What is the Right Name for Your Baby?
BabyCenter, a leading pregnancy and parenting mobile and web destination worldwide, has released the results of its annual Baby Names Survey and the Top 100 Baby Names of 2011.
Based on the names of 300,000 babies born in 2011 to moms registered on the BabyCenter website, Aiden tops the boys’ list for the seventh consecutive year while Sophia holds tight to the lead for girls for the second year in a row.
Pop culture and celebrity-inspired names from around the globe are making a mark on this year’s list, while sports and political figures are also a baby-naming muse.
“When it comes to baby names, close to 2 out of 5 moms find inspiration among famous people and celebrities,” said Linda Murray, BabyCenter global editor-in-chief. “Whether it’s the royal family or fist-pumping reality show stars, we’re seeing more and more pop culture influence throughout our Baby Names list each year.”
BabyCenter’s Top 100 Baby Names list combines names that sound the same but have different spellings, making it a true measure of baby name popularity. The website also conducts its Baby Names Survey every year, talking directly to parents about their baby name decisions and diving deep into the psychology and trends surrounding baby naming.
BabyCenter’s survey reveals interesting insights, including that mobile is playing a larger and larger role in baby naming. Nearly half (47 percent) of moms used their mobile phone to decide on a name, up 40 percent compared with last year; half of moms revealed their child’s name to friends and family using their mobile phone (52 percent); and 2 in 5 moms shared their baby’s name on a social networking site within minutes or hours of giving birth.
Top Baby Names of 2011
Girls Boys
Sophia Aiden
Emma Jackson
Isabella Mason
Olivia Liam
Ava Jacob
Lily Jayden
Chloe Ethan
Madison Noah
For more information on BabyCenter’s Top 100 Baby Names of 2011, a complete list of trends, and online tools for finding your ideal baby name, visit babycenter.com/special-report-baby-names.
With 1 in 4 babies in the United States born to Hispanic moms, BabyCenter also did a deep dive into top baby names, influences, and trends among the Hispanic population, revealing that Hispanics also find inspiration in current events, sports figures, fashion, and Latino pop culture.
The results can be found on BabyCenter en Español, which offers parenting content in Spanish for U.S. Hispanic moms. For a list of the top 100 Hispanic baby names, visit espanol.babycenter.com/pregnancy/nombres/populares-2011.
Photo courtesy: BabyCenter
