Who needs baby name books when you’ve got Us Weekly and People magazines laying around? A few weeks ago, we had a hunch that the most popular baby names would mirror the big monikers in pop culture, but now it’s confirmed!
The U.S. Social Security Administration has released the list of 2011’s most popular baby names and there are celebrity influences for girls and boys alike. The names topping the list will be familiar as either pop culture’s biggest celebrities or well-known characters in instant cult classics.
It’s a long-standing tradition in history that babies are frequently named after the people making headlines at the time, and 2011 was no exception. Maybe not every parent who chose these names had a celebrity in mind, but it would be quite a coincidence that the most popular names are names we hear in tabloids all the time. Take a look at the list below for the top five most popular names and their ties to pop culture.
1. Jacob tops the list for most popular boy’s name. Does Jacob Black ring a bell? The lovable werewolf from “Twilight.” For girls, the top choice is Sophia, a common name for bombshells throughout history, from Sophia Loren, to our modern day favorite Sofia Vergara.
2. Mason is next in line as most popular for boys, probably made famous by Mason Disick, TV tot son of famous parents Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick. Isabella is the second most popular girls name and could be an influence from another “Twilight” character, Bella Swan, the leading lady.
3. It’s no surprise William makes the list. Prince William was, after all, the world’s favorite groom of 2011. The name Emma for girls frequently graces the pages of magazines for celebrities like Emma Stone, Emma Watson and Emma Roberts.
4. The name Jayden was made popular by two two celebrity kids: Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Smitth, and Britney Spears’ son Jayden James. Girl’s name Olivia made a comeback in 2011, possibly thanks to famous gals like Olivia Wilde and Olivia Munn.
5. While Noah is a traditional Biblical name, it can’t help bring back memories of our favorite character from “The Notebook.” Celebrity parents like Reese Witherspoon set the trend the rest of the country is just now picking up on when she gave the rather vintage name Ava to her own daughter a few years ago.
And the rest of the boring, non-famous names that round out the top 10 list:
6. Michael, Emily
7. Ethan, Abigail
8. Alexander, Madison
9. Aiden, Mia
10. Daniel, Chloe
