Alternatives To: Matthew, Elliott, Amber

I'm starting a new name series where I suggest 3 alternatives to a certain name. Not all of these names are popular, but then, popularity isn't the only reason why sometimes people look for an alternative.

Which alternatives are your favorites?

Boy Names - New Entries & Comebacks

Below I talk about the names that have debuted for the first time in 2015, and some of the names that have returned to the rank for the first time - some were there 2 years ago, others have made it after a long absence.

Overall, it's an eclectic bunch of names. Which names are you most pleased with their return or debut? Let me know.

Boy Names on Girls - Misogynistic?

I've been thinking of this issue for a while now... take a look

I feel the naming practice of using male names on girls is much more problematic than what we think. It runs deeper than a simple naming preference. Do you agree?

Most Popular Names of 2015

Here are my thoughts on the new rank!

Hope you dont mind the video effects, I want to keep my privacy.

What are your thoughts on the new lists?

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.

2015 List: Mathematical Prediction: Girl Edition

 It's been a while, but here is my yearly mathematical prediction for the female SSA rank, this time for 2015:

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

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.

2015 List: Mathematical Prediction: Boy Edition

Do you also get baby name blues after the release of the new baby name rank? I do, especially after all of the interesting bits of data have been analyzed. Then you're left with a big bowl of emptiness, and you're longing already for the next rank, which is still far far away. But don't worry, I've got you covered. While not the real list, obviously, since I'm not a futurologist, they are just some fun predictions of what mathematically would happen next year, if the names increased or decreased the same amount as the year before.

For boys, this is what the top 20 would look like:

01 Noah (=)
02 Liam (=)
03 Mason (=)
04 William (+1)
05 Alexander (+3)

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

2014 Most Popular Baby Names

So Christmas for us baby name fanatics just arrived, and in case you're new to this scene, it means that the new SSA ranking with the most popular names of last year has just been released. Its usually followed by a short period of excitement where you examine every little detail of the top 1000 and beyond, and then you fall into a sort of post partum depression where the excitement is gone, before the anticipation starts to build up again usually at the start of the year.

But enough about my mood cycles when it comes to baby names, here is the newest top 10 for both genders:

BOYS

01 Noah
02 Liam
03 Mason
04 Jacob
05 William