Baby Names - Hot or Not?

I wouldn't say that I'm OVERLY interested in names, but I have always been curious about what people are naming their kids nowadays.  Some people actually get OBSESSED with names and it's a hobby.  For me, I just like to check the list each year to see what new names are added.

Each year, lists are published which show the most popular names so I thought I would share the most popular names so far in 2013.  I used a variety of sources and according to BabyCenter, one of the most popular pregnancy/baby sites, here are the Top 20 names (in order) :

1. Liam - Emma
2. Noah - Olivia
3. Ethan - Sophia
4. Mason - Ava
5. Jacob - Isabella
6. Jack - Mia
7. Lica - Emily
8. Jackson - Charlotte
9. Logan - Amelia
10. Aiden - Abigail
11. Benjamen - Ella
12. James - Lilly
13. William - Madison
14. Oliver - Chloe
15. Elijah - Avery
16. Alexander - Harper
17. Michael - Sophia
18. Jayden - Hannah
19. Luke - Addison
20. Daniel - Grace

Now, let's do a recap of 2012.  Some 2013 names are on the list, however, others have obviously moved down the rank and are no longer in the Top 20 today

1. Liam - Emma
2. Ethan - Olivia
3. Noah - Sophia
4. Mason - Ava
5. Jacob - Isabella
6. Jack - Mia
7. Aiden - Ella
8. Logan - Emily
9. Jackson - Lily
10. Lucas - Chloe
11. Jayden - Madison
12. William - Abigail
13. Benjamin - Amelia
14. Ryan - Charlotte
15. James - Avery
16. Michael - Harper
17. Alexander - Addison
18. Elijah - Sofia
19. Matthew - Grace
20. Daniel - Hannah

Looking at another source, the tally is a bit different, but many of the same names have similar ranks:

I know everyone has their own taste with names, but I would probably have a nameless child if  a) it came down to resorting to the Top 3 Baby Names due to lack of creativity or b) I had to make up a name.  I cannot believe some names people choose for their children that they will be stuck with forever.   I don't know what is worse - having a super trendy name that tells everyone you were born between 2005-2010 because there were ten million "Olivia's" OR having a completely made-up name that sounds like you drew syllables from a hat.   When someone had the bright idea to name their kid Aiden, it evolved.  Jayden? Cayden? Brayden? Zaden? Javen? Raven? Maven? Crayzen?   You may have not heard of all those, but trust me....they are already out there or are coming soon to a town near you.

IF I were forced to, I would be much more likely to choose a classic name, even if it happens to be popular at the time.  I don't think you can go wrong with biblical or more traditional names because you won't see Matthew, Mark, Luke or John hiding in the corner because of their made up name....it will be little baby Crayzen Elixir all because his mom wanted to name her son something "different."  Yeah, it sounds "different" alright.

Here are some popular biblical and more classic names to consider:

• Aaron - Abigail
• Adam - Anna
• Alexander - Maria
• Benjamin - Hannah
• Daniel - Catherine
• Eli - Elizabeth
• Ethan - Isabel
• Jacob - Naomi
• Jared - Mary
• Joshua - Leah
• George - Julia
• Matthew - Katherine
• Nathan - Rachel
• Noah - Rebecca
• Samuel - Sarah
• Zachary - Jane

I'm not a huge fan of the many of the above names for first names, but nearly all of them would make excellent middle names.

How about you?  What do you think will be popular in the upcoming year?

I am SO thankful that the couple names I have in mind are not in the top 20.  In scrolling down the entire Top 50 lists, I do see my favorite boy name (which I cannot disclose) towards the bottom and hopeful it will not move up the ranks too much.  The primary girl name I like (probably for a middle name) isn't on the list at all so here's to them both not becoming trendy and popular within the next couple years!