Names Weekend

Prepare yourself. My snarky side is about to come out. And some of you are not going to like it.

For most people, this weekend is important because of Mother's Day (happy day to all the mothers out there!). But for some of us, Mother's Day weekend is exciting for an entirely different reason: it's the weekend that the Social Security Administration releases the lists of the top 1000 most popular names for either gender from the previous year.

To see the list, click HERE!

Now, as some of you might know, last year I won a Baby Name Pool out of more than 600 entries. You guess three names that are going to rise, and three that are going to fall. And the woman who wrote one of the definitive books on naming has this whole series of calculations to figure out who did best.

I entered again this year, but I did quite badly. My choices were actually pretty solid. I predicted:

Eva would rise (it did. #125 to #117)
Ava would rise (it did. #5 to #4 -- which is a bigger jump than it sounds like)
Aiden would rise (it did. #32 to #27)
Britney would fall (it did. #471 to #564)
Lindsey would fall (it did. #186 to #226)
Hayden (for a boy) would fall (it did NOT. #73 to #71)

I was convinced that the exposure that Hayden Panettiere has gotten over the last year would make people begin to associate Hayden with females, but nope. It's still in the top 100 for boys. Ah, well.

But one false move is not the reason that I'm going to lose. Last year I won despite thinking that Shiloh would magically appear in the top 1000 (it didn't... I jumped the gun. It ended up hitting the charts this year) and that Angelina would rise (it fell a couple of spots). The reason I'm not going to win is because I made a bad call with the name that everyone else picked to be the breakout riser of the year. I thought they were jumping the gun the way I did with Shiloh. Boy, was I wrong.

Miley

I thought it would take another year for Miley to hit the top 1000 after the massive rise of Miley Cyrus this year. But I was SO wrong. After NEVER having been in the top 1000 before, it entered the charts at #278. And not only that... Two sound-alikes showed up as well! Mylie was #861 and Mylee at #556 (I won't even begin to express my disgust at those).

Maybe it was time for a name like Miley. After all, Milo re-entered the charts in 2001 after a 35 year absence and has been on a steady upswing since then (in 2001 it was #981, and in 2007 is was #548).

But it's sort of embarrassing, really. There's no way that those parents can pretend that they "made it up" or got it from another source. Every single one of those girls is named after Hannah Montana. Which will be fine until:
1. Miley Cyrus goes the way of Lindsey and Britney (you know it's possible) and is suddenly NOT something you want your daughter to be compared to.
2. Miley Cyrus fades from the public eye and the name is suddenly dated.

I have a coworker named Tenile (she was named after "The Captain and Tennille"... but spelled differently. Yes, one letter away from "penile"). I rest my case. This is why you should not use a pop culture name. It's a bad idea.

Aside from that, Miley is very much a "girl" name. Not a "woman" name. People forget that their precious little princesses are going to grow up one day, and some names just don't age well. try to imagine a voting ballot in which a 50-year-old woman named "Miley Jones" is running for Senate. Awkward, isn't it? *sigh*

Whenever a name jumps up to the top 1000, it's news. When a name jumps that quickly, it's HUGE news. Like Nevaeh. After P.O.D. front-man Sonny Sandoval mentioned in interviews that he had named his new daughter Neveah -- heaven-spelled-backwards -- it became a phenomenon. In 2001, this little publicized "name" entered the charts at #266. NO ONE saw that coming. And now, in 2007 it was #31. That's gotta be a record. And why does no one seem to mention that spelling things backwards is supposed to be demonic? I don't get it. What I REALLY don't get, is how "Neveah" (haeven spelled backwards?) was #891 in 2007. People are idiots.

