By Rebecca Levey
Nothing is more stressful for parents-to-be than choosing your new baby’s name. Everybody seems to have an opinion, and it can feel overwhelming once you start taking family and friends’ preferences into consideration. But, picking your baby’s
name is a very personal activity, and you should feel entitled not to share your decision making process and keep the name as a surprise. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun researching the some of the most popular names, and which ones
are on the rise.
Many names such as Sophia, Isabelle, Jake and Max have been ruling the top baby names lists for a few years now. But, there are some new names starting to creep up the lists, like Charlotte, thanks to the new British Princess, and Elsa after the
fiction Frozen princess. For boys, names with double “TT” endings like Wyatt and Rhett have been moving up the popularity lists.
According to Laura Wattenberg of babynamewizard.com, "It usually takes a generation (20-30 years) for “popular” names to make the leap from #500 on the popularity charts to the top 10. But even when a name feels overused today it’s usually
because it’s part of a trendy wave of similar sounding names – think Aiden, Brayden and Caden...In fact, a third of all American boys now get a name ending in -n! For a name that feels more distinctive, look for less common sounds
and rhythms."
There are websites where you can look up the meanings behind the names. Knowing the origin and meaning behind your baby’s name can help you choose interesting names that you may not know about from your ancestry and culture. You can also search
by first initial if you have special people in your life for whom you would like to name your baby.
Other places to find inspiration for names include favorite books - just ask all of those moms of Atticus out there – and TV shows and movies. Last year names such as Khaleesi, inspired from Game of Thrones, and Katniss and Primrose from The Hunger
Games started to appear on the charts.
Looking to get in on a trend that’s on the rise? According to Laura, the hottest letter coming up is V. Look for V names like Everly, Vivian, Maverick and Everett to keep moving up the charts.
Another big trend? Name lengths that are going to extremes. Parents are looking to make an impact with ultra-short names like Leo, Ivy and Kai and ultra-long names like Theodore, Valentina and Clementine.
Whether you choose a popular name that is trending across the country, or a more unique name that could be the future hot name of tomorrow, your baby will certainly have a personality all their own, and soon enough you won’t be able to imagine your baby
being called by any other name.
Image : Getty
