Stars of the Valley
What’s in a Name? A Brief History Of The Most Popular Baby Names In 2015 By Rachel Robionson
Just as technology and social media
have influenced seemingly everything these days, it’s no surprise that some new parents are gleaning baby name ideas from celebrity couples and Instagram. We decided to take a look at some of these influences and current name trends, and to examine some of the origins of popular chart toppers this year. Time Magazine declared 2015 as “The Year of the Gender-Neutral Baby Name.” They credit this phenomenon to celebrity couples like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds who called their new little girl James. This purposeful
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Growing Up In the Valley • February 2016
switch of a traditionally male gendered name to female, seems to be a cultural shift among the millennial generation. Mooseroots, a genelogical website, extensively researched name data from the Social Security Administration and determined that some of the most popular unisex names include; Alex, River, Cameron, Jordan, Ryan, Taylor, Logan, Peyton, Riley and Avery. Most of these have been tied to a celebrity such as Taylor Swift and NFL quarterback, Peyton Manning. Perhaps one of the more interesting baby-naming trends according to BabyCenter, is a recent infatuation
with Instagram filter names. New parents are using the names Lux, Ludwig, Amaro and Willow to name their little ones this past year. Regal names also seem to inspire some new moms and dads. Names like Royalty, Legendary, Princess, Duchess and King have increased significantly in popularity. Chances are, if you have a little one at home, you may have picked a popular baby name without even realizing you were following a trend. Girl’s names like Emma and Sophia have peaked at the top of the charts for several solid years, while Jackson, Liam and Jacob max out the boy list.