Best Celebrity Baby Names from 2012

There are many baby-blogs and celebrity-blogs and just general news sites that love to nitpick the monikers chosen by celebrities. The most obvious recent example is Kimye's baby North West. It basically "went viral" and everyone was talking about it. Unfortunately, due to its "punny" nature, most of the talk wasn't on the up-and-up.

Contrary to popular belief and stereotypes, many celebrities actually choose normal and lovely names. However, those are the ones that tend to get overlooked. As a media-driven society, we only remember the odd ones that fuel jokes on talk-shows.

Here are some celebrity baby name choices from 2012 that I think are great!:

Girls:
Beatrice Jean (Bryce Dallas Howard)
Pearl Clementine (Jack Osbourne)
India Rose (Chris Hemsworth)
Adalaide Marie Hope (Katherine Heigl)
Cecilia Delphine (Majandra Delfino & David Walton)
Marlowe Ottoline Layng (Sienna Miller)
Faith Evangeline Elisa (Kelsey Grammer)
Theodora Rose (Robbie Williams)
Wilhelmina Jane (Natalie & Taylor Hanson)
Olivia Mabel (Carly Smithson)
Miranda Scarlett (Rob Schneider)
Vivian Lake (Gisele Bundchen & Tom Brady)

Boys:
Thomas Colton (Jared Padalecki)
Micah Emmanuel (Sarah Drew)
Miles Alexander (Joy Williams)
Leo James (Brandon Routh)
Lorenzo Dominic (Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi)
Spencer Frederick (Donald Trump Jr)
Zane Alexander (Heather Tom)
William Luca (James Marsden)
Cyrus Michael Christopher (Claire Danes & Huge Dancy)
Maxfield David (Eric Laden)
Logan Phineas  (Ryan Murphy)
Angelo James  (Adele)

Twins: 
James Timothy & Fiona Leigh (Danny Pudi)
Charlie & Poppy (Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer)

There were even some great first-name-only choices that I couldn't help but smile at for how very simple and normal they are:

Truman (Alexis Stewart)
Jackson (Charlize Theron)
Joshua (James Van Der Beek)
Rafael (Guy Ritchie)
Jack (Anna Faris & Chris Pratt)
Tucker (Melissa Joan Hart)
Calin (Samaire Armstrong)

Virginia (Andrea Bocelli)
Olivia (Michael Weatherly)
Lucia (Mira Sorvino)
Eliza (Caterina Scorsone)
Sienna (Adriana Lima)

So while we remember names like North West, Blue Ivy, Pilot Inspektor, Apple, etc, don't forget that there are also gems to be found in Hollywood.  2013 isn't over yet, but there have already been some lovely choices! I'll report on those after the new year!

I'm sure there are some that I've missed from 2012, but which of these are your favorites?

Girl Name of the Week: Clara

The Girl's Name of the Week comes straight from this week's list of top baby names from Switzerland: Clara. It ranked at #8 in French-Speaking Switzerland.

Clara is a Latin name that means "bright or clear." It originates as a feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus which itself was the name of a few early saints. Saint Clare of Assisi made this name popular in the 13th century. She left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns called the Poor Clares.

Clare was the most popular form through the middle ages, and Clara became hot in the 19th century.

It has also been featured on my up-and-coming vintage names list according to the 100 year rule. It was most popular in 1918 when 5,778 baby girls were born!

Source

Somewhere around the 1950s, the name declined in usage. Around 2000, Clara began picking up steam again, hitting a modern high-rank of #136 with 2,311 births.

In recent years, Claire has been the more popular sister, while Clara was very Olde World and European. Now that Clara is coming back into fashion with all of the other vintage chic names, I can only foresee her continuing to climb the charts over the next decade.

Clara is such an adorable and lovely name that she could be paired with a variety of names! What would you pair it with? Also, do you pronounce it Clarr-uh or Clare-uh?

Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Alice, Audrey, Charlotte, Eleanor, Ella, Grace, Molly, Stella
Brothers: Alfred, Benjamin, Charles, Evan, Jack, Miles, Simon, William

Middle Name Ideas:
Clara Simone
Clara Evangeline
Clara Rose
Clara Penelope
Clara Olive
Clara Harper
Clara Isabelle

Top Baby Names from Switzerland in 2012

It is always fun to take a look at what kind of names are popular in other parts of the world. Sometimes, us American bloggers get so caught up writing about the Top US names that we forget to look around.

In 2012, there were 82,164 live births in Switzerland. 39,729 were girls and 42,435 were boys. Below are the top names for the babies born to parents who speak French, German and Italian but live within Switzerland.

It is so interesting that these names can come from one country and yet differ so greatly between the three languages. One thing is certain, they all tend to favor the "L" sound in many of these favorite names!  Take a look at the top 16 names for each language!

