BABYCENTER^® REVEALS TOP BABY NAMES OF 2014

“This year’s list shows Jackson has staying power and is not a one-hit wonder, and Sophia is arguably the Jennifer of its generation with five consecutive number one spots. It’s clearly entered the baby name hall of fame,” said Linda Murray, BabyCenter Global Editor in Chief.

As for what inspires parents to pick a baby name, TV has become a dominating factor. Nearly 20 percent of moms surveyed found inspiration from TV-show characters and 16 percent looked to actors and actresses for great baby name ideas.

“This is the year of the binge-watching baby name,” said Murray. “When you spend 16 hours in one weekend binge-watching your favorite series, you can’t help but fall in love with the characters’ names. The correlation between trending baby names and trending binge-watch shows is undeniable.”

Additionally, the survey provided insights on baby names and social sharing. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed used social media/technology to announce their baby’s name. Facebook is the preferred media for sharing names (58 percent), ahead of offline methods such as in person conversations (50 percent) and phone calls (45 percent). Forty-four percent shared their baby’s name through social media immediately after the baby’s birth or after deciding to announce it.

Based on the names of more than 406,000 babies born in 2014 to moms registered on the BabyCenter website, BabyCenter’s Top 100 Baby Names list combines names that sound the same but have different spellings, making it a true measure of baby name popularity. The website also conducts its Baby Names Survey each year, talking directly to new and expecting parents about their baby name decisions and diving deep into the psychology and trends surrounding baby naming.

Top 10 Baby Names of 2014

The hottest baby name trends of 2014

The Netflix Effect
Several House of Cards character names showed an increase since 2013, including Garrett (up 16 percent), Claire (up 14 percent), Zoe (up 13 percent), and Remy (up 11 percent). Both Frank (up 19 percent) and Francis (up 5 percent) jumped in popularity. Interestingly, in addition to Robin Wright’s character’s name (Claire) jumping in the ranks, both Robin (up 12 percent) and Wright (up 65 percent) saw significant gains.

Not to be outdone, Orange Is the New Black character names skyrocketed in popularity, including Galina (up 67 percent), Nicky (up 35 percent), Piper (up 28 percent), Larry (up 28 percent), and Dayanara (up 19 percent).

The names of both Netflix cofounders also increased – with Marc (Randolph) rising 15 percent and Reed (Hastings) jumping 11 percent.

Southern Style
Nashville is one of the most loved shows, and now many of the names from the series are skyrocketing in popularity. Luke saw the greatest gain, jumping 44 percent, followed by Avery (up 25 percent), Deacon (up 22 percent), Daphne (up 15 percent), Gunnar (up 14 percent), and Scarlett (up 13 percent).

And, while her character’s name (Juliette) is on the decline, moms still love Hayden Panettiere. The name Hayden rose 23 percent.

Additionally, Southern-style names are increasing in popularity, including Tennessee (up 61 percent for boys and 8 percent for girls), Macon (up 29 percent), Virginia (up 21 percent), Charlotte (up 19 percent), Raleigh (up 11 percent), and Austin (up 11 percent). Even Nash increased by nearly 10 percent!

The Shonda Rhimes Effect
Shonda Rhimes isn’t only the creative force behind many of moms’ favorite TV dramas – she’s also influencing baby names. Across the board, names from Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder increased in popularity.

Grey’s Anatomy names include Arizona (up 35 percent), Callie (up 30 percent), Miranda (up 15 percent), and Owen (up 14 percent). And of course, Jackson is this year’s number one boys’ name!

Scandal names include Fitzgerald (up 56 percent), Huck (up 44 percent), and Cyrus (up 13 percent). Not to mention, Olivia is the third-most-popular girls’ name. Additionally, the names of the actors are on the rise, including Bellamy (up 28 percent), Jeff (up 25 percent), Scott (up 25 percent), Darby (up 18 percent), and Guillermo (up 18 percent).

Even newcomer How to Get Away With Murder is making an impact: Annalise and Connor jumped 5 percent while Asher and Rebecca also saw small gains. This is one to watch in 2015!

Surprisingly, Shonda herself hasn’t enjoyed the same name notoriety. Not a single baby in our database was named Shonda this year.

Frozen
It turns out Frozen isn’t just for kids – the creative, strong character names are giving moms some fresh, new baby-name options. The biggest influences are Elsa (up 29 percent), Duke (up 29 percent), and Hans (up 19 percent). Anna, already a popular name, is holding steady. Although there were no baby girls named Idina in BabyCenter’s 2013 database, this year, there’s one little Idina.

Derek Jeter
Are moms hoping for a future hall of famer? The Captain’s goodbye tour clearly had an effect on moms’ naming choices this year. Jeter increased 82 percent while Derek jumped 10 spots (up 4 percent).

Destination Names
Parents are flocking to destination names this year. Names traveling up include Everest (up 70 percent for boys and 21 percent for girls), Verona (up 58 percent), Bronx (up 34 percent), Aspen (up 33 percent), Cairo (up 41 percent), Persia (up 16 percent), Kenya (up 16 percent), Egypt (up 15 percent), Israel (up 14 percent), and Boston (up 10 percent). In fact, 1 in 4 of those undecided on a name said they might choose the name of a place they associate with special memories.

For more information on BabyCenter’s Top 100 Baby Names of 2014, a complete list of trends, and online tools for finding your ideal baby name, please visit: http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names.

Information is also available on the top names of the year in Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

About BabyCenter^® LLC
BabyCenter^® is the voice of the 21^st Century Mom^® and modern motherhood. It’s the #1 pregnancy and parenting digital destination worldwide, reaching more than 40 million moms monthly in 11 languages across 14 owned and operated properties from Australia to India to China. In the United States, 7 in 10 babies born last year were BabyCenter babies. BabyCenter is the world’s partner in parenting, providing moms everywhere with trusted advice from hundreds of experts around the globe, friendship with other moms like them, and support that’s remarkably right at every stage of their child’s development. BabyCenter also works with some of the world’s most prominent brands and institutions to provide life-stage marketing solutions and a direct line to highly engaged moms. BabyCenter established a Global Giving Program and partners with esteemed organizations to help make motherhood safer for all women. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

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