The Baby Name Wizard

Those choices are way different from my list, but I never expected to win anyway! As for the Emily/Emma comment, neither of those names were on my falling list, but I chose Jacob as a falling star for the same reason Laura intuited. It's been on top for so long that I feel like it's time for something else to elbow it out of the number 1 slot.

Also, I can't believe I missed Britney for a falling star. Duh squared.

I'm curious about the Max vote as well. Anecdotally, it makes sense to me because I have heard of a lot of Max babies born recently (including J-Lo, right?). I don't understand, though, why parents are choosing the name ranked #1 (I think) for a dog. Not a big deal & it is a great name, but not one I plan to "steal" from anyone!

Well I didn't vote officially. I had many choices and couldn't decide. I don't have any past experience in voting since I am new to the boards over the past few months. So anyway, here are my thoughts for all the world to see just so we can compare when the names get released. Who knows-maybe I will have some right.

Risers=Rowan; Ari; Holden; Celeste; Aubree; Adeline
These have been on the radar on these boards for the last few months. So if fellow posters are any indication of the general population then these should be going up!
Fallers:Crystal;Ariel;Monica
I know these aren't popular right now but I think they will fall even more!

As the mother of an 11 month old Max, I'm neither psyched or surprised about it being the #1 dog name. I'm more bummed about the flurry of celebrity Maxs recently - i.e. JLo and Christina Aguilera. Between those and the prominence of Max on the list here, I'm just hoping Max doesn't become the new "Matt"! (Anyway, keep up the good work Wizard! I can't wait to buy the updated edition!)

I had a couple of the risers and fallers on my list, but it wasn't really right on with the rest of the list Laura posted. I am most shocked to see Miley on the list of risers. Perhaps it is my own hatred of the machine that Disney has made out of this little girl (Ms. Cyrus). I was least suprised to see Max on the rising list. Even in my hipster circles this name has been very popular (usually with a given Maximus or Maxwell). Not only is it rising in the general population, but star power (as mentioned above) is really igniting this stagnant name.

Zoerhenne:

I certainly agree with you that I've been seeing all your risers on naming boards. However, I sometimes hesitate to consider that the majority of naming trends. I think most of us out here in naming land are looking for unique names that are still stylish and fresh for the little ones. I loved all the names on your rising list...I just don't know if they will be huge risers this year.

huh. I've loved Max for years but thought it was rising already so hadn't considered it for DS-in-utero. I hadn't realized it was stable! Yes, its a dog name but so are Zoe and Chloe (at least among my friends) and there are plenty of little girls with those names.

Yesterday I looked at the children's names in Iris's preschool--there was a Callum, a Max, a Sebastian, a Colin, a Leopold, an Augustina and a host of other NE type names (as I associate them). There is only one Brayden. Apparently there are a bunch of NE there.

So I think I might have put Callum on my rising list, if I'd made one!

I don't think I picked any of those names *~* Oh, well.

What did everyone guess about Delilah's ranking? I guessed 425.

I didn't vote, but I agree with the assessment of these names. I know loads of boys named Max, and I could easily see Lila(h) taking off in my neighborhood. And although the girls who are most tapped into the Miley machine aren't having kids anytime soon, the name is present enough for adults to be aware of it too (even adults without kids currently).

Angela - Rihanna has actually broken the UK top 100, as of 2007! It's hovering around in the late 90s. Eek.

Miley definitely looks like a safe bet... unless it's too much associated with the one celebrity; that could stop it in its tracks, especially seeing as much has been made of her originating the name and now officially changing to it. Hmm, we shall see!

Likewise, I haven't checked this, but I would have thought that Britney had already began its descent years ago. Brittany and its variants surely peaked a good fifteen years ago, and the emergence of Miss Spears and her distinctive spelling in 1999 might have killed off Britney because it was so tied to her, even though at first she had a good public image.

^^
Actually, what am I blathering about! If there are people naming their children Rihanna, I guess anything goes! Or perhaps Rihanna is not quite as famous as the other two, maybe?

Amber M--I also guessed 425 for Delilah's 2007 ranking.

I'll be shocked if I get any of my choices right. My track record over the last two years has been dismal. I think that my exposure to different naming styles is just too limited for me to really have a clue what the country at large is doing.

I made my predictions and while some of them are on the BNW popular list and some aren't I tried to look at names that were a bit further down the list from years past. My rationale? Names in the top 10 or 20 don't move in giant leaps and bounds but names in the lower echelons of the list only need a small change in numbers to see huge movement up or down the list. I guess we will see how I did huh?