The names that entered the charts this year that were not on last year were:

Girls:
Adalyn - (Part of the trend of removing the front-consonant from another popular name..., like Madison/Addison, this is Madelyn/Adalyn/Adelyn)
Adelyn - (Ditto.)
Alannah - (This was only on the list one other time, in 1990, which I'd bet had something to do with Alannah Myles singing "Black Velvet". No idea what caused the appearance this time.)
Aliana - (Aside from the similarities to "alien", sorta pretty.) ETA: Did people start using this as a result of Lindsey Lohan's sister Ali -- short for Aliana? Dear God, say it isn't so!
Allyssa - (Man, people. Learn to spell.)
Alyvia - (Ugh. Ditto.)
Anabel - (The Spanish spelling. Anagram of "be anal")
Antonia - (YAY! A legit, pretty name!)
Audrina - (Stupid reality television. Why would you want to name your daughter after her?)
Azaria - (Like Hank Azaria? You've got to be kidding.)
Azul - (No idea.)
Celine - (After a random appearance for one year in 1931, it left the charts until 1994, when it popped up thanks to a certain French-Canadian songstress. It only had a one year absence for 2006, and now it's back at #986. I wouldn't be surprised to see it fall off again in 2008.)
Delia - (Yay! Another lovely legit name!)
Devyn - (GAH! Badness!)
Dixie - (Watch out! The South is rising again!)
Diya - (It's a type of light that's lit during Diwali. More likely, it has something to do with this chick)
Emmy - (Emily and Emma have been top 10 names for awhile now, so I was surprised to see that the only other year this name was on the charts was 1885.)
Evie - (I prefer it as a nickname. Perhaps it showed up because there are a few celebrities that use it as one. Namely, Evan Rachel Wood and Evangeline Lilly.)
Giada - (I am fully in support of this name -- the Italian form of Jade -- despite the fact that it is celebrity inspired. Giada De Laurentiis seems pretty cool.)
Giuliana - (Gorgeous! Maybe arriving because of the similarity to the popular Liliana?)
Graciela - (Back after a 1-year absence. Technically, it's a nickname for Gracia, but I like it well enough)
Hayleigh - (GAH! There are too many spellings of Haylie and Kaylee on the charts already! AHHHHHH!!!!)
Ireland - (5th appearance since 1998. *rolls eyes*)
Jaeda - (Jada is a Biblical MALE name. I don't know what this is.)
Jailyn - (Because anything with the word "Jail" in it must be pretty.)
Jaslene - (I can't believe I didn't see this one coming after America's Next Top Model winner Jaslene Gonzalez.)
Jaylen - (Well, it's better than Jailyn, but not by enough.)
Jazlynn - (Who did this? I want names.)
Jocelynn - (One "n" wasn't enough?)
Jordin - (Reality television just won't quit. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is to blame for this misspelling.)
Joseline - (Makes me think of Vaseline. Anyone else?)
Kelis - (Well THAT was a delayed reaction. Has Kelis done anything lately? Anything at all since Milkshake?)
Kylah - (First thought: KY Jelly + loofah.)
Lillianna - (Also on the charts are Lila, Lilah, Lilia, Lilian, Liliana, Lilianna, Lillian, Lilliana, Lillie, Lilly, Lily, and Lilyana. I think I spot a trend.)
Londyn - (That's a stripper name if I ever saw one.)
Madilynn - (Oh, look. They found a way to make the "Mad" part more prominent.)
Marely - (Was this supposed to be Marley? Because it looks like it rhymes with barely. They somehow made "mare" into an adjective. And then used it to name women. How empowering.)
Maren - (This is actually the Danish form of Marina. I wonder if any of the parents who used it knew that.)
Marlen - (According to BehindTheName.com, "Blend of Marx and Lenin. This name was created by Communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names." It used for boys. This is why you should do your research before naming a child. That, and it sounds like a fish, and the male name Marlon -- as in Brando or Wayans.)
Maryjane - (This name was a constant on the charts until the early 1960s, which I'm guessing is when it became part of drug culture. It had a 1-year appearance in 2005, and now it's back. Good marijuana crops last year?)
Miley
Mylee
Mylie
Olive - (First appearance since 1950. Exposure of this came from Little Miss Sunshine as well as the new daughter of Isla Fisher and Sacha Baren Cohen. I sorta dig it. It's a fresher turn on the highly popular Olivia.)
Shiloh
Shirley - (2006 was the only year since 1880 that this name was absent from the list.)
Sky - (Another good stripper name. Makes me think of Marlon Brando in "Guys and Dolls")
Yamilet - (Apparently it means "Beautiful" in Swahili. But to me, it just looks like Hamlet with a Y and an additional syllable.)
Zaniya - (Apparently means "Healthy" in Lakota)
Zaniyah - (Where did these two come from?)

