Photo Courtesy of www.thehungergamesmovie.com
According to baby-naming website Nameberry, the most popular names for America’s children this year are heavily influenced by pop culture. Based on nearly 3 million pageviews of individual name pages on the site during the first quarter of 2012, the top inflencers came from TV shows, books/movies and the music industry. Here are some of the hottest picks so far:
- Grayson – This top boys name takes a nod from ABC’s recent hit, Revenge. Interestingly, Grayson is the surname of a scheming, well-to-do (albeit, attractive) family from the Hamptons, but parents everywhere are snatching up this unique name for their little boys.
- Rue and Cato – Though The Hunger Games has proved responsible for several popular new names including Katniss, Primrose, Posy and Clove this year, the two most popular names from this book-turned-movie phenomenon are Rue, a tentative yet resourceful young girl, and Cato, a burly, hot-headed alpha-male and natural-born leader.
- Emmett – Even with the recent dominance of The Hunger Games, Twilight-influenced Emmett continues to top the charts as one of the most popular boys names. Emmett is closely followed by other “-ett” girls-turned-boys names, for example, Beckett, created from Becca or Everett, borrowed from Eva.
- Ivy – Blue Ivy Carter’s parents Beyonce and Jay-Z take responsibility for this unique name, which is popping up everywhere and shows no signs of slowing.
- Adele – Another nod to the music industry, this endearing vocalist is lending her name to thousands of little girls across America.
- Cyrus – This boys name has been climbing the ranks on Nameberry, possibly inspired by pop star Miley Cyrus.
- Weston, Wesley and West – The Office leading lady Jenna Fischer pioneered this trend after recently naming her baby boy Weston.
- Aria – Many attribute the jump in popularity of this old-fashioned girls name to the independent tomboy named Arya on HBO’s medieval fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
What do you think about these names? Which do you love? Which do you loathe? Are there other pop-culture or celebrity-inspired names you’ve heard lately that didn’t make the list? Let us know!