I voted right when Laura put the survey up and I don't even remember what I voted for anymore!
I definitely had Britney as a faller, I also had Lindsay as falling based on the shenanigans of Lindsay Lohan this year...
I may have had Miley as rising but I'm not sure.
I don't remember what I guessed for Delilah either! I'd better start writing these things down....

Wow, Max seemed fresh among my baby-having hipster friends about 5 years ago, and decidedly stale now. Maxwell, on the other hand, seems to be a new twist.

I'll vote for Miley, on the same theory that made Barack win last year. It's not that the name is immediately getting slapped onto hordes of kids, but it's distinctive enough that there will be a date-stamped peak somewhere along the line...

Interesting. My list was Adeline, Adelaide and Evelyn up. I thought about Addison, but it really shot up last year out of nowhere, and since this is done by percentages, I don't think it can go much higher. Same thing with Ava - it's been rising, and it is already #5. How much higher can it really go? Adeline seemed like a good choice for following Madeline up the charts, and Adelaide came out of nowhere last year but results in the popular nickname Addy, so it seemed a good candidate.

I think most Miley Cyrus fans aren't of childbearing age yet, if my 10yo cousin is any way to judge. I think that name will show up more in future years.

Lila is a good choice, but the only downside I see for a huge jump is all the Layla and Leila spelling options.

Max and Britney never really got that popular to begin with, so when you measure using percentages, I don't think there's going to be much change in either case.

Ashley started its precipitous fall a good 6-7 years ago, so while I agree that it is falling, I think it has already seen its biggest drop.

Emma is still going up, while Emily is on its way down, but I don't think there's going to be a huge change this year because they are so similar and also Amelia is still rising.

My down votes went to Madison, Olivia and Kaitlyn. Madison's time is just about over, but whether it will drop this year or next, I can't really guess. Kaitlyn has already started to fall gradually, but I'm seeing so many fewer requests for opinions on ALL of the Kay-names, that I think it's going to fall very soon. Olivia seems to be about done, too. That's the big one I think I might be wrong about.
I voted Madison

Interesting. My list was Adeline, Adelaide and Evelyn up. I thought about Addison, but it really shot up last year out of nowhere, and since this is done by percentages, I don't think it can go much higher. Same thing with Ava - it's been rising, and it is already #5. How much higher can it really go? Adeline seemed like a good choice for following Madeline up the charts, and Adelaide came out of nowhere last year but results in the popular nickname Addy, so it seemed a good candidate.

I think most Miley Cyrus fans aren't of childbearing age yet, if my 10yo cousin is any way to judge. I think that name will show up more in future years.

Lila is a good choice, but the only downside I see for a huge jump is all the Layla and Leila spelling options.

Max and Britney never really got that popular to begin with, so when you measure using percentages, I don't think there's going to be much change in either case.

Ashley started its precipitous fall a good 6-7 years ago, so while I agree that it is falling, I think it has already seen its biggest drop.

Emma is still going up, while Emily is on its way down, but I don't think there's going to be a huge change this year because they are so similar and also Amelia is still rising.

My down votes went to Madison, Olivia and Kaitlyn. Madison's time is just about over, but whether it will drop this year or next, I can't really guess. Kaitlyn has already started to fall gradually, but I'm seeing so many fewer requests for opinions on ALL of the Kay-names, that I think it's going to fall very soon. Olivia seems to be about done, too. That's the big one I think I might be wrong about.
I voted Madison

I actually think Miley will rise this year, not later when Miley Cyrus fans become of childbearing age... because people don't name their children AFTER celebrites (not many people are really that shallow, right?). But they do hear a name thrown around alot, in a glamorous context, and they think, why have I never thought of THAT name... it's so pretty? And they use it, but decidedly NOT because of the celebrity. They even tell people, "She's not named after Miley Cyrus, we just thought it was such a cute name!"

That was supposed to be "a lot." Not "alot." And looking back, sorry for all the CAPS.

I did a few google searches and I now agree with the Max voters. 3 celebrity couples chose it recently- J Lo & Marc, Trista & Ryan, Christina & Jordan. Not sure the exact birth dates, but I decided to look into the "lag time" between when a celebrity baby name is announced and when it catches on with the public. I was interested that Violet Affleck was born in the fall, but I think still contributed to the huge jump for that name the same year. Same is true for Ava (Reese's daughter) and Ava (Heather Locklear's daughter).

Ok... update... so J Lo's Max was born in 2008. She and Marc are the biggest celebrities of the three couples mentioned, with the added bonus of their widespread popularity with our ever-growing Hispanic population in the US. So I think Max will rise much more in 2008 as it gains cross-cultural appeal.

I got distracted trying to think of names that would break the top 1,000 this year... then I got distracted by pretty girl name "foreign imports". So I chose Aislyn, Isla & Matilda.... but I'm not at all sure about any of them.

