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| Clara, now 6 weeks |
The five most popular girl names in 2012 were: Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Ava. The most popular boy names were: Aiden, Jackson, Ethan, Liam and Mason. I know this because I studied the lists while Abbie was pregnant, and besides, I happen to be interested in the whole name thing.
Abbie and Sam did not learn the sex of either baby until the
moment the children emerged (Henry into air, Clara into water) AND they
carefully guarded their list of possible names. So on both birthdays, Eddie and
I got to experience two great surprises! I liked it that way. I don’t really
understand the introduction of babies via sonogram on Facebook: We are thrilled for you to meet our baby boy
Lucas, who will be born in twenty weeks. Isn’t he adorable??!
It’s not uncommon these days for the expectant couple to
reveal the sex of their baby at the baby shower. Here’s how it’s done. The
couple goes in for the 20-week sonogram. The technician writes down the sex of
the baby on a piece of paper, then seals the paper in an envelope. The couple
takes the envelope to their local bakery. The cake baker opens the envelope and
then bakes a cake with either a pink or blue center. (Yes, the lady at the cake
counter at Price Chopper finds out even before the expectant parents do.) At the baby
shower, the cake is sliced and VOILA! Everyone, the couple included, gets the
happy news that IT’S A BOY! or IT’S A GIRL!
(My friend Kate, over at Eat the Damn Cake, wrote a
wonderful piece about the day she and her husband decided to look at the note
that was in the envelope. It’s a very sweet and funny account of their
experience. You can read it here.)
At any rate, these “gender cake parties” may have to take a
back seat to a new trend in the “gender reveal” world. And folks, I am not making
this stuff up. Here’s how this particular soiree unfolds: The couple hires a
company that will do the sonogram at home. The shower begins. The living room
looks like it always did, except that there is a curtain drawn around some
rather large equipment and a table in the corner of the room. There is also a
big video monitor. Midway through the party, the pregnant person excuses
herself and proceeds toward the table and a smiling technician. Behind the curtain they go. The partner of the
pregnant person gets the TV fired up and asks the guests to turn their
attention to the screen. I think you can figure out the rest.
Of course, once the sex is known, a name selection isn’t too
far behind (though I can imagine the pregnant couple has a stash of both “Michael”
and “Michaela” party favors at the ready during these “gender reveal parties."). Choosing a name for one’s child is a big deal, and one can only hope the child
will eventually agree that it was a good idea. (I can speak from experience on this topic;
my son changed his when he was five. You can read about that here.)
A lot of the names being chosen these days are colorful,
charismatic and unusual, much like those being given to Hollywood celebrities’
wee ones. If you want to give your kid a really exotic name in 2013 – one no
one in her class will have – I would suggest naming her Sarah or Jennifer or
Mary or Ann!
I love the names that were given to my grandkids: Henry and
Clara. (Of course, I would love these two children even if I did not like their
names.) But I think their names are perfect.
Abbie knows I get a kick out of seeing the latest trends
in baby names, so this morning she sent me the list of Henry’s pre-preschool
classmates (he will begin attending “school” two mornings a week this fall):
Julien, Jude, Rosalie, Jubilee and Maple.
Recently a friend of mine became the grandmother to a Penelope.
Other names that are growing in popularity are: Scarlett, Harper, Aubrey, Ivy,
Harlow and Clover for girls; Brantley, Declan, Grayson, Kayson, Kingston and
Archer for boys.
If you’re interested in the history and popularity of your own name, check out one of my fave sites: Baby Name Wizard. Using the baby voyager
tool, you can track any name’s usage from the 1880’s til now. Henry, for
example, was the 8th most popular name in the 1880’s, dropped to 134th
in the 1980’s and is now very much on the rise again.
Gloria, on the other hand, was ranked 0 in the 1890’s and is
ranked 571st in 2011. My close friend Cheryl is ranked 0 in 2013.
Now there are a couple unique names to use!
6 comments:
I am telling you, without a doubt, someone, or maybe some three, four or one hundred soon to give birth mothers and fathers who read your blog will think to themselves, hmmm... Gloria, Cheryl. A trend will begin...without a doubt, I am telling you.
CG
aww, loved it. thanks for the shout-out! clara is gorgeous! - kate
She's a cutie!
- Susan
I'm a Cheryl. :-) The only problem I had growing up was all the different ways people decided it had to be spelled. This was a fun post to read.
Great post. "Dawn" has always seemed an odd name to me and for me. No surprise, its popularity peaked in the 1960s (I was born in '66), and is nonexistent before 1910 and ranked "0" after 2003!
Dawn, Suzanne has almost the same popularity as your name, but Frances, my first name peaked in the 1900's - very cool. Hope you are well
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