The experts at Belly Ballot, a social baby names website, have predicted the top 5 baby name trends for 2014. Find out which names are going to be most popular among new parents this year and which names are falling on the popularity scale.
The year 2013 was a banner year for outrageous baby names, but 2014 is shaping up to be the year that pushes the boundaries of what was previously considered “normal.”
Gone are the vogue of names ending in “den,” such as Brayden, Jayden, Aiden, and the like, as well as the “x” madness that brought us Axl and Xander.
As parents strive to distinguish their children from peers, social baby naming website Belly Ballot is predicting some shocking New Year’s trends. The site collects real-time data on what names parents are selecting from around the globe. Based on naming data from more than 3,500 parents, along with 25,000 votes from their friends and family, the site has released the following predictions for the 2014 New Year.
“We’ve been seeing strong naming trends for upcoming 2014 babies,” says Belly Ballot editor Lucie Strachonova. “Distinctiveness is paramount. It’s an exciting time to see so much variety and we can’t wait to see how things turn out.”
Unconventional Spellings
Unusual and borderline eccentric spellings have become the simplest way to be distinctive. The names are still traditional in their pronunciation, yet extremely unique in their spellings. Rules of grammar and morphology aside, this is a perfect fusion for parents who don’t want to stand out but still want to give their child a name with a modern twist.
As a way of breaking from stereotype, parents choose Izak, Karder, Riyan, Kooper, Mykel, Emhily, BrookeLynn, or Meeya.
It’s All About Show Business
Every year there are new TV shows, movie blockbusters, and celebrity babies that serve as inspiration for parents choosing a name for their child. We saw it when Twilight Saga’s Isabella became the most popular feminine given name in the U.S. a few years ago, when Aria from ABC’s Pretty Little Liars skyrocketed from absolute zero popularity to one of the most favorite, and when Addison switched from a boy’s to a girl’s name thanks to the attractive and intelligent Dr. Addison Montgomery on ABC’s Private Practice. Some 2014 favorites will be Hayley and Camille from vampire craze The Originals, Piper from Orange Is the New Black, Ichabod and Katrina from the new TV series Sleepy Hollow. As for celebrity babies, odds are in favor of Milan (Shakira’s baby boy), Lincoln (Kristen Bell’s son), Everly (daughter of Channing Tatum), or Autumn (Jennifer Love Hewitt’s newborn).
Hispanic Is Caliente
Hispanic names are more and more popular, and not only with the Latino parents. With the rise in the Latino community in the United States, an increasing number of white couples are giving their children Hispanic names. The main reason seems to be the expectation that their children will assimilate more easily in the society, where Latino culture might prevail later on in their lives. They might not appear among the first 10 most popular names in the U.S., but there’s no doubt their popularity will expand within the next decade.
Names such as Lola, Maria, Carmen, Sierra, Ernesto, Diego, Santos, Miguel, or Luis are likely to soar.
Return to the Bible
Who wouldn’t like to go back to old traditions at some point? After a few years of experimenting, parents are restoring old customs to regain the essence of religious values — welcome Isaac and Naomi! Biblical names are nothing new under the sun. Names like Jacob, Michael, and Noah have been scoring high in the popularity ranks for years, but the surge of other, previously less frequent Biblical names is about to hit in 2014.
Look out for Caleb, Levi, Luke, Isaiah, Naomi, Shiloh, or Judith.
Mythological Names
The trend of going back to Biblical names is complemented by parents going even further in history, choosing names from Ancient Mythology. One of the greatest perks of these names is the fact that despite being ancient, they have that mystique and exotic uniqueness parents often seek.
For example: Luna, Camilla, Gaia, Tristan, Damon, or Thor.