I am really surprised that Henry didn't make the list. Baby Henrys seem to be everywhere right now, just like Max. I would also have said Finn was a riser.

I find it interesting that girls names were tipped to rise or fall as compared to boys names. I know the top 10 boys names are pretty static compared to girls but I would have thought the Hayden/Jayden/Braden/Aiden trend might have played out now. Surely Aiden must decline at some stage.

i didn't fill out a ballot, but if had i would have put henry on there; seems like every time i turn around i hear a mom calling on her little henry.

what other name boards do people read? i haven't been able to find any decent ones.

I know a Miley that was born this week!!! Actually, it is spelled "Mylee." Does that still count?

I thought Henry and Liam would've made the list. Mason too.
For girls, I'd say Amelia, Ruby, Miley, Matilda...

Did anyone venture to vote on a rising name that is not yet in the top 1000? I put a bet on Ellery showing up in the top 1000 for girls.

If I had to guess an name that might break into the top 1,000 names in the next few years, I would say Lois. It sounds similar to Iris, and "L" is a trendy first letter. Plus, it never really fell totally out of view because of Lois Lane. Additionally, it is actually a Biblical name, which might make it more appealing to some parents.

I've a question for the readers of this blog... Would it be weird, nowadays, to name a boy John and call him Jack? Or would that confuse people? Is it still pretty well accepted that Jack is a nickname for John, or do you think most people feel that Jack is either its own name or a nickname for Jackson?

I think that John, nn Jack is still pretty accepted. I know one who is in Kindergarten this year and I don't think that he has encountered any confusion. i think most people don't know how Jack got started as a nn for John, but they are aware of it. Maybe because of the fame of John/Jack Kennedy.

Kristine, I would ditto what C and C's Mom said. Although, "Jack" is now often given as an independent name, TRENDILY, most people still know it is a nickname for "John" CLASSICALLY. To me, "John" is a lustrous, handsome, trend-proof name, like "Peter" and a few other stalwarts.

None of the rising or falling names Ms. W. mentions appeal to me in the least. I can never guess what will be the next "new" name, given that so much of current pop culture interests me almost not at all.... Not that I don't sneak a read at "People" or "US" magazine whenever the spirit moves!

There was some show on triplets and twins yesterday, and three little boys were furiously finger-painting. These hapless triplets had been dubbed "Parker", "Peyton" and "Preston"! Funny-- I love surname names when they have personal meaning for the people giving them, but naming three brothers three generic, increasingly used surnames, all with the same initial letter, does grate...

Which makes me wonder, if you had triplets to name, what would you name them? My guess is that most people on this blog would choose harmonious-but-distinct-from- one-another names. Anyone?

If _I_ had triplet boys to name tomorrow they would be William, George and Charles. No doubt. Girls might be Catherine, Vivian and ???. Louise? Did I pass? :)

Eo: If I had 3 girls, they would be Margaret, Dorothy, and Vivian (or Florence, depending on the day)

3 boys would be Frederick, Theodore, and Peter.

If I were having triplets, I think that I would be in such a panic that names might be the last thing on my mind. It's hard enough to come up with a name for one baby at a time (in fact, I'm expecting baby #3 at the end of July and we haven't had any substantial conversations about names yet!) :)

Goodness, my DH and I are having such a hard time finding one name for our daughter (ETA early August), if we had to find 3 names there wold be total panic in our household!

I suggested Eloise a couple of threads ago, which seemed to divide people. I like it because it is slightly unusual, has some easy nn (Ella, Lou), it isn't in itself very popular but it is recognisable at the same time, and because I enjoyed reading the letters of Heloise and Abelard (I found her intelligent, kind and funny). Also my DH has agreed that he doesn't hate it. Most people against the name had an old lady association or a story book association.

Well, I'm on the Ava and Miley bandwagon (though I'm beginning to think I should have voted Mylee, as that's the spelling I've seen most often in recent months). The third riser was possibly Lila. Or Lilah, Layla, Leila, and I cannot for the life of me remember. Oh well!

For fallers I know I picked Talan, one of the fast risers from last year, because it seemed so tied to minor pop culture of 2007, but I'm actually seeing a lot of that one (in various respellings), so that was probably wishful thinking.

As for triplets, I don't know- Jane, Margot and Edith? Ingrid? Frances? Ellen?

Eo,

Jonathan, Nicholas, Benjamin

Elizabeth, Caroline, Jerusha

UK Telegraph announcement triplets, 2006 & 2007:

Harry, Oliver, Jasper

Imogen, Olivia, Annabel

Chloe, Bernard, Allegra

Fantasy triplets...

