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New Trend?: Boy Names Ending with the Letter O

I keep hearing talk about a new trend in boys names and I wanted to do some research to see if this is a real thing yet or not. Apparently the new favorite thing is boys names that end with the letter -o. Some examples that I keep hearing about are Hugo, Arlo, Milo, and Leo.

Now, when I went through the Top 500 names of 2012, I found so many more names ending in -o than I imagined that I would. However, the Top 100 was very absent of a single -o name. It wasn't until I hit #110 that I found my first, Diego. In all, there were 37 names between #110-500.

As a woman of Hispanic heritage, I have to imagine that most of these -o names are legitimately used by Spanish and Italian families. It leaves me wondering how many of these are truly gaining popularity across the race spectrum, and how many have always lingered around their respective ranks.

I have no way of looking up the race of the parents, but I had to dig deeper to see which of these are climbing the charts and which are reliably stable.

Names ending with the letter -o ranking in the US Top 500 in 2012:

Diego: #110
Antonio: #118
Santiago: #122
Leo: #134
Mateo: #138
Alejandro: #148
Leonardo: #150
Francisco: #225
Ricardo: #226
Fernando: #243
Mario: #253
Marco: #269
Sergio: #283
Emilio: #297
Emiliano: #302
Lorenzo: #307
Roberto: #308
Angelo: #310
Pedro: #317
Maximiliano: #320
Romeo: #323
Milo: #330
Armando: #366
Pablo: #367
Gerardo: #371
Julio: #383
Gustavo: #408
Matteo: #412
Rocco: #415
Enzo: #417
Rodrigo: #431
Hugo: #436
Alberto: #446
Arturo: #459
Orlando: #461
Mauricio: #472
Alfredo: #492

Most of these climbed or dropped an average of 10 spots. I can't mention all of them individually (and still keep your attention) but I will show you the following:

Biggest climbers from 2011 to 2012:

1. Romeo (#323): Climbed 38 spots!
2. Leo (#134) and Mateo (#138) tied for 2nd. Both jumped 33 spots!
3. Milo (#330) Shot up 30 spots!
4. Gustavo (#408) Climbed a surprising 29 spots!
5. Orlando (#461) Jumped up 21 spots! (Haven't heard this in a while!)

Biggest Fallers from 2011-2012:

1. Fernando (#243) Fell 34 spots!
2. Mario (#253) and Maximiliano (#320) Both dropped 30 spots!
3. Mauricio (#472)  Fell 28 spots!
4. Matteo (#412) and Arturo (#459) Both fell 27 spots!
5. Alberto (#446) Dropped 26 spots

Of the names that I hear about most often this year, I will predict that these names will continue to move up the ranks of the 2013 chart:

1. Arlo (#818 in 2012)
2. Leo  (#134 in 2012)
3. Mateo (#138 in 2012)
4. Thiago (#862 in 2012)
5. Hugo (#436 in 2012)

Absent in 2010, Arlo placed at #916 in 2011 before jumping a whopping 98 ranks to settle at #818 in 2012. This is one to watch!  Leo and Mateo seem to be gaining popularity. Both climbed 33 spots last year, but I think they'll continue to climb the ranks and quiet possible break into the top 100 in the next couple years.

Thiago is an interesting one. Its counterpart Santiago moved up 9 spots to sit at #122 in 2012; however Thiago has just burst onto the scene for the very first time, landing at #862 in 2012. I'd like to keep an eye on this one.  Lastly, Hugo gets thrown around the baby name forums regularly so it may seem more popular than it actually is, but I'll include it on the list despite only climbing 3 spots from 2011 to 2012. Hugo rests at #436 for now.

I'd like to also throw in a couple "noteworthy mentions." The name Milo is definitely gaining popularity and is regularly suggested on forums. After shooting up 30 ranks in 2012, I will be starring this one on my list as a major popularity gainer for 2013.  A name that surprised me was Gustavo. It climbed 29 places on the chart. Then I thought perhaps its increase in popularity comes from creepy-cool bad-guy Gustavo "Gus" Fring from AMC's hit TV show "Breaking Bad." I expect this one to begin dropping back down over the next year. No spoilers for those who haven't watched.  ;)

That is my assessment of the -o name trend for boys. This is one trend that I can get behind, especially considering how tiring the -n names are becoming.

What do you think of my list? What is your favorite boy name ending with -o?  Let me know in the comments below!

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