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Top baby names for 2009
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(ARA) -What's in a name? A lot - as any parents who have ever agonized over what to name their new bundle of joy can tell you. Choosing a name for your child is serious business, because it's something he'll carry for the rest of his life and many people will make inferences about who he is based on his name.
In 2009, parents continued to embrace a mix of classic and contemporary names, as Parents.com's list of the best baby names reveals. And while the rest of the list was full of surprises, the top two names from 2008 maintained their hold. For boys, Aidan ranked No. 1 for the third year running. Isabella, and variations Isabel and Bella, topped the girl's list for the second straight year.
Popular culture, it seems, continues to heavily influence what parents chose to name their newborns, notes Melissa Inman, executive editor of Parents.com.
"One of the biggest cultural phenomena of the last decade, Sex in the City, is back in theaters this year and is as hot as ever as far as names are concerned," says Inman. "Both of Sarah Jessica Parker's names are in the top 20 - Nos. 16 and 17, respectively. Her character, Carrie's, noble, fan-favorite-ex Aidan is still holding the No. 1 spot on the boy's list. And pal Charlotte's name popped into our top 50 for the first time.
"Gothic, angsty, and hopelessly romantic, the bestselling Twilight series seems to be having some influence on our names list," she adds. "Isabella is the No. 1 name, again, and Edward continues to climb, missing the top 50 male names, but still in the top 100. Villainess Victoria showed up at No. 53. And the movie's actors, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson, both have names in our top 50."
The top 10 most popular baby boy names were:
1. Aidan
2. Jayden/Jaden
3. Michael
4. Jacob
5. Ethan
6. Andrew
7. Caden
8. James
9. Joshua
10. Matthew
The top 10 most popular baby girl names were:
1. Isabella/Isabel/Bella
2. Emily
3. Elizabeth
4. Ava
5. Olivia
6. Chloe
7. Emma
8. Madison
9. Abigail
10. Arianna
Plenty of parents try to encourage their children's musical talents by signing them up for KinderMusik. But some go the extra mile and give their new baby a musically inclined name. Some honor a famous musician - like Aaliyah (No. 29 for girls) or Taylor Swift (No. 40 for girls), indie darlings like Tegan and Sara (Nos. 31 and 16) or Liam Finn (No. 29 on the boys' list). Others go for a name that's been honored in song, like Elvis Costello's Allison (No. 43) or Layla (No. 37) by Eric Clapton, Inman says.
A number of names on both lists have religious roots. On the boys' side, there's Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Gabriel. On the girls' list, Sarah, Leah, Rebecca and Elizabeth all have associations with faith.
"If you were born in the '70s or '80s, you likely had plenty of Jessicas, Melissas and Amys in your classes growing up," says Inman. "Well, new moms seem to be creating new traditions for girls. Jennifer (No. 34) was up slightly from last year, but Amy and Melissa failed to crack our top 50 girl names. Meanwhile, top boys names from that time, Michael, Christopher and Matthew, are all still in the top 15."
"A number of names joined our top 50 lists for the first time," she adds. "On the girl's side, Kayla, Lily, Savannah and Adeline are all new. The boys had an even bigger number of shake-ups, with Austin, Evan, London, Brayden, Gabriel, Justin, Jason and Charles joining the list."
Parents.com also maintains a Baby Name Finder on its Web site that enables parents to search for unique baby names and their meanings.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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