Gabriel, Jacob and Malachi
Verity, Mira and Anna

Scrub my female triplets, they need some more thought. I'm going to sleep on it!

I have a five year old Max (Maximilian, actually) so I'm guilty, I guess. For one of the earlier commentators, I would point out that this pet name list received a lot of press lately, but I can't say that most parents think to check into pet names before choosing a baby name.

My husband and I actually had a different name chosen for our son, but when we saw him, we just thought "Max." I do often run into other Maxes so I'm not surprised that it is popular. I have three children, and he was the only one with a name I didn't check on the SS list (because we didn't have it in mind), and the only child that I've run into other children with his name. So my other two are not so popular choices.

My theory on the Max dog popularity is that it is a result of all of us who grew up watching The Grinch That Stole Christmas. To pull from another Laura article, I think Max has a very likeable-guy sound to it, and that is why people are choosing it.

Just some thoughts from a mother of a Max. :)

Fantasy Triplets:

Boys: Simon, Jasper, Charles
Girls: Josephine, Eloise, Georgiana

wow, I really like the "j" sound. Didn't realize quite how much until doing this.

Wow, I don't think put any of those on my list. I thought about Max, but all the Max's born to the hollywood "A-Listers" were born in early '08, so I figured it would have it's surge later this year. I agree with the comment about trendy parents thinking it is a stale choice, so that would take it out of having a huge surge. And ditto to Miley. Most people who like the name Miley aren't really at the age they are having kids. Who knows.

I put Colton, partly because of the surge of Colt's in college football this year: Colt Brennan, Colt McCoy and Colt David. 2 were part of perennial powers from the South and 1 was the Hawaii quarterback who got lots of face time due to his Heisman run and the teams quest for 12-0. It almost seemed the quintessential Quarterback name this year...popular with Dad's who want a little athlete ala Brady in the late 90's early 00's.

I came really close to putting Pamela, due to the connection with The Office on TV. That character is cute and makes the name seem younger, so trendy parents might think of it as an offbeat choice that would conjur up a connotation other than that of an older sister or aunt. I wish I could remember what else I put. Oh well! Can't wait to see what the results truly are.

Fantasy Triplets:
girls: Elizabeth, Katherine and Margaret (Ella, Kate & Meg)
boys: Nicholas, Ryan and Charles (Nick, Ryan and Charlie)

My imaginary triplets:
Rosalind, Beatrice, Adelaide
Augustus, Theodore, Frederick (Catherine - I was interested to see that 2 of our 3 boy names overlap.)

Alexis - Eloise was one of my favorite potential baby names for awhile, but I gave up on it after my partner vetoed it.

Imaginary triplets:

Alice, Nora, and Violet

Edward, William, and James

I can't even name the one boy on the way. Triplets scare me.

I really like AK's list though (love the Ned opportunity and Nora!). and whoever's list had Gabriel. but of course, I love that name and curse its popularity!

Imaginary triplets (if I had to name them right now, without months of thought):
Liam, James and Oliver
Kate, Louise and Anna

my friend recently had triplets -- Alexander, Philip and Griffin.

if i had to name triplets, off the top of my head --
i would have a serious problem! i like names that are from a variety of style and i can't think of three of either gender that sound good together! twins would be much easier!
Harriet, Margaret and....
Chase, Burke and....
Frederick, Charles and...
Fiona, Ainsley and....
Tenley, Holland and...

The only name I had that Laura mentioned was Britney, but I took the spelling that had been in the top 10 in the '90's (Brittany), and thus had farther to fall.

Other names for fallers I had were Ann (I think it could fall completely out of the top 1000 this year) and Trinity (which had a huge jump after The Matrix came out and started on the decline last year).

For risers, I voted Eva makes a big leap in 2007. It's a name that's been climbing for years, but only had a modest gain in 2006. I also picked Evangeline, even though it had a huge rise in 2006, and a name that hasn't been in the top 1000 before and most likely won't be in the top 1000 in 2007 either.

I definitely picked Britney for a falling name and Addison as a rising name but I think those are the only ones that match the list. I didn't even think about Max as a possibility.

Triplets:
(f)--Paisley, Eleanor, and Virginia
(m)--Atticus, Gideon, and Sydney

I didn't vote. I wasn't sure since I have been out of pop culture lately.

Fantasy Triplets:

boys are easier for me-Isaac, Seth, Gideon

girls-Anneliese, Rosetta, Nesya

Fantasy triplets:

Phoebe, Aviva, Elsa
Elijah, Seth, Noah

...or a combination thereof for mixed triplets.

(Noah is my least favourite of all these so I might have to reconsider the boys...)