French-Speaking Switzerland:

Boys:
1. Gabriel
2. Luca
3. Thomas
4. Noah
5. Nathan
6. Lucas
7. Samuel
8. Theo

Girls:
1. Emma
2. Léa
3. Chloé
4. Zoé
5. Lara
6. Eva
7. Charlotte
8. Clara

German-Speaking Switzerland:

Boys:
1. Noah
2. Luca
3. David
4. Leon
5. Leandro
6. Nico
7. Levin
8. Julian

Girls:
1. Mia
2. Alina
3. Laura
4. Julia
5. Anna
6. Emma
7. Leonie
8. Lena

Italian-Speaking Switzerland:

Boys:
1. Gabriel
2. Alessandro
3. Leonardo
4. Matteo
5. Nathan
6. Samuele
7. Elia
8. Samuel

Girls:
1. Sofia
2. Alice
3. Emma
4. Elisa
5. Giulia
6. Martina
7. Giada
8. Giorgia

I think I would side with the French-Speaking list but they are all pretty great! Which do you like best?

Source | Source | Source

Baby Naming 101: Spell It Right!

In the never-ending quest to be unique, some parents today think the best way to do that is to use "kreeaytiv" spellings. I'm going to flat-out say it: spelling a name incorrectly is not cute.  Yes, I'm calling it "incorrect" not "creative."

If you think I'm being harsh, I apologize, but I know that many of my fellow name-bloggers would back me up on this.

Professor Kara is in the classroom.

Ponder for a minute. What are you doing to your child? Yes, it might seem cute to see a baby named Braylynn or Kaedynn, but what happens when they grow up and need to apply for a professional job? There are people who argue that a name should have nothing to do with their intelligence and credentials for said job, but could you really imagine the President of the United States being named Aiedynn Kristhian Smith when Aidan Christian Smith would be so much nicer?

Imagine 50-60 years from now when a whole new flock of babies are being born (hopefully with some really great vintage names, if this cranky old lady has a say), and the children of the 2010s are brand-new grandparents.  "Let's go to Grandpa Leeum and Grandma Abygayle's house!"  Liam and Abigail are wonderful names in and of themselves, but they're not so wonderful with those unnecessarily complicated spellings.

Keep in mind that these are real spellings from real babies born in 2012. I'm not just making these up!

While I understand that we are free to express ourselves any way we want through our children's names, I only wish it would be taken more seriously.

Misspelling a name is not cute. It does not automatically make the child unique from his peers. Considering that names are used verbally so often, the "unique" Klohie really is no different than all of the girls named Chloe. The difference is that Klohie will have issues for the rest of her life having to spell it to everyone she meets, and all of the Chloes won't.

Even more confusing than that are the following real misspelled names. Some of them don't even seem like a name! See if you can guess what it is supposed to be:

Boys:  

Celebrating 60 wonderful years together:
Rhyley Jaxxyn Miller and his lovely
wife Serynity Kaydynse Miller.

Nope, sorry, I refuse to picture it!

Izaiya
Koltynn
Graisyn
Zakori
Jysaiah
Kuper
Shaughn
Markeise
Sylys
Jailon
Icker
Daviyon
Kamaury
Khyri
Jaxsten
Akiles

Girls:

Awbree
Madylyn
Kleigh
Aerionna
Mikaelah
Miaya
Juliyanna
Skarlet
Lundynn
Jenesys
Trenidy
Jizel
Kynzley
Preslea
Deissy

Personally, I'd rather be unique by finding names that are actually rarely used. Its even better when they have a history behind them and one or two standard spellings.

There are many wonderful names that don't even rank in the Top 1000 like:

Minerva #3936
Eugenia  #4492
Andromeda #4565
Augusta #4693
Eloisa #4844
Helene #3851
Bryony #8661

Leopold #2184
Benedict #1736
Amadeus #2431
Viggo  #3680
Richmond #3952
Indiana #4032
Ewan #1245

I could go on and on. I'd much prefer these rarely used names to anything that has been tinkered with. Sophia will always be better than Sofeeya, even if it is the number one name in the country.

Above all else, remember that babies grow up to become a wide variety of people. What seems cute at the time may totally clash with who they become. For an extreme example (and some giggles) could you imagine this man named Braxxtyn or Gavynn or Loukas?

I would name him Isaac (not Izzak)

What do you think about this issue? Do you think it is fine that parents are running amok and refusing to use tried-and-true spellings? Do you think there should be some kind of baby-naming-movement that strongly, but lovingly, imposes correct spellings on new parents?  Where do YOU draw the line?

Let me know in the comment section below!

Boy Name of the Week: Alfie

I decided to choose the Name of the Week from the Top 1000 baby names chart from England/Wales in 2012. My choice is #7, Alfie.  England is big on nickname names which basically means names that end with -ie and have a longer, "proper form" as well.  In this case, Alfie comes from the name Alfred.

Derived from Old English, Alfred is composed of elements that mean "Elf Counsel".  This name dates back as far as Alfred the Great in the 9th-century, and probably farther. He was the King of Wessex who notoriously fought against the Danes living in northeastern England. Beyond that, he was a scholar who translated many Latin books into Old English.

