Hottest Baby Names of 2013
What do Miley Cyrus, Prince George of Cambridge, and the down-home Duck Dynasty clan have in common? They're all influencing our baby-naming choices, according to BabyCenter. The online pregnancy and parenting resource released its annual list of top 100 baby names and hottest naming trends on Tuesday.
After her jaw-dropping performance at the Video Music Awards, you wouldn't think Miley Cyrus would be a hit with parents. But Miley just won't stop - her name bumped up 16 spots, or 3 percent, to settle at number 459 on BabyCenter's list. And sweet Prince George (the son of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) sent his classic name up 10 percent for boys, landing at number 107.
Meanwhile, the close-knit Robertson family, stars of the hit reality series Duck Dynasty, sparked a baby name boom. Korie rose a whopping 89 percent, or 13,262 spots, to land at number 1563 on BabyCenter's girls' list. Family patriarch Phil's name soared 32 percent, or 860 spots, on the boys' list and his brother Silas (Uncle Si) went up 15 percent to land at number 112. Duck Commander CEO Willie also climbed up the boys' list.
There were some serious smackdowns on this year's top 10 list. Jackson fought his way up to claim the number 1 boy's name, ending Aiden's eight-year reign. Emily came out fighting and knocked Madison out of the top 10. Sophia remains the champ on the girls' list.
Top 10 girls' names of 2013
1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Isabella
5. Mia
6. Ava
7. Lily
8. Zoe
9. Emily
10. Chloe
> See the top 100 girls' names
Top 10 boys' names of 2013
1. Jackson
2. Aiden
3. Liam
4. Lucas
5. Noah
6. Mason
7. Jayden
8. Ethan
9. Jacob
10. Jack
BabyCenter's unique list draws from the names of 555,000 babies born to parents registered on the site in 2013. To measure true popularity in its rankings, BabyCenter combines names that sound the same but have different spellings (such as Sophia and Sofia, Jackson and Jaxon).
Top baby name dropouts
The top 10 girls' names didn't budge an inch, with one huge exception: After over a decade in the top 10 (climbing as high as number 2 in 2002, 2004, and 2006), Madison tumbled to number 12, elbowed out by Emily. As for the boys, a few names traded places but they all held on to their membership in the elite top 10. A bit lower on the boys' name list, a few didn't fare so well: Joseph, Tyler, and Zachary fell out of the top 50 boys' names. Tyler and Zachary as a pair slid from positions 44 and 45, respectively, to positions 57 and 58.
The hottest baby name trends of 2013
From a royal baby and a duck-calling family to funny guys on late-night TV to the not-so-innocent ladies on HBO's Girls, here's what drove the hottest baby name trends of the year.
All hail George
The royal baby arrived in July to proud parents Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and he's already had an impact on parents' naming choices. The name George climbed 10 percent to number 107 for boys and - in a nontraditional twist - is up 37 percent for baby girls!
Variations on the name for girls and boys, including Georgia, Georgina, and Giorgio, also rose higher on BabyCenter's baby name lists. Interestingly, George fell out of the top 10 this year on the BabyCentre United Kingdom baby names list.
Duck Dynasty reigns supreme
The Duck Dynasty clan's down-home high jinks proved highly entertaining: The show broke ratings records this year to become the most-watched nonfiction series in cable history. The family made a big splash in baby names, too. Korie rose a whopping 89 percent, or 13,262 spots, to land at number 1563 on BabyCenter's girls' list. Family patriarch Phil's name soared 32 percent, or 860 spots, on the boys' list. Silas (Uncle Si) went up 15 percent to land at number 112. Duck Commander CEO Willie also climbed the ranks of the boys' list.
HBO's Girls are a hit
The HBO series is on fire, and so are the names of several of the show's leading ladies. Marnie is up 62 percent, or 3,286 spots, on BabyCenter's girls' list. Shoshanna, the sweet but neurotic friend played by Zosia Mamet went up 67 percent. What about Lena Dunham, Girls' creator and star? The name Lena jumped 26 percent to number 247 on the girls' list - no surprise, considering that this talented 27-year-old writer and director won two Golden Globe awards this year.
Funny guys
Who doesn't want their kid to have a good sense of humor? It looks like some new parents are trying to stack the deck by naming their baby boys after successful comedians. Alec (think Baldwin) jumped 12 percent, or 51 spots, on BabyCenter's boys' list. Fred (like Armisen) went up 7 percent. Other funny guys are also killing it on the boys' list: Jimmy (Kimmel or Fallon), Jason (Sudeikis), Vincent (Vince Vaughn), and Stephen (Stephen Merchant from the breakout HBO hit Hello Ladies).
> See the 9 hottest naming trends of the year
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