The Top 16 Trending Baby Names of 2012

We're just over a quarter of the way into 2012 and Nameberry has just released their list of the top 16 trending names for the year. Surprisingly, none of the names that made the list so far were names that were predicted to be frontrunners for 2012. Sadly, but not particularly surprisingly, the top names of the year have many connections to pop culture and celebrities. That being said, this data has been collected based on the number of page views that each individual name page has received in the first quarter of the year on Nameberry and is not actually a reflection of the names legally given to children in the first quarter of 2012. Some of them will be familiar and others not so much.

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Top Names of 2012

Rue

Emmett, Everett, and Beckett

Ivy

Weston, Wesley, and West

Adele

Grayson and Gray

Aria

Cyrus

Estelle

Cato

Blythe

Now clearly, some of the origins of these names are quite obvious, but others are a bit harder to understand and if you want to know why the names seem to be trending, check out Nameberry's explanations.

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I believe that parents should be able to name their children just about anything they want, but I fear that when people follow trends in names, that they will regret their choice. There's only so many times that it's fun to say for you and your child to answer that they were indeed named after a stellar vocalist or tween star with an alter ego. I've said before and I'll say it again that the best way to choose a name is to go with a name that you've loved for a long time or has a special meaning to you. Don't worry about whether other people are going to like your favorite name (although it is important to consider any nicknames that might come of it) as long as it's near and dear to your own heart.

Sure, you can always change your child's name after the fact, but it's kind of hassle and as a new parent you'll barely be able to find the time to shower, never mind to run around and change legal names on all your documents.

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