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

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.

Celebrity Baby Names of 2014 - Review

This year I'm a bit late with my reviews, but they're here. There were so many interesting celeb baby names in 2014, that it was hard to keep the list short, so bear with me. Of course, I'll be including names that I don't like, names that are a bit plain to me, but the names who were just reported as, for example, "John" and no middle name just didn't make the cut - the first name is boring for me, plus no middle to comment just doesn't deserve a critique. Anyway, here we go!


BOYS

Genesis Ali - After singer Alicia Keys previously gave birth to a son named Egypt, we knew she was going to surprise us again. And she did. While Genesis is a very common name for girls, its extremely rare on boys, so it fits well with how unique his brother's name is.

Reign Aston - I think Kourtney did it much better this time. I'm sorry to go against the current, but to me Reign just sounds a lot more interesting (in a good way) than Mason. I'm not usually a fan of title names, but this is one of the few exceptions. The luxurious middle name is ok, but Reign is really the star here.

Zephyr Emerson - I've loving the name Zephyr so much lately, it's actually in my very own top 10. I love nature names, including ones like Zephyr where the connection is less obvious, and pairing it with Emerson makes the combo flow really well.

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.

Names Of The Year 2014

Another year has quickly gone by, and there have been several interesting names floating around. Predictions are, as usual, quite hard to do, but I'll try my very best to be accurate once the 2014 list comes around in May.


For boys:

- In 2013, Noah took the first spot which completely threw me off, since I was not expecting that. I'm not sure if he can keep his momentum going on, but I'll say its between Noah, Mason and Liam for #1. I think those 3 will hog the top3 for a while.
 - I dont think we will be having new entries to the boys top 10, but if we do, I can only see Elijah achieving that. The one in danger of leaving? Jayden. Its glory days are over and I think it'll start falling fast, at least for now

Name In Spotlight: Reign

After several days of speculation on what Kourtney Kardashian would name her second son, from Jeffrey, to something related to that name, it turns out we were all way off. She picked Reign. A lot of people were not pleased with this outlandish choice, but I dont think its as bad as North (West), or at least that name combo. And here's why: this name may seem crazy to us born in the 20th century, but for a newborn baby these days? It fits right in with other popular choices such as King or Major.

"The Vampire Diaries" Names

I was questioning whether I should include the names of characters that have migrated to the spinoff show The Originals, and I decided I should leave those aside. Don't fret, I should be doing a post dedicated to The Originals too, as that show has plenty of interesting names to go about. But for now, I'm gonna focus on the mother show The Vampire Diaries, which has been going on for 6 seasons now, and has given us some curious monikers over the years.

Names of the main cast:

Elena - She is the protagonist of the show, and her name is a more modern variant of the dusty Helen, however it is being plagued by useless alternative spellings such as Alaina and Alayna. Personally, I'd stick with Elena which is simple, elegant and international.

Damon - Some may be put off because it is just a letter away from "demon", but I think most people wouldn't make that connection. If you like Damien, but want something less common, this is a good option.

Katerina - This is the character's real name, however she mostly went by Katherine. While I do enjoy Katherine, I think Katerina is a wonderful alternative, and you still get the royal chic nickname Kate.

Stefan - If the name Stephen feels dated to you, then why not pick up on Stefan? I actually like it better too.

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: