Trendy American baby names

Are you looking for a trendy American baby name for your girl or boy? Parents turn to baby name books, websites and more in search of the perfect name for their tots. But sometimes the best inspiration comes from entertainment that makes them laugh, cry and rejoice. Perhaps that’s why popular sports teams, movies and television shows can start new trends in American baby names.

There are two types of American baby names — popular names with staying power and trendy names inspired by current entertainment or events. You will find a variety of baby names, from popular to unique, in this group. For instance, Sarah has been in the top 20 baby names in the United States for at least the last 25 years. That’s a name that’s not just popular, but lasting. Other names however come and go, like the alternate spelling Jordin, made popular by Jordin Sparks’ American Idol win a few years ago. It hit the top 1000 name list, as ranked by the Social Security Administration, for the first time in 2007.

Most popular Baby Names

A recent study released earlier this year by researchers Jonah Berger and Gael LeMens said that trendy names that grow in popularity the fastest are the ones that lose popularity the fastest as well. That bodes well for the many classic names that make up the top 10 most popular names in the United States for 2008 (the most recent year for which data is available).

The Social Security Administration tracks the most popular names for babies each year. These are what they said were the top ten in 2008.

Top 10 names for girls:

1. Emma
2. Isabella
3. Emily
4. Madison
5. Ava
6. Olivia
7. Sophia
8. Abigail
9. Elizabeth
10. Chloe

Top 10 names for boys:

1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Ethan
4. Joshua
5. Daniel
6. Alexander
7. Anthony
8. William
9. Christopher
10. Matthew

Check out the entire top 100 baby name list for boys and girls from the Social Security Administration here!

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