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Easton, Weston, Westin: These direction names are moving up.

Urijah, Alijah: New twists on the popular Elijah

Hidden Climbers

These names aren’t necessarily the biggest jumpers in popularity, and they don’t quite fit into some of the other trends we’ve discussed, but we wanted to bring them to your attention because over the last few years they have steadily climbed the charts. Look for them to gain even more ground in 2011.

Girls

Boys

Naomi

Bentley

Sherlyn

Nash

Myla

Bridger

Karma

Cannon

Olive

Atticus

Gracelyn

Ace

Giselle

Madden

Rowan

Gideon

Raelynn

Maverick

Skyla

Izayah

Karsyn

Johan

Remington

Cruz

Holden

Zander

Jadiel

Lucian

Predictions: The Coldest Baby Names

We think these names are over with a capital O. In some cases, they became really hot really fast, and now they’re oh-so-out-of-style. Others are surprisingly low in popularity considering their perceived “commonality.” Perhaps you might want to consider some of these options if you want your baby to stand out in a crowd? See if you agree.

BOYS

Brayden: Are the Bray- names (Brayden, Brayan, Braeden, Braydon, Braden, Braylen, Braylon) losing their luster? Ten spelling variations in the top 1,000 alone is a sure sign of oversaturation.

Jonas: Are the Bros losing some of their fans?

Marc, Isiah, Nickolas: Alternate spellings are sliding down the list as parents return to tradition.

Taylor: Taylor Swift’s superstardom has pushed this unisex name onto the girl side of the list.

GIRLS

The many forms of Kaitlyn. It’s been a good ride, Kaitlyn, but you may be on your way out. After more than 20 strong years, Kaitlyn is beginning to slip a bit in popularity. In order of common usage, the primary variants are Katelyn, Caitlyn, Caitlin, Kaitlin, and Kaitlynn—and the popularity of each has decreased in last three years.

Marely: This name fell the farthest in 2009.

Jaslene: America’s Next Top Model Jaslene Gonzalez broke onto the scene in 2007, and this name first appeared on the 2007 charts at 598, zooming to 396 in 2008, and falling to 670 in 2009 (still at least 330 places above where it had been for the last 20 years, out of the top 1,000).

Mylee: This alternate spelling of Miley is falling fast.

Bridget: The uber-popularity of Bridget Jones’s Diary has faded.

Julie: This sturdy name has given way to Juliet and Juliana.

Mining the NFL for Your Child’s Name

Stumped for a name? Look no further than the NFL’s quarterbacks. A growing number of parents are finding inspiration there. In particular, lots of moms and dads are choosing the fun name Colt, after Cleveland Browns’ QB Colt McCoy. Colt wasn’t even ranked in 2003, but it has rocketed up the list to 370 in the years since, and it’s risen in popularity 164 percent just between 2008 and 2009. Of course, many parents are choosing the longer name Colton (ranked 98 and 93 in 2008 and 2009, respectively) and still calling their young’uns Colt.

Just look at the following list of somewhat unusual names of current NFL quarterbacks. In most cases, the names are growing in popularity.

That Other Sport Called Football

The 2010 World Cup brought a month-long focus to the game of soccer, and the names of the world’s best may spark some World Cup babies whose names will hit the charts next year.

Worldly Names We Think Will Rise

Cristiano (Ronaldo), Portugal

Ronaldo (don’t be surprised to see Cristiano’s last name get a bump also!)

Lionel (Messi), Argentina

Rooney* (Wayne Rooney), England

Fernando (Torres), Spain

Franck (Ribery), France

Fabio (Cannavaro), Italy

Wesley (Sneijder), Netherlands

Arjen (Robben), Netherlands

Steven (Gerrard), England

Gianluigi (Buffon), Italy

Thierry (Henry), France

U.S. Names We Think Will Rise

Donovan (Landon Donovan)

Landon (Landon Donovan)

Clint (Dempsey)

Bradley (Michael Bradley)

Tim (Howard)

*An interesting note: England star Wayne Rooney’s son is named Kai—a name that has jumped nearly 200 places in popularity since 2000, up