Baby Names Blog

Well, when it comes to names, at least.  Nancy uncovered an Economist article from 4 years ago, which looks into the frequency of novel baby names in the US.

Dr. Alexander Bentley, along with his team at University College, London, were investigating the mathematics of cultural transmission.

For every 10,000 baby girls born, 2.3 of them are given completely novel names

For every 10,000 baby boys born, 1.6 of them are given completely novel names

It’s understandable - I think males are traditionally seen as those who continue the family name, and hence may take a more traditional first name.  For girls, it’s also more acceptable to create a “pretty-sounding” name that has little or no etymological foundation.

Jamie Lynn, sister of pop superstar Britney Spears, has named her newborn baby girl Maddie Briann.

The 17-year-old has made a good choice, don’t you think?

Jessica Alba gave birth to her baby girl over the weekend, and has named her Honor Marie.

Following the release of the top baby name data by the SSA this weekend, a strange trend has emerged - the popularity of names that rhyme with the word ‘maiden’, especially for boys.

Here is a list of boys names from the top 1,000 that follow this trend:

• Jayden
• Aiden
• Aidan
• Jaden
• Caden
• Kaden
• Ayden
• Braden
• Cayden
• Jaiden
• Kaiden
• Aden
• Caiden
• Braeden
• Braydon
• Jaydon
• Jadon
• Braiden
• Zayden
• Jaeden
• Aydan
• Bradyn
• Kadin
• Jadyn
• Kaeden
• Jaydin
• Braedon
• Aidyn
• Haiden
• Jaidyn
• Kadyn
• Jaydan
• Raiden
• Adin

The girls didn’t jump on this bandwagon quite as much:

• Jayden
• Jadyn
• Jaden
• Jaiden
• Kayden
• Jaidyn

The SSA says there will be no move to standardise the spelling of these names.  Can anybody shed some light on this bizarre trend?

The SSA, along with the most popular baby names of 2007 (in the US, that is), has released a list of the top twin name pairings.  This list is useful for those expecting twins, and trying to find a pair of names that suit one another.

1. Jacob, Joshua
2. Matthew, Michael
3. Daniel, David
4. Isaac, Isaiah
5. Ella, Emma
6. Madison, Morgan
7. Taylor, Tyler
8. Landon, Logan
9. Brandon, Bryan
10. Christian, Christopher

As you will have noticed, alliteration is the main theme, with every pairing in the top ten utilising the same first letter.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) this weekend released the information about America’s baby name choices in 2007.

Top US Boys Names 2007

1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Ethan
4. Joshua
5. Daniel
6. Christopher
7. Anthony
8. William
9. Matthew
10. Andrew

Top US Girls Names 2007

1. Emily
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Ava
5. Madison
6. Sophia
7. Olivia
8. Abigail
9. Hannah
10. Elizabeth

Emily and Jacob have topped the list since 1996 and 1999 respectively.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are planning an unusual name for their unborn baby, in an attempt to stay inkeeping with their first child, Kingston.

“There are some names floating around the house. We don’t want anything too crazy, but compared to a name like Kingston, there’s so much pressure on the poor guy or poor girl. Kingston set a pretty intense standard”

Source

Actress Cate Blanchett and playwright husband Andrew Upton yesterday welcomed the arrival of Ignatius Martin, their third son, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Blanchett and Upton already have two sons, Dashiell, 6, and Roman, 3.

The acclaimed actress is set to star in the upcoming fourth film in the Indiana Jones franchise opening soon.

The name Ignatius, originally from the Roman family name ‘Egnatius’ and later modified to closer resemble ‘ignis’, meaning ‘fire’ in Latin, was borne by several saints, including Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

We send our best wishes to all five of the family!

England cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff and wife Rachael today announced the birth of their third child - a boy named Rocky.

Weighing in at 8lb 9oz, Rocky Flintoff can’t thank boxing legend Balboa for his name - the couple settled on the Rocky simply “because they liked it.” Still, I’m sure Freddie wouldn’t object to his son becoming a similarly heroic sportsman.

Freddie, aged 30, already has his the names of his wife and first two children, Holly and Corey, tattooed on his back - Rocky is set to join them shortly.

“Andrew is busy training and Rachael starts working on her new project, a fitness programme which advocates a sensible and simple approach to healthy eating and getting back into shape while juggling the many demands of family life.”

Congratulations to Freddie and Rachael on their new born Rocky! Let’s ask our readers - what do you think of the name? Is it too well associated with the movie?  And what about the Rock + Flint geological connection?

The United States government today unveiled plans to restrict budding parents to a selection of just 1,000 names for their new arrival - 500 boys names and 500 girls.

The scheme mirrors that put forward in Venezuela (nytimes.com) in 2007, where a spate of wacky baby names provoked a government intervention.

A list of the 1,000 allowable names can be found on the Social Security Administration website. Unbelievably, staple names like Lee, Duncan and Ann will be outlawed when the Act comes into force early 2009.

The move comes after the celebrity baby naming culture has gone bizerk, inspiring hundreds of parents across the US to name their children with awful monikers. Only recently, Hollywood actress Halle Berry named her newborn daughter Nahla Ariela Aubry. Berry will thank her good timing, as all these names will be rejected at birth registration offices.

Bloggers have reacted fiercely, calling the move unconstitutional. SSA representatives refused to comment on this allegation.