Here are some thoughts to invoke before deciding on a baby's name
Rest assured creative parents, not everyone is going with the flow though. There are still some uncommon names out there. However, spelling common names a little differently is the current trend on uniqueness. 2013 will surely see many different trends and themes when it comes to naming babies.
The A’s
Babycenter.com lists the first six popular names on the top 40 list as ending in “a” or an “a” sound. Emma tops the list as the most popular name followed by Sophia, Isabella, Olivia, Ava, and Mia. Elsewhere on the list can be found Amelia, Ava, Ella, Layla, Savannah, Victoria, Aria, Anna, and Bella. Though the “a” names are not as popular with the boys, Noah is the top boy name on the list. Other names ending in “a” on the boy list are Elijah, Joshua, and Isaiah.
Retro
Another popular theme this year is bringing back old names. These names are names that some of our grandparents might have been named. Oliver, Wyatt, Jack, Henry, and Alexander are some retro names found on the boy list. The girl list includes; Ava, Ella, Charlotte, Audrey, Sophie, Natalie, Abigail, Elizabeth, Caroline, Victoria, Anna, Evelyn, and Allison. Some of these names have never lost popularity, but some of them are freshly popular.
Something New
There are a few baby names on the top 40 list that seem to have boomed to popularity out of nowhere. Some of these popular names are; Aiden, Jackson, and Max for the boys. The girl names that have come out of nowhere are; Harper, Avery, and Aria.
Same ‘ole, same ‘ole
Lastly, there are a ton of names on the list of top 40 names that have appeared for years on top baby names lists. Just to name a few of the regular boys names are; Michael, William, Lucas, James, Benjamin, Joshua, Nathan, John, Daniel, Anthony, Ryan, Andrew, and Thomas. For the girls, the regular names are; Emily, Elizabeth, Anna, Allison, and Madeline.
Gender Differences
So it seems from looking at Baby Center’s list as well as just common observation, parents are willing to veer off the beaten path for girls. As far as naming boys, parents seem to stick to the tried and true names. Why is that? Parents can make up names or add an “a” to a lot of names. They can choose flowers or even use typical boy names and are considered stylish. As for boys, too much variation and boys can get made fun of. Flower names obviously do not work for boys and you cannot generally use a girl’s name for a boy.
We still have most of 2013 to develop new trends of baby names but overall, it looks to be the year of same ‘ole for the boys and nothing but “A’s” for the girls.
For more help on baby names, see:
Are Baby Names Getting Too Creative?