Popular baby names go retro, cool By Sharon Jayson USA TODAY
Retro seems to be the latest trend — at least for baby names. Prospective parents used to pore over lists of popular names to find just the right one. Now, they’re as likely to look for what not to choose. “They don’t want their child to be a cookie cutter. They want a unique identity,” says Linda Murray, of BabyCenter, a San Francisco-based pregnancy and parenting website that recently released the top names of 450,000 babies born in 2012 to moms who registered on the site. Aiden topped the boys’ list for the eighth consecutive year. Sophia was No. 1 for girls for the third straight year. But the top 10s also include classics from the past, such as Ava and Lily, as well as Jack, new on the top 10 this year. Jack was among the top 20 boys names in the 1920s and 1930s, according to the Social Security Administration, which has tracked baby names since 1880, based on applications for Social Security numbers. Its 2012 list comes out in May. “Names from two generations back are meaningful and retro and have a cool factor,” says Murray. The site reaches 12 million U.S. moms a month; 75 percent are white. But more ethnic names appear lower on the list, she says. “Since we focus on the top 100, they aren’t typically seen here.” BabyCenter’s site for U.S. Spanish speakers also has a top 10 list (out in January); it has included crossovers such as Sofia, Isabella and Olivia. Although Lacey Moler, 30, of Austin named her 9-month-old Olivia, No. 3 for girls on BabyCenter’s list, they call her “Lo,” for “Little Olivia.” Moler is cofounder BellyBallot.com, which allows real-time reaction from friends and family to potential names. She says names that get consistently high numbers include Savannah, Ava, Michael, Noah and Owen. Those the site declares “bottomed out” include Emma and Zoe.
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