Boys:
Adin - (Aidan, Aiden, Aydin, Ayden, and now this. Just what we needed.)
Amarion - (Because Omarion wasn't creative enough.)
Amos - (Back after a 4-year absence! Yay!)
Bentley - (Naming your kid after a car is not going to make him more likely to drive said car. Unless you want him to be an ironically named chauffeur.)
Dax - (First appearance since 1978. Scarily might have something to do with this guy. *shudder*)
Daxton - (Because Dax wasn't unusual enough? How did MULTIPLE PEOPLE think this was a good idea?)
Dereon - (Why are people naming their sons after Beyoncé's women's clothing line???)
Dimitri - (Variant of the Russian name Dmitriy.)
Eliezer - (Oooh! A great Old Testament name. Happy to see it!)
Eliseo - (Totally legit. The Italian/Spanish form of Elisha.)
Elvin - (Means "elf friend". No, I did not just make that up. Interesting choice.)
Emery - (Not wild about this name, but I'm glad to see it on the boys list again. It's been absent since 1982, and is now #962. Distressingly, it's #571 for girls.)
Fletcher - (Back after a 3-year absence, following the trends of "surnames" and "olde English occupations". A fletcher was an "arrow maker".)
Fisher - (Back after a year. Ditto on the surname/occupation trendiness.)
Immanuel - (Maybe these parents just really like Kant?)
Isaak - (The German/Russian spelling of Isaac.)
Jagger - (Back after a 2-year absence. I bet you can imagine what celebrity inspired this one.)
Jaidyn - (GAH!!! It was painful enough to watch Jayden make a MASSIVE leap this year. Did Jaidyn really have to appear as well?)
Jaren - (This is what happens when you put Jared and Darren in a blender.)
Jarvis - (Apparently a derivative of Gervaise. I find it unattractive.)
Jax - (As in "Beakman and Jax"? Dude, Jax was the chick.)
Jaydan - (I think you know I'm upset.)
Jayvion - (I'm stumped.)
Jayvon - (Ditto)
Kelan - (No idea.)
Kellan - (I went to school with a Kellan, so this actually doesn't bother me as much as it probably should. Might have something to do with this guy, but I doubt it.)
Kelton - (Oh, wait, I have an idea. Are these three just so that people can use the nickname Kel without resorting to Kelly? Like this guy?)
Killian - (They really want to emphasize the "kill" in Cillian. Probably legit, but I don't understand why it's desirable.)
Kingston - (Blame Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale for naming their son after the capital of Jamaica.)
Lyric - (Another confusing one. It's been on the girls list since 1995. Usually, boys names are stolen by girls, not the other way around. I'm actually going to applaud the wretched name as being a sign of the women's movement instead of weeping at how terrible it is.)
Madden - (Despite the "Mad" part, men convinced their wives to name boys after this guy. Or maybe after his video games, which is even more disturbing.)
Mariano - (Yay hooray! Back after a year.)
Nery - (This one is all this guy.)
Nikolai - (This is Nikolai's first appearance on the chart. I bet it had nothing to do with Gogol, but I don't know where else it would've come from.)
Raiden - (Follows the "ends in -ayden" trend. Makes me think of Raid. And also like it's a verb. "We were just raidin' the pantry for snacks.")
Rayan - (Really? People didn't recognize how much it looks like rayon?)
Reilly - (Originally entered the charts in 1996, and is now back after a year. Probably falling off in popularity because Riley is #52 for girls. Barf me.)
Rishi - (Maybe in the news because this actor received a few Lifetime Achievement Awards this past year?)
Ronin - (Really?)
Slade - (Aside from sounding like a cross between "slash" and "blade" -- two things that every child should live up to -- also a British glam rock band. Do your research, people.)
Tegan - (Another instance of a girl name showing up on the boy list. Go figure. It's a Welsh female name, meaning "fair")
Turner - (Another surname. I'm guessing that the dictionary would list it as "one who turns". Back after a two year absence.)
Vince - (Back after a 15-year absence. *sigh*. Give your kid a full name, so that they have options. Vincent. Vincente. Vincenzo. There are better choices here.)
Yael - (ANOTHER girl name? This is an Old Testament name of a woman who killed the captain of the Canaanite army. And ten bucks says they're mispronouncing it as "Yale")
Yurem - (Might have something to do with this kid?)



