Britney Spears’s son Jayden boasts the most popular male baby name in New York. (
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Moe than 30 New York infants share their first name with Suri Cruise. (WireImage)
Forget consulting a baby book when it comes to naming your child. These days, parents are far more likely to crack open Us Weekly.
Judging by the list of 2009’s most popular local baby names, released last week by the city’s health department, pop culture is a major inspiration in naming a newborn. Parents are turning to actors, musicians and sports figures for ideas. (Luckily, they’ve so far had enough good sense to abstain from saddling a child with “Ol’ Dirty Bastard.”)
“One thing this shows is that people need to be attracted to the name on its own merits, and also need to find some meaning or inspiration — often in the personality who inspired it,” says Pamela Satran, co-author of “The Baby Name Bible.”
Are these celeb tributes a good idea? Maybe, maybe not.
“Parents who are afraid of choosing a name that’s going to get too popular should steer clear of pop culture names,” Satran warns. “Malia [No. 73 on the NYC list] may seem exotic and unusual right now, but the fame of the first daughter will make it much more widely used.”
“People who choose names just because they like the way it sounds have to know it has consequence for their kids,” says David Figlio, an education and economics professor at Northwestern University who has studied the effects names have on children.
For example, Figlio has found that boys who are given names also associated with girls (such as Leslie, for example) tend to be more disruptive in school. Girls with more feminine names (NYC’s most popular girl’s name, Isabella, is “off the charts” feminine, he says) tend to tilt their studies toward the humanities, while girls with more androgynous names (Jordan, say), are more likely to earn degrees in math or science.
So what happens when you name your kid after someone on “Jersey Shore”? We’ll probably know in 18 years. In the meantime, here are some of the pop culture-inspired names that made the city’s list and where they rank in popularity (boys and girls ranked separately).
* With a nod to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s adopted daughter, the parents of 15 local newborn girls chose Zahara (No. 145). Good luck explaining to Angelina that she can’t actually have your child.
* Satran says, “Sometimes a name may seem too closely tied to one personality to become widely adopted, but then when it’s used for a second famous person, parents feel it’s safe to use it for their own child.” Scarlett (No. 104) was once associated with Scarlett O’Hara. Now Scarlett Johansson makes it cool.
* Get these babies some platinum cards. Chanel clocks in at No. 139 for girls, Dior at No. 148 and Armani at No. 150 for boys.
* Phil Collins finally gets the tribute he doesn’t deserve. Genesis ranked as the 43rd most popular name for girls.
* America’s most adorable li’l Scientologist got props from city parents with 32 newborn girls named Suri (No. 128), recalling Tom and Katie’s robot offspring birthed from a space volcano.
* Last year in New York, Usher (No. 158) was a more popular boy’s name than Alec, Jeff and Neil. Usher even topped Elvis (No. 161). Talk about Heartbreak Hotel.
* The 10 babies named Gisele (No. 150), perhaps after Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bundchen, wish they could talk so they could tell their parents how fat that damn onesie makes them look.
* Just like Britney Spears, 880 sets of NYC parents named their boy Jayden (No. 1), y’all. Alternatively, Jaden (No. 61), the name of the celeb offspring of Will and Jada Smith, didn’t get as much love.
* Prince, the name of Michael Jackson’s oldest child, ranks No. 127. Blanket, Jacko’s youngest (no surprise here) didn’t make the list at all.
* Baby Denzels (No. 162), you’ve got about 18 years to work on your Oscar speech. You better start by thanking Denzel Washington, or he will come for you.
* Nic Cage named his boy Kal-El after Superman. NYC parents opted for a more tasteful superhero tribute: Logan (No. 76 for boys, No. 149 for girls), the name of Hugh Jackman’s buff Wolverine in “X-men.”
* The Knicks stink, but that evidently hasn’t diminished interest in the NBA around here. Kobe (No. 171) lost at the buzzer to Amare (No. 170).
* The 46 babies named Kimora (No. 115), presumably after Kimora Lee Simmons, were born with an extra layer of baby phat.
* Just like on her TV show, Miley (No. 112) Cyrus was less popular than her alter ego, Hannah (No. 41).
* Thirsty? Fanta (No. 150 for girls)
* Oh snap! Rihanna (No. 107) makes the list, Beyoncé doesn’t.
* Better luck next year. Of the top 50 names, these plunged the most in popularity from ’08 to ’09:
* Jaden, from No. 48 to No. 61
* Jennifer, from No. 47 to No. 60.