Names Celtic Trends – What’s Hot and What’s Not
Naming Trends – What’s Hot and What’s Not
By Kathy Silver
It appears that the hottest naming trend today is towards individuality. We are opting for names that are less familiar and that give our children a feeling of distinction and uniqueness (as a matter of fact, since 1993 there have been close to 1000 girls actually named ‘Unique’ each year in North America.) In the 1950s, the top 10 names for both boys and girls made up a whopping 25 % of all names given to babies each year. In the 2000s, the top 10 boys and girls names account for only 10% of all names.
This means that we are choosing a wider variety of names and tending to avoid the old standards that were so popular in the past. So what, exactly, are the biggest naming trends today? Something Exotic: Our desire for individuality in a name has taken us to different parts of the world in search of a creative choice. Celtic names (Irish, Welsh, Gaelic, and Scottish) have been particularly popular in the past few years, bringing us boys names such as Liam, Dylan, Aidan, and girls names like Brynn, MacKenzie, and Kaitlin. However, Russian, Swahili, Hawaiian, and other exotic ethnic names are gaining popularity. How about Elan (Native American), Kia (African), Laela (Arabic), and Helena (Greek)? Old Fashioned is Fashionable: Traditional names from the 1800s are definitely back in fashion, especially for girls. Keep in mind, though, that some of these names are incredibly popular and found consistently on the top 10 list.
However, other names have been pulled from the less popular ranks and are starting to get new attention. These names include Alice, Charlotte, Lillian, and Miriam for girls; Julian, Lance, Russell, and Oliver for boys. James not Jim, Elizabeth not Liz: Despite the desire for individuality these days, there are some popular traditional names that have stood the test of time and will not be shaken from our favorites list. This is especially true for boys names, where we tend to be less adventuresome. But even here we are creating new trends by avoiding the common nicknames and retaining the full formal names that sound more distinguished and less ordinary. For example, Jim, Bob, and Bill are now very firmly James, Robert, and William, and Elizabeth will tell you that she is definitely not a ‘Liz’. Creative Spelling 101: Where we were once happy to simply replace a ‘Y’ with an ‘I’ at the end of a name, we are now tending to be more creative with the entire spelling of a name. This is especially true for those traditional favorites. For instance, Nicholas has been given a modern twist with Nickolas, Niclas, Nikolaus, Nichalas, etc, and Emily is now often Emalee, Emilly, Emmaly, or Emyle.
An interesting consideration, if you are keen to follow this trend, is that the Institute for Naming Children Humanely (yes, this does actually exist!) states that the average child with an unusually spelt name will spend 58 days of her life spelling her name out for people! Let’s Be Inspirational: Another common trend today is to name a child using a word that people relate to with positive feelings. These inspirational names can be of places, sentiments, occupations, or have other meanings that people generally feel good about. Names such as River, Faith, Justice, Unity, Rider, and Judge are examples of these names. These names can be very individual and creative, but care must be taken that they don’t create a stereotypical impression that your child may not want to live up to.
Last Names First: Surnames, which have been popular in the past for use as middle names, are now becoming a hit as first names. These names tend to be strong sounding and androgynous, which is another up and coming trend. Especially popular, are surnames that contract to feminine nicknames for girls, or masculine nicknames for boys. Examples of these are Madison (Maddy), Emerson (Emmy), Patterson (Patty) for girls or Jackson (Jack), Bradshaw (Brad), Hudson (Hud) for boys. What’s Good For The Goose: Unisex names are also a top pick these days. However, since names that were once equally popular boys or girls names seem to establish a more feminine feel over time, this trend is more common with girls.
Boys with unisex names can often be the object of teasing and find this hard to live with. Some of these names include Ashley, Courtney, Jody, Kelsey, Kim, Lindsay, Morgan, Shelby, and Taylor. However, some unisex names seem to have maintained a firm footing in both the boys’ and girls’ camp. Examples of these are Alex, Brett, Cameron, Riley, Rory, and Quinn. Can’t Find It? Invent It! For those who really want a name that is the height of creativity one of the newest trends is to just invent it. One of the most popular methods of inventing a name is to simply string two or three different sounds together into something that is pleasing to the ear. It seems that the sounds that top inventor’s lists are sharp beginnings with long vowel sounds in the middle (i.e. Kay, Jay, Bai, Hay, Ty) and then certain standard endings are added. Some examples of these names would be Kaylin, Baileigh, Jayden, and Braydon. A second inventive trend is to join two names into something original. How about Katelyn, Leeann, Raeann, Tedrick, or Tyshawn? It’s All About Branding: We’ve all heard the talk these days about how important branding is to a product’s success.
But what about brand names for your baby? This is one of the newest and most controversial trends in naming today. This trend apparently reflects the aspirations that parents have for themselves and for their children, and can include brand names of luxury cars, perfume, clothing, and even food. So if you want a really different name for your child, look to your favorite consumer goods. Choices today include Infiniti, Chevy, Chanel, Cannon, and Armani. Believe it or not, in the year 2000, 2 babies were actually named ESPN! So, if you are into trends and want something a bit different in a name. try one of the above. Whether you decide to reinstate or revamp an old-fashioned favorite, or create something totally new, your baby will have a name that is modern and uniquely his or hers!