2011 Baby Names Almanac - Emily Larson [5]
Gunner
69
Waylon
67
Judah
66
Beckett
66
Ryker
65
Maximiliano
64
Jaxson
64
Everett
62
Jameson
60
Ryder
59
Leland
59
Leon
58
Name
Number of Spots It Moved Up
Silas
56
Abram
56
Weston
54
Romeo
54
Bennett
53
Byron
50
Warren
49
Easton
48
August
45
Emiliano
44
Terrance
43
Jaylin
43
40 Boys’ Names Cooling Down
Name
Number of Spots It Moved Down
Alvin
133
Marc
106
Jonas
105
Isiah
91
Brett
80
Terry
77
Brodie
69
Dorian
69
Name
Number of Spots It Moved Down
Kane
66
Jermaine
65
Quinton
65
Shaun
65
Roy
63
Franklin
62
Chad
56
Payton
54
Name
Number of Spots It Moved Down
Jerry
52
Ricky
51
Triston
51
Ernesto
50
Javon
48
Alberto
47
Rodrigo
47
Nickolas
46
Damon
45
Issac
45
Jalen
45
Marvin
44
Name
Number of Spots It Moved Down
Lance
43
Taylor
42
Cory
41
Douglas
41
Joe
41
Morgan
41
Clayton
39
Maurice
38
Alfredo
36
Philip
36
Dayton
35
Jadon
35
What’s Hot (or Not) Today (And What Will–and Won’t!–Be Tomorrow)
Now that we’ve seen the state of baby names today, let’s take a look at a snapshot of some interesting trends we’ve spotted, as well as some predictions as to what might play out on the playground sometime soon.
You’ll notice that within some fads, certain names are on the rise, and certain names are on the decline, showing how trends are morphing over time (how Mary is fading as a popular religious name, for instance, but Nevaeh is skyrocketing.) We’ve also included some offbeat and unique ways to take each of these trends and find a name that really fits you and your family.
Trends Today
THE RISE OF SULLIVAN
The name Sully was on the lips of many in 2009, starting in January and ending with a bang in December.
On January 15, 2009, US Airways pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger became a hero and a part of history by guiding the completely disabled jet he was flying to a safe landing in the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew members escaped the jet safely, and Sully was credited with saving those lives.
In December of the same year, the movie Avatar debuted and broke all existing box office records. The main character’s name was already very popular (Jake), but his last name was…Sully! Another hero and another source of inspiration for baby names!
Now, not everyone wants to name their kid Sully, of course (in fact, it isn’t even on the top 1,000 list), but Sullivan debuted on the list for the first time in 2002 at 991, and it’s moved steadily, and sharply, upward ever since. Check out this brief history of a name poised to break out:
SULLY
Year
Rank
2002
991
2003
955
2004
952
2005
927
2006
927
2007
732
2008
705
2009
652
NEW SUPERSTARS INSPIRING NAMES
An unexpected young superstar was launched in 2009—and for once, this one didn’t come from the Disney machine. Justin Bieber, a Canadian teenager, started out by teaching himself to play many instruments, including the guitar and piano. His mom, seeing his great potential, uploaded some videos of his performances to YouTube, and before his sixteenth birthday, he became a major star. The name Justin has been on a downward slide since the beginning of the twenty-first century (from 19 down to 46), but we believe Bieber’s popularity will result in a renewed interest in the name.
Another young star is poised to inspire lots of newborns’ names in 2011—look out for the rise of Kesha. The singer, a Nashville native, has quickly established herself on the music scene after her first album debuted on the charts in 2010 at number 1. Expect to see her name debut on the 2010 top 1,000 as well! Kesha is a variation of Keisha, which was quite popular in the 1980s, ranking at 332 in 1986 but then dropping off the chart in 1999. There are many other popular variations of the name, such as Keysha, Kesia, Keshia (last ranked at 813 in 1991),