Baby Names 2012: The hottest new choices

Ooooooo my kind of list. 

Have you heard? 

Nameberry, one of very fave baby name blogs, analyzed nearly 3 million (isn't that CRAZY??!) views of individual name pages and found the following choices are enjoying the biggest jumps in attention. 

Here is their list - the hottest new choices of 2012. 

Rue – Credit The Hunger Games, which has turned the spotlight on a range of exotic botanical names for girls, from the heroine’s name Katniss to gentle Primrose to Posy andClove.  But the hottest choice for babies, according to the Nameberry statistics, is sleek, simple, if somewhat mournfulRue, the name of the agile young girl who meets a tragic end in the series.  In real life, however, we see Rue as having a bright future.

Emmett and the -ett boys – There’s a new wave of boys’ names that take their cue from the girls: Emmett rising on the coattails of wildly popular sister names Emma and Emily,Everett following the trail blazed by Eva, Beckett getting notice thanks to Becca.  Think of -ett at the newest “it” ending for boys’ names, following yesterday’s –en and –er.  But Emmett is the hottest of them all, partially thanks toTwilight’s Emmett Cullen.

Ivy – Beyonce and Jay-Z may have already trademarked their newborn daughter Blue Ivy’s name, but that can’t stop parents from choosing the name for their own babies.  WhileBlue is hot and we predict will inspire a new taste for color names, from Indigo to Scarlett, we see Ivy as the real winner in the equation.  Ivy had already risen into the Top 300 and we see it moving much higher, a la other I-beginning hotties such as Isla, Isabel, and Number 1 Isabella.

Weston, Wesley, and West – Go west, young men, toward these names that not only evoke but come right out and denote the Western region.  All variety of West names are hot this year, but Weston, the choice of The Office’s JennaFischer for her son, is the hottest of them all.

Adele – Singing star Adele triumphed at The Grammys and she’s triumphing in the baby name arena as well, with this French diminutive of Adelaide reentering the Top 1000 for the first time in nearly half a century.

Grayson and Gray – Is Grayson the new Jason?  This more sober, surname-y spin on one of the most popular boys’ names of the 1970s, now the name of many a new dad, is one of the hottest new choices of 2012, along with shorter form Gray.  Hot new television series Revenge, which focuses on the Grayson family, may be having an influence.

Aria – Aria is a musical new A name, at once familiar and exotic, new to parents and to Nameberry’s hot list.  A names have become parental favorites, making up the most popular first initial and shown by studies to encourage children to get high marks in school.  A child named Aria seems destined to be a star.

Cyrus – Cyrus makes our hot list not by virtue of any one celebrity or cultural reference but by a range of influences propelling it up the ranks: An ancient royal name, it’s got a fashionable S ending, is the surname of pop star Miley, and sports the cute nickname Cy.  Like cousin name Silas, it’s a vintage choice finding its way back into favor.

Estelle – Sweden’s royal couple named their baby daughterEstelle earlier this year, which is one reason for its increased attention on Nameberry, but there are other reasons we seeEstelle as one of the hottest new names of 2012.  It’s related to the popular Stella but more unusual, it carries the appealing meaning “star,” and it ends in a consonant rather than a vowel sound, which we predict will be the hot new trend for girls’ names following several years of trendy a-ending names such as Isabella, Sophia, and Olivia.

Cato – Cato might be a villain in The Hunger Games, but the popular series turned attention on a name that fits into a couple of other hot trends.  It’s an ancient Roman name that, like brothers Atticus and Cassius, is being resurrected by modern parents.  It’s got the stylish O ending.  And it kind of sounds like Kate, a name in the spotlight thanks to the new future Queen of England.

Blythe – Names that mean happiness, from Felix to Felicityto Hilary, have an obvious appeal for new parents, andBlythe is one of the freshest.  Most closely identified withGwyneth Paltrow’s mom actress Blythe Danner, the one-syllable name has never been in the Top 1000 but could be a top middle name choice of tomorrow.

What do you think?

Out of the names above I am partial to Primrose, Posy, Clove, Ivy, Indigo and Felix. 

The issue I have is that I need unique. I need exotic, different...glitter, confetti, smoke and thunder. Ivy has been made too famous (thanks to Blue Ivy Carter), Felix is the name of my neighbor's kitty, Primrose is too current (Hunger Games) and Posy and Clover don't exude smoke and thunder. 

Oh you guys. I am still waiting for THE boy name to magically jump out of a baby name book, off a blog or frankly - anywhere - that makes me want to french kiss my husband like I never have before and exclaim NIRVANA.

In the meantime Quinn, Joaquin, Rocky...all on the list. All blahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Good thing PVS (our girl name) makes me want to do naked jumping jacks in my driveway.

PS: Did you happen to catch this week's 16 and Pregnant? Teen mom Briana toyed with the names Luna (Loveeeee!!! It was on our first list, first pregnancy) and Bliss for her baby girl but ultimately went with Nova Star. 
OBSESSED with Bliss. Her mom told her it sounded too much like a stripper's name. Just wait mama until you hear our baby girl name....

I just asked Nick what he thought of Bliss and he said he LIKED IT.

Man, that guy surprises me every day.

Ohhhh and PPS: Grayson is the new Jason??!!!....made me barf in my mouth. Jason is horrible.

That is all. Good night. xo