Baby Name Predictions for 2011
Baby Names for 2011
Are you due to give birth in 2011? Need some baby name ideas? If so, you might want to investigate the latest in baby name trends before you name your newest arrival.
According to Nameberry, baby names in 2011 will be more optimistic, reflecting an economy on the upswing (we hope!). So what names will we be hearing around the playground in the coming years? And which names are fading in popularity?
“Twilight”-inspired baby names, which topped the list in 2009, might be losing their lustre. According to Nameberry:
Names from this franchise have been red hot since the Stephanie Meyer books and movies appeared, but parents are beginning to say “Hey, I don’t want people to think I named my kid after a vampire.” So Bella, Edward, Cullen, Emmett, Jasper, Esmé and Felix, hot over the past few years, may be approaching a downturn.
Meanwhile, names inspired by the planets and the heavens will gain in popularity — for instance, Mars, Luna, Jupiter, Orion and Seraphina.
Names that start with “O” such as Oliver and Olivia continue to be popular. Watch out for Oscar, Owen, Orson, Otto, Orlando, and Milo for boys; Olive, Olympia, Octavia, and Ophelia for girls.
Also on the upswing are names starting with “Ha” such as Hayden, Harry, Hazel, Harrison, Harper, Hadley, Hank, Haven, Hal, Hart, Harriet, Hattie, Hale, Harley, Hartley and Harlow.
“R” names are also trendy (certainly, Ruby, my 5-year-old’s name is). Look out for Rufus, Rupert, Ray, Rosamund, Raphael (Rafi), Roman, Romy, Romilly, Remy, Rory, Reed, Rhys, Rowan, Ronan, Reeve, Ripley, Roscoe, Reuben, and Ruby.
Speaking of “R” names, Rory is a prime example of a truly androgynous name which can be used evenly for a boy or a girl (Jesse, my 8-year-old daughter’s name, is another one as well as Harley and Harper). Expect more of these gender-neutral names including Paxton, Peyton, Sawyer and Sasha.
While in the past, parents of boys would avoid a gender-neutral name once it became too popular with girls, Nameberry predicts that will no longer be the case.
Flower names such as Lily, Rose, Daisy and Violet will be joined by newcomers such as Dahlia, Poppy, Lotus, Lilac, Acacia, Marigold and Camellia.
Finally, you can expect more “geezer” names to make a comeback — like Stanley, Harvey, Ernest and Walter. What about “geezer” girls’ names like Mildred?
One baby name trend I can do without — parents are apparently giving their children “dog” names such as Buster or Buddy. That’s okay for a childhood nickname, but Buddy might not work so well past elementary school.
What baby name trends do you predict for 2011?
MORE FROM STROLLERDERBY
Bed Bug Registry: Essential for Holiday Travel?
Is Attachment Parenting a Prison for Mothers?
10 Best Parents in Children’s Literature
4-Year-Old Kicked Out of Pre-K Over Long Hair
What to Do When You Hate Your Friend’s Kids?
Most Popular Boy’s Name in Britain: Mohammed?
[...] I apparently am unknowingly swayed by something in pop culture because I consistently love the names that are at the top of the list each year. And then I get disappointed that I’m apparently not very creative. Sigh. Amplify’d from blogs.babble.com [...]
Please don’t tell me Oliver is becoming popular…that was my first choice for my next baby
My father has been Buddy his entire life, (real name is Edward) and while strangers find it odd, it just works. I wonder if we can thank the Cake Boss for its popularity…
Yesterday I had my twins at Gymboree. There were about 8 kid, maybe 10 there. 3 of them were named Ethan.