The name Alfred became very rare by the end of the middle ages and wasn't revived until the 18th century. Another famous Alfred was Lord Tennyson, a British poet who lived from 1809-1892.

Alfred peaked in usage in the US in 1928 when 6,244 baby boys were born, ranking the name at #33. Since then it has gone downhill.  It seems to be in danger of falling off the top 1000 chart in the next couple years at the rate it is falling. It fell to #949 in 2012 with only 211 boys born.

Source

As for Alfie, it may be #7 in England, but here in the States, it is no where near the Top 1000.  With a mere 13 births in 2012, Alfie ranks in at a very unpopular #6271. The name has always been sporadically used. There are no births on record for 2002-2005, and it is even worse before then, except for a slight peak from 1966-1978.  Alfie first appeared in the US in 1917, but it was rarely used. In fact, there were only 44 Alfie's born between 1917 and 1949, and none again until that peak in 1966.

I would use the combo Alfie James because I think its adorable.  Other ideas include Alfie Richmond, Alfie Theodore, Alfie Sebastian and Alfie Thomas.

What do you think? Are you a fan of these nickname names? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Other Nickname Names: Archie, Charlie, Freddie, Jamie, Teddy, Willy / Ally, Betsy, Evie, Jackie, Katie, Millie, Nellie

Sisters: Alice, Caroline, Elizabeth, Genevieve, Josephine, Katherine, Marion, Rose, Tabitha
Brothers: Andrew, Arthur, Edward, Frederick, George, Henry, Jack, Matthew, Peter, Thomas

Middle Name Ideas:
Alfie Theodore
Alfie Jonathan
Alfie Logan
Alfie Benjamin
Alfie Warren

As a Middle Name:
Nathan Alfie
Wilfred Alfie
Vincent Alfie
William Alfie
Daniel Alfie

Top 1000 Baby Names in England/Wales for 2012

I am always fascinated by the top baby names in England/Wales too! Their population versus the population of the US is roughly 19:105. So to see such different numbers is fascinating. But even more interesting than the math is the completely different style of names that the Brits prefer.    Source.

Take a look at the Top 1000 baby names that are popular in England/Wales for the 2012 birth year!:

3 Girl Names: Similar Sound, Different Popularity

I love questions about popularity. I am always wondering if parents choose names because of how popular (or unpopular) they are. And with that, do they also avoid certain names because they're popular or unheard of?

The above poll focused on names that start with Isa-.  It is no secret that Isabella was the #1 name in 2009 and 2010 after seeming to come out of nowhere suddenly in the early 2000s. In fact, Isabella was rather obscure, not even on the top 1000 chart, between 1949 and 1990.

I didn't think to include Isabelle on the poll, but she's not nearly as popular as Isabella. That -a ending makes all the difference.  Isabelle ranked at #126 in 2012, while Isabella is #3.  Alternatively, Isabel ranked right behind Isabelle at #134. I wonder how many of you would have voted for Isabelle or Isabel.

What about other options that don't have a bell chained to it?

The lovely Isadora is my personal favorite. I would use this over Isabella any day! And the rare and unique Isabeau was the third option on the poll.

These three names have differing popularity on actual babies, but on The Art of Naming, there was one clear winner. Here are the poll results:

Isadora:  20 votes  (51%)

Isabella: 14 votes  (35%)

Isabeau:  5 votes (12%)

This tells me that most of you would prefer to be right in the middle of the popularity scale. Here is where the names ranked in 2012:

Isabella ranked at #3
Isadora ranked at #1497
Isabeau ranked at #10664

Isabella is the latinate (Spanish and Italian) version of Isabel which is the Medieval Occitan form of Elizabeth. This name works very well internationally, but the major draw to the name was influenced by the character in Twilight. The Bella nickname suddenly swept America as one of the most desirable. It means "pledged to God".

Isadora comes from Isidora which is the female form of the male name Isidore.  Isadora comes from Greek elements meaning "Gift of Isis".  As you can see above, Isadora is not even close to ranking in the US Top 1000. It wasn't used at all from 1958-1968, but it has been around since the 1880s, even ranking at a high of #654 in 1882. But that ranking only accounted for 9 births. I get the feeling this name will continue to slowly gain more usage over the next few years. There was a record 148 babies born last year with this name.  Read more about this name here.

Isabeau has only been used in the US since 1987.  There were only 10 girls given this name in 2012. The only information that I can find on this name says that it is an Old French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was the wife of the French King Charles VI, Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422) also known as Isabeau de Bavière.  Since Isabeau comes from Isabel, it also means "pledged to God" and would be an excellent alternative on the opposite end of the popularity spectrum. I sense that this may also gain a bit more usage in the near future, but I can't imagine it hitting the Top 1000 any time soon, if ever.

Which of these names do you like best?