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5 Baby Name Trends For 2012
Babble ^ | November 21, 2011 | Monica Bielanko

Posted on 11/22/2011 12:29:09 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

I’ve always been fascinated by name trends. It’s interesting to see how certain names ebb and flow in popularity.

The name game is tough to win. If you hop on a trend, it could be cool for the first few years but, chances are, that name is going to feel dated when your child is reaching adulthood. That’s why I’ve always passed over fads for classic names. However, when naming my son a classic name I inadvertently hopped aboard a Hollywood trend. A twofer! Rare!

If you’re looking ahead to 2012 wondering what names are going to be all the rage, look no further. The creator of nameberry.com, Pamela Redmond Satran tells Huffington Post what the hottest trends for 2012 will be.

1. Combining Favorite Names. Most parents try to avoid super popular names. That can be tough when the great names surge up the list and your left between picking a name you love and having your daughter be one of four Avas in her class. The new trend, altering popular names slightly. As Satran says “Number 1 girls’ name Isabella gives rise to stylistically-related choices Arabella and Annabelle; Olivia, the top name in Britain, spawns spelling variation Alivia; Emma and Emily promote brother name Emmett.”

2. A slew of parents are looking to the animal kingdom to give their kids fearsome names. “Bear, Fox, Wolf, Lynx and a range of names from Leo to Lionel that mean lion, and then there are the perhaps-even-fiercer names like Breaker, Ranger, and Wilder.”

3. Sweet vintage names make a comeback. Especially names ending in ie. For example: Lottie and Hattie, Addie, Nettie and Nellie.

4. Modern hero surnames. Satran says Mariah Carey nailed it when she named her daughter Monroe, to honor her heroine, Marilyn Monroe. Other examples of surnames or heros in movies, life and literature used as first names: “Landry (as in football coach Tom), Gatsby (as in fictional hero The Great), and Palin (yes, as in her).”

5. 2012 will be the year of M names, Satran predicts. Examples: “Maeve, Magdalena, Maisie, Marguerite, Marlo/Marlowe, May, Mila, Millie, and Minnie, and for boys, Magnus, Micah, Miller, Milo, Montgomery, Moses and MONICA!


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: children; palin; sarahpalin; trends
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If she's "all washed-up" why would lots of people name their children after her? I'll bet "Sarah" and her kid's names are growing in popularity, as well.
1 posted on 11/22/2011 12:29:11 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I went to college with a girl who was born in 1964, and named Reagan (after Ronaldus Magnus), coming to age in the 80s. Perfect timing!


2 posted on 11/22/2011 12:32:16 PM PST by Dr. Sivana (May Mitt Romney be the Mo Udall of 2012.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

And the all time inner city girl name:

Female

Pronounced:
FeeMalee

You just can’t make this stuff up/S


3 posted on 11/22/2011 12:34:43 PM PST by 9422WMR
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
My wife, a woman of German extration, wanted Germanic names for the children. Unfortunately, she wouldn't settle for the German names I offered her - Wolfgang, Ludwig, Gertrude, Gunther, etc. So we ended up with prosaic English names - Mary, Daniel, David and John.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!
4 posted on 11/22/2011 12:34:45 PM PST by ConorMacNessa (HM/2 USN, 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel defend us in Battle!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

We are naming our second son after Waylon Jennings. LOL!

Colt Jennings


5 posted on 11/22/2011 12:34:56 PM PST by TSgt ("Romney" means "rino cult" in Kenyan)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It doesn’t mention Spider. I love the name Spider. If I ever have a kid, I’m gonna name him (or her) Spider.


6 posted on 11/22/2011 12:36:20 PM PST by Krankor
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Other examples of surnames or heros in movies, life and literature used as first names: “Landry (as in football coach Tom), Gatsby (as in fictional hero The Great), and Palin (yes, as in her).”

Have these people even read The Great Gatsby? "Hero" isn't the first word that comes to mind.
7 posted on 11/22/2011 12:36:27 PM PST by Dr. Sivana (May Mitt Romney be the Mo Udall of 2012.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Some of them are pretty good.