The other two huge jumpers of the year were Jayden and Addison.

Jayden follows the current "ends in -ayden" trend for boys. Someone else on a naming board I frequent posted the following compilation:

"There are now 7 different ayden names in the top 1000, 41 including spelling variants.

Jayden 26148 total(10 spellings) This puts it ahead of Jacob.
Aidan 29371 total(10 spellings) This puts it way ahead of Jacob.
Brayden 12748(7 spellings)
Hayden 6657(3 spellings)
Caden 17755(9 spellings)
Zayden(at 588 ) 426
Raiden(at 923) 210

80,567 total"

That makes my soul hurt. Well, not Aidan. Or even Aiden. But Zayden, Brayden, and Raiden... GAH!

As for Addison, it's been on a steady incline over the last several years, particularly lately with the exposure through Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. In fact, a friend of mine just named her daughter Addison last week.

2006: Addison #28 (7,599 girls)
2007: Addison #11 (11,823 girls)

So even though a 17-place rise doesn't look massive on paper, by number of births it's a 55.6% increase. In one year. Holy cats!

And it's worth noting that Addisyn, Addyson, Adison, and Adyson are also on the chart.

ETA: I can't believe I forgot to mention my biggest pet peeve about Addison... There's a disease with this name. It's not far off from naming your kid Parkinson. Almost makes the fact that it's a surname meaning "son of Adam" not matter.

I was excited to see Madison bumped down from the top 3 for the first time since 1999. It fell to number 5 as the result of the rising of two lovely names: Ava (now #4) and Isabella (now #2). I'm always happy to see nice names at the top.

Madison is a particular foe of mine much in the same way that Nevaeh is. You see, Madison entered the charts in 1985, the year after the movie Splash came out. In the movie, the female lead (played by Daryl Hannah) is a mermaid who starts living amongst people. After walking down Madison Avenue, she decides that her English name should be Madison (as humans cannot pronounce her Mermish name). Tom Hanks' character announces that it is "not a name!", but she insists. So parents decided that it would be a "unique" name for their daughters. And it has been taking over ever since.

People seem to ignore the fact that it means "son of Maud". And the fact that it is "not a name". Nope. Now it's sparkly. They nickname their daughters "Maddie", and they think it's cute. It has been a top 10 name since 1997, and most people who use it now have probably never even seen Splash.

Ah, well.

Part of me is glad that lovely names like Bernadette (off since 1983) and Linus (off since 1940) have still evaded notice. Maybe that means that if I ever have children, they won't be too popular to use. *crosses fingers*

If you're interested in finding names that ARE NOT in the top 1000, I started making a list a couple of years ago when I was in my name-obsessed phase (back when I was writing a book on names). I haven't updated it in far too long, so it doesn't reflect the things that have entered and exited the charts the last couple of years. Maybe I'll get around to it at some point. In any case, it's a good place to start.

Go here for the list, and marvel at all the work I put into it.

That's all for me right now. If I think too much more about names, I'll get depressed.


May you be wise enough to put some thought into all the naming that you do.

~A~