The naming game is one of the most exciting aspects of becoming a new parent. Expectant parents can look for inspiration everywhere from popular television shows and movies to their favorite celebrities and authors.
The pressure to pick a meaningful moniker has never been greater for parents than it is in today’s image-conscious world. Despite the Hollywood trend toward eccentric names, the list of most popular baby names in recent years has steadily favored traditional names.
Today’s Most Popular Baby Names
There are a record number of Sophias and Jacobs in the United States today according to the Social Security Administration. The two names took the top spots for most popular baby names for boys and girls in 2012.
We can’t blame parents for wanting to bestow their daughters with a studious name like Sophia. Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom.” The name Jacob bounced back from relative obscurity thanks to the popularity of Jacob Black in the “Twilight” series. Coming in at second place were Emma and Mason.
Emma has been dominating the list of top names ever since Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel gave the name to her fictional daughter on “Friends” back in 2002. The third spots in 2012 went to Ethan and Isabella.
Popular Baby Names in 2013
Parents who are slated to give birth this year are all wondering what the new “it” names will be. The numbers for 2013’s list of most popular baby names hasn’t been compiled by the Social Security Administration yet. However, we know that the names currently trending as the most popular baby names are Asher and Imogen.
The name Asher has biblical roots and means “happy and blessed.” Imogen has been a popular name in the United Kingdom for decades and it has finally hit it big in the United States. It is rumored to have been invented by Shakespeare for use in his famous play “Cymbeline.”