Top names of 2008
Boy names Wmffre Aiden Jayden Dylan James Gavin Benjamin Caleb Nathan Jack Andrew Matthew Ethan John Christian Jacob Joseph Alexander Max Gabriel Noah Ryan Oliver Liam Daniel Michael Logan Barack William Nicholas Jackson Luke Lucas Elijah David Tyler Christopher Mason Miles Joshua Anthony Henry Owen Carson Charles Connor Samuel Thomas Aidan Leighton	Girl names Ella Grace Emma Elizabeth Avery Lorelei Riley Rory Eithne Ava Chloe Isabella Emily Olivia Anna Amelia Lily Madeline Abigail Madison Mirabella Sophia Charlotte Aurora Madeleine Sarah Mary Caroline Jennifer Belle Claire Alice Bella Mia Julia Rose Hannah Jane Miley Rachel Leah Rebecca Saria Anastasia Natalie Maria Sienna Lucy Genevieve Addison

Know any kids named Wmffre or Eithne? No? Well, you might soon!

In 2008, Parenting.com readers responded to our exclusive collection of unique, international names by bucking the national trends. Of more than 3,000,000 Baby Names searches on our site, surprise hits mingled with beloved standbys in our top 100 most popular Baby Names.

Notable newbies: Wmffre, Eithne

A few lyrical, oddball names on our list may require their own pronunciation keys. Wmffre (variation of Humphrey, German, peaceful, pronounced OOM-fre) was our blue ribbon winner on the boys' names list. Endearing Eithne (Irish, fairy, pronounced ITH-nee) came in 9th place on the girls' list.

Celeb Hits: Bella, Jayden, Miley, Leighton

Keep an eye on Bella (Latin, beautiful), rising up at 33rd place. The name of the Twilight vampire series's heroine could make some climb up even further in 2009. Britney Spears made a comeback this year -- and so did her younger son's baby name. Jayden (Hebrew, God has heard) made 3rd place on the boys' side. And despite the kerfuffle with her Vanity Fair photo shoot, smiley Miley (American, short for Milo or Miles) has still got some juice at #39. And 50th place boy's name Leighton (English, from the meadow) is a new mover whose popularity we can probably attribute to Gossip Girl Queen Bee Leighton Meester.

Election Mania: Barack, Sarah, Rahm

Our president-elect's first name, the strong Barack (Hebrew, lightning bolt), made the top 100, landing at a respectable #28. Classic girl's name Sarah (Hebrew, princess) continued to charm parents at #26, but the unique names of Governor Palin's children (Bristol, Track, Willow, Piper and Trig) did not. Though it didn't make our most popular list, we did see a bump in search traffic to the name Rahm (Hebrew, short for Abraham) after the appointment of Obama's new chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel.

Predictions for 2009:

• Twilight fans raise Edward (English, prosperous guardian) from the dead -- or at least catapult the tortured hero's name into the top 100.
• In light of the rough times, names like Hope (English, faith, wishing), Faith (English, belief), and other uplifting names will buoy new parents' spirits.
• Harlow (after Harlow Winter Kate, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's daughter) makes the top 100 list...
• ...while Bronx (like Bronx Mowgli, son of Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson) does not.
• Roy (French, king), Eliot (Hebrew, the Lord is my God), Bernard (German, brave as a bear), and other political scandal names take a nosedive.

If you're still searching for the perfect name, check out our full baby names search and baby names lists.