remaining a strong player in the court, I can only assume this name will keep trending. It's always nice when parents get inspired by positive role models, and this is certainly the case. Kyrie also has a very pleasing sound to it, a very cheerful upbeat name, and as an incredible bonus you get the chance to use the nickname Kai/Kye if you wish. It has spun the alternative spelling Kyree, which is also trending for boys.

Do you also think Kyrie will be a name to watch in the future? Share your thoughts with me and don't forget to place your vote in the poll.

Similar names include: Kylan, Kyler, Skyler, Kyson, Cairo, Kieran, Kerry.

Alternative spellings include: Kyree, Kairi, Kyrey, Kairee.

Name In Trend: Oakley

Oakley is a name of old English origin that means "meadow of oak trees", pretty straight forward right? So its meaning puts it in the nature name camp, but its also a city in California, therefore it's a place name too. This name has so many great things going for it, starting with its grand O initial which are rarely used for boys these days, the trendy -ley ending, the fabulous nickname Oak, plus the meaning is pleasant and evokes an image of nature and beauty.

Name In Trend: Annabelle

Quite an appropriate choice for this week, don't you agree? I really had to stop myself from using a picture of that scary doll, as tempting as it was - but I wouldnt want to deter any of you from checking this post haha. Instead, you get a photo of the beautiful british actress Annabelle Wallis - you may recognize her from the tv series Pan AM, and if you don't, well she's the main actress on the movie Annabelle.

Annabelle is a name that has a few possible origins. For most parents these days, and even 100 years ago, it is probably just a combination of the names Anna and Belle. As a hebrew name, it means "favor" or "grace". However, if we dig deeper, we also find it most likely came into usage as an alternative spelling of Annabel, which in itself is a variant of Amabel. Amabel is of old french origin and it means "loveable", which I guess is quite straightforward if you think of the word "amiable". I suppose Annabel became more prevalent over Amabel because of the power of Anna, and later on Annabelle likely took over from Annabel because modern french spellings were all the rage. Personally, I find Annabelle the frilliest of the 3 variants, but its easy to see why it's so loved and preferred over the others. It also has something the other spellings don't have - it's the name of a type of wild hydrangea, making it a nature name.

Let's just see how it has performed in the SSA chart:

Name In Trend: Luna

Luna is a name of latin origin that means "moon". In Roman mythology, Luna was the goddess of the moon, and is frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky. A lot of people ask, why doesn't the moon have a name? Well, she does. It's Luna. This is why we say "lunar eclipse" or "lunar effect" for example.

It is well known that the moon isn't just a randon satellite sitting in our sky. As well as being the only satellite orbiting our planet, it has quite an effect over certain things that happen here. The sea tides are strongly associated with the position of the moon, and even fertility and reproductive behavior have been connected to it. There are scientific studies that link a woman's menstrual period of 28 days to the lunar cycle, and some species like the California Grunion fish lay their eggs on the first full moon.

Name In Trend: Jace

Jace is a male name of english origin that means "the lord is my salvation". It is a diminutive of Jason, but like the name Jack departed from John as it's own name, Jace is heading that way it seems. If I had to pick a name that defined trendy as of right now, Jace would be it. This name, plus all of its spelling variants, are zooming up the charts at the speed of light. It is a Teen Mom baby name, a character name from the book series The Mortal Instrument, and also the name of one the guys on Duck Dynasty (who spells his name Jase).

But enough of me telling you how trendy it is, let me prove it:

Happy Birthday to XXNamesInTrendXY! We're 4!

Today is a party day! Can't believe this blog is already 4 years old, it feels like yesterday really when I was deciding whether I should share my thoughts on baby names with you all. I wanna thank everyone who keeps viewing and commenting on my posts, you are very much appreciated and I enjoy your thoughts a lot.

We won't receive any presents, but you guys are. I've decided to share with you something that is only available to me as the administrator of this blog, and that is, to show you which posts have had the most views since its debut back in August 2010.

And the leaders are:

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:

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?

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.

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:

Name In Trend: Hudson

Hudson is a name of Old English origin, and it means "son of Hugh". It is a rising star amongst the many -son names trending upwards in recent years. As well as that meaning, Hudson can also be used as a place name, thanks to the Hudson River in New York and the Hudson Bay in Canada - both were named after the explorer Henry Hudson. This gives Hudson an adventurous feel, and a strong association to water, which could give it the "nature name" tag.


Let's take a look at it's performance in the SSA ranking:

Update On Previous Names In Trend (3)

So let's take a look and see how our "Names In Trend" performed in 2012:

Ryder

Still making waves, this name has climbed for the first time into the top100, at #100 exactly. I think it'll keep going up for a few more years.

Karter

K spellings are quite trendy for boys, and this one is no exception. Karter has made another nice jump to #347 year, and I don't think it'll be falling anytime soon.

Rhys

After falling last year for the first time, this year it's gone back up 11 places to #476. Still not a huge jump, but it's now officially the most common spelling of the name. I wonder if the feminization of Reese is making parents stay clear of this one?

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 Trend: Zoey

Zoey, an alternative spelling of Zoe, is a greek name in origin that means "life". Zoe and Zoey have recently exploded in popularity, and there seems to be no stopping these names.

Zoey, the alternative spelling, is quite trendy right now, and zooming super fast up the girls ranking. So why is this spelling so popular? One reason might be the show "Zoey 101" on Disney, that ran from 2005 to 2008, making this spelling more noticed. Another reason might be because there is a character named Zoey on "How I Met Your Mother", one of the most watched sitcoms in the US. However, I think one of the biggest reasons is because Zoe can be pronounced "zoh", rhyming with the name Joe. For example, this is how stylist and designer Rachel Zoe pronounces her last name. With the spelling Zoey, there is no issue with the pronounciation.

So let's see how Zoey has performed in the ranking shall we?

Name In Trend: Liam

The name Liam is of Old German origin and means "helmet" or "protection". Whilst it is a name in it's own right, it can also be a nickname for William, which might explain why it's been trending so quickly.

Liam has been a name that has been popping up everywhere, from TV shows like 90210, which features a troubled surfer dude named Liam, to celebrities naming their kids Liam. Let's check out just how far this name has come in the popularity ranking:

Update On Previous Names In Trend (2)

Another year has passed, a new ranking has been released. Let's see how all the Names In Trend have done the past year.

First, the boys:

Ryder

It has climbed from #135 to #108, and seems to be a huge threat to next years top 100. It fits right in with the cool cowboy names trend that parents are loving on their boys.

Karter

Climbing over 50 places the past year, there seems to be no stopping this one. K- names are very trendy for boys, and this one is no exception.

Rhys

After being super trendy the past few years, it unfortunately crashed in 2011 when it fell 15 places. Not too significant, but I wonder if Reese going feminine is making parents reconsider any spelling of that name. It's too bad.