Naming your baby is the first major decision you make for your babe, but how do you choose? Here, we share the baby names Parenting.com readers searched for most in 2012 and the baby name trends we’ll be seeing in 2013.
Top 10 Searched Baby Girl Names:
Top 10 Searched Baby Boy Names:
Top Picks
Isabella (Italian, God’s oath) and Jacob (Hebrew, supplanter, substitute) were the top baby names in 2011, and these classic names won’t soon lose their appeal. But there’s a new name in second place on the girls’ list: Millie (English, short of Millicent, Amelia, Camilla, Mildred), which ranked eighth last year. Max (Latin, short for Maximillan, Maxwell), the rising star in boys’ names, was in second place again this year and has become a celeb darling, chosen by Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez.
Plus: The Most Popular Baby Names of All Time
Golden Oldies
Names that you’d likely find in a retirement home are coming back, proving our grandparents, or at least their names, are still pretty cool. With Millie in second place for girls, accompanied by Ann, Ellie (English, short for Eleanor, Ellen Elaine) and Betty (English, short for Elizabeth), spunky grandma names are making a stylish comeback. Grandpa names are back, too, with Max, Ted (Greek, short for Theodore, Edward), Mo (English, short for Moses), Bertie and Gus (Latin, short for Augustus, Gustave, Angus) all in the top ten names for boys. And one of the most popular baby name lists this year? Grandparents’ Names that are Cool Again.
Plus: 20 Old-Fashioned Baby Names That are Back
Royal Baby Name Fever
If the 2011 royal wedding had an effect on baby name trends, with both Kate (English, pure) and William (English, German, protector) skyrocketing in popularity last year, then the yet-to-be-named royal baby certainly will make its mark. For a girl, many speculate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will go with Diana (Latin, divine); for a boy, they could potentially choose from one of William’s names (his full name: William Arthur Philip Louis).
