Trendy Baby Names of 2012....So Far

2012 is definitely creating a popular baby name list that is much different from the past years.  While Emma and Jacob were popular the past few years, names like West and Ivy and taking the lead this year.  Why such a change?  Movies, TV shows and singers are playing a big part.  

Nameberry put out a list (and explanation) titled Hottest New Choices for 2012, and if you are expecting you may want to check these names out.


The Character named Rue



Rue – Credit The Hunger Games. It's sleek, simple and mournful name is one of the top hottest names right now.  Spoiler Alert! - It's the name of the young girl who meets a tragic end in the series.

Emmett and the -ett boys – There’s a new wave of boys’ names that take their cue from the girls wildly popular sister names Emma and Emily.  Emmett is the hottest of them all, partially thanks to Twilight’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.  While Blue is hot and they predict will inspire a new taste for color names, from Indigo to Scarlett. Ivy had already risen into the Top 300 and they see it moving much higher.

Weston, Wesley and West - All variety of West names are hot this year, but Weston, the choice of The Office’s Jenna Fischer for her son, is the hottest of them all.

Adele – Singing star Adele is triumphing in the baby name arena, 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?  The hot new television series Revenge, which focuses on the Grayson family, may be having an influence.

Aria – "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.

Princess Estelle, Duchess of Ostergotland

Estelle – Sweden’s royal couple named their baby daughter Estelle earlier this year, which is one reason for its increased attention on Nameberry. The name carries the appealing meaning “star,” and it ends in a consonant rather than a vowel sound, which they 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 - again, credit The Hunger Games.  It’s an ancient Roman name that has the stylish O ending.  It also kind of sounds like Kate, a name in the spotlight thanks to the new future Queen of England.