It’s 2017, gang, and nothing is what we’d expected. When it comes to popular baby names, it’s out with the new and in with the classics. According to Nameberry, a unique platform devoted to baby-naming and beyond, the most popular boy and girl names have taken their cues from the past.
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Out of 1,000 names submitted this year, Olivia tops the list for girls for the second year in a row. Did you know that Olivia is a Shakespearean name that also means “olive tree” in Latin? Olivia is also the name of two pretty badass women in pop culture who are perpetually fighting the good fight (see: Olivia Benson on Law & Order SVU and Olivia Pope on Scandal… jussayin).
As for the boys, the sleeper hit Atticus — another Latin name — takes the top spot. Atticus is also the name of a noble persona and possibly the most famous fictitious lawyer of all time: Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s iconic book, To Kill a Mockingbird.
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While the name Olivia moved from second to first place within a year, Atticus ranked as the 360th most popular name in 2016. Why the massive jump? It’s anyone’s guess. The name likely got placed back on our radars after Lee’s book, Go Set a Watchman — a To Kill a Mockingbird follow-up — was released in 2015. Or, you know, maybe 2017 parents are simply setting their kids up for a life of fighting racism and standing up for what’s right. One can hope.
Other honorable mentions on Nameberry’s 2017 list include Cora, Amelia, Charlotte and Isla for girls. Asher, Jack, Theodore and Jasper make up the rest of the top five for boys.
Does this mean our obsession with weird Game of Thrones baby names has peaked?
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