At least we are not seeing "L-A" ( Ladasha ) in those lists.

Nope, not kidding. Friend of mine has the newspaper clipping...

.

8 posted on 11/22/2011 12:37:07 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Son born in the 60’s was named Michael - as were 6 others on his baseball team that year. IMO parents should consider a name that not only fits a child but that also will be appropriate when they are an adult. Since it’s the first word most often learn to write, they need to cut out the weird spellings.


9 posted on 11/22/2011 12:37:31 PM PST by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: All

“The creator of nameberry.com, Pamela Redmond Satran tells Huffington Post what the hottest trends for 2012 will be.”

####

I’m glad my parents didn’t follow any “Hot Trends (gasp)” when they named me. Particualarly those from a preening know-nothing, deploying two names.

I’m gonna call her just plain Pam to piss her off.


10 posted on 11/22/2011 12:37:38 PM PST by EyeGuy (2012: When the Levee Breaks)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Thinking of changing my son’s name to Entropy. The amount of energy he wastes doing useless crap is mind boggling.


11 posted on 11/22/2011 12:38:57 PM PST by Jack of all Trades (Hold your face to the light, even though for the moment you do not see.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

As to your tagline, John Connally would fit also.


12 posted on 11/22/2011 12:38:57 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You can't invade the US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.~Admiral Yamamoto)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"2012 will be the year of M names, Satran predicts. Examples: “Maeve, Magdalena, Maisie, Marguerite, Marlo/Marlowe, May, Mila, Millie, and Minnie, and for boys, Magnus, Micah, Miller, Milo, Montgomery, Moses and MONICA!"

She forgot "Muhammad."

13 posted on 11/22/2011 12:39:14 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum ("The very idea of a community organizer is to stir up a mob for some political purpose." Ann Coulter)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The girls name “Madison” zoomed to popularity after the Darryl Hannah character in the movie “Splash” had that name.

And she got that name in the movie because they were on Madison Avenue in New York, and Tom Hanks decided to call her that.

I wonder if he had named her 5th Avenue or Broadway in that movie, if those names would have caught on.


14 posted on 11/22/2011 12:39:52 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Krankor
If I ever have a kid, I’m gonna name him (or her) Spider.

Do it with a 'y' (Spyder) so you can use the classic car as an excuse for your desire to come up with an unusual name.

15 posted on 11/22/2011 12:42:09 PM PST by HiJinx (I can see Mexico from my back porch...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
2. A slew of parents are looking to the animal kingdom to give their kids fearsome names. “Bear, Fox, Wolf, Lynx and a range of names from Leo to Lionel that mean lion, and then there are the perhaps-even-fiercer names like Breaker, Ranger, and Wilder.”

Outside of Leo and Lionel (or Wolf if you are German), those sound like names for my dog. "Bear, let's go hunting!" "Woof!"

16 posted on 11/22/2011 12:43:12 PM PST by Darren McCarty (Anybody but Romney or Obama)
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To: 9422WMR

“And the all time inner city girl name:

Female

Pronounced:
FeeMalee”

I knew a guy who taught at an inner city school in Los Angeles. He had a girl in his class named Female Brown. She said that the hospital gave her that first name. You are right, you can’t make that s*#t up.


17 posted on 11/22/2011 12:43:29 PM PST by forgotten man (forgotten man)
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To: TLI

I started with Number 3 and Number 4. I didn’t think Number 1 or 2 would work out very well! ;-)


18 posted on 11/22/2011 12:45:24 PM PST by almost done by half
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Second son of second son always Benjamin James.


19 posted on 11/22/2011 12:45:51 PM PST by BenKenobi (Honkeys for Herman! 10 percent is enough for God; 9 percent is enough for government)
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To: Dr. Sivana

I know several folks (including a couple of FReepers) who named their daughters Reagan and one who also has a son named Ron.


20 posted on 11/22/2011 12:47:44 PM PST by mnehring
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