Posted on 12/11/2006 8:08:37 AM PST by Republican Red
BabyNames.com Announces Top Names of 2006
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the popular website BabyNames.com, Ava and Aidan were the top names for 2006. For the first time in five years, Madison slipped from the number one girl's name to number four. On the boys' side, rhyming names Aiden, Caden, Braden and Jaden continue to dominate the charts.
The BabyNames.com Top Names List is calculated from the favorite name lists of over a million site members for the year 2006.
"Celebrity culture always has an influence on naming trends," says Jennifer Moss, founder and CEO of BabyNames.com, "but it seems like it has increased in recent years."
Moss says the name Ava started becoming popular after celebrity couple Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe chose the name for their daughter in 1999. Other celeb parents who chose the name Ava include X-Man Hugh Jackman and TV star Heather Locklear.
But if you think the Federlines were the first celeb couple to go with the name Jayden, you are mistaken. Jaden (and its various spellings) first started appearing on BabyNames.com lists after Will Smith and Jada Pinkett chose the name for their son back in 1998.
"It usually takes 3-4 years for a new name to make it from the celebrities to the masses," says Moss, "and that's only if the names are not too wild!"
So although Pilot Inspektor and Fifi Trixibelle will probably not be topping the charts anytime soon, keep an eye out for Suri [Cruise] and Shiloh [Jolie-Pitt] to appear in the forthcoming years.
THE BABYNAMES.COM MOST POPULAR NAMES for 2006
GIRLS
I think that's rather sick. Or "intimate", if you will. The kid doesn't need to know that embarrassing thing hangs over his head. And when he asks where his NAME came from, it'll be just as bad as where HE came from.
My daughter is a Katie too. The new Kathryn is now "Caitlyn". I think it is a Gaelic version. We have encountered countless Caitlyns over the years.
Another think that irked me about this survey is the idea that people name kids after hollywood celebrities. My Ricky and Katie were names after family members to honor their memory. Guess I should have gone with Erica and Brock to honor my old soap opera instead.
The few OTISes I've known were closer to post #60. White, fat and round and stinky.
This child has no genetic or cultural association with Southeast Asia, or even Asia in general.
"Mind if we dance with your dates?"
My grandmother's name was Wilmer Beatrice.
In the south that's "bee-AT-tris"
She was known as "Billie"
God rest her soul. But what a terrible name!
That's because, nowadays, it's spelled "Mykal".
Only if Mrs. Claus got Santa a GPS system last year. :)
Okay... that would be bad, then.
...and no Snardius...[sigh]
I think you might be surprised how many people are stuck on (stupid) Hollyweirdos.
My mother named me after a Nobel-winning book she read (name of heroine). Right at that time, a Lawrence Welk member had a baby and named her the same kind of thing. Not alot of exactly my spelling, but the more common spelling is more prevalant than it ever was before I was born. Mom was dismayed at how many of the similar cropped up.
At least there is no "Apple" or "Pear" on the list. Kids can be very cruel to those with truly weird names. I recall reading about a notable woman whose name was Ima Hogg (named after a relative). Apparently she was well liked and didn't suffer from teasing, at least not much.
My grandmother's was pretty terrible as well - Doris Bernice.
I should say, it also happened to my mom with my sister. My sister is simply named after Mom, but at that time a certain doll appeared on the market that went sky high, and more of the name turned up. Never mind my mom was just irked that the "pet name" version meant her daughter would be tied in with same doll. And as it turned out, she really DID represent the beautiful, blonde thin fashionable girl too well.
"Again no Millee. "
I didn't see Exile on that list either.
I love the name John! :) Good choice on your parents' part. I have Susan personally, which is nice and recognizable, but not overly common. It's grown on me over the years.
So, I assume that your sister's name isn't "Cabbage Patch"?
It's a variation on Eva.
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