Why You Can Do Better Than a TOP TEN BABY NAME

There are totally certain subjects smart bloggers should never touch with a ten foot pole... And this is definitely one of them! So why am I poking this topic with a 1" stick? Because no one ever said I was a smart blogger... DUH! ALSO, this is my 100th blog post- therefore I decided a little controversy was in order... to keep things jazzy!

The guys over at Wait But Why wrote an amazing piece on baby naming a couple months back that had me giddy and giggling the entire time I read it... They NAILED IT. And everyone I know read it and agreed with its awesomeness. This post will be much less statistical and much more opinion oriented- I'm not trying to compete with perfection!

In order to give it some validity (and share the blame for pissing so many people off)... I have wrangled in my BFF, my bestie, my road dawg in life. We've been friends for something like 15 years and in that time she has proved to be the only other person (ok, there's you Karissa) who I know loves the process of baby naming as much as I do. SO- I introduce to you... Kelsey Anderson! She will be helping me with my name lists- don't get too attached, you might hate us both by the end ;)

Aren't we cute?

A few weeks after reading the Wait But Why post my three year old daughter and I had an amazing conversation- sealing the deal on this post. I asked her about a girl in her class, who I'd noticed she'd been playing with a lot (I will guard this precious child's name with my life- mainly for fear that her parents might find me and have me killed.) Anyway, I said to her, "Birdie- Are you becoming good friends with _______?" And without skipping a beat she said to me, "Which _______?! There's too many of them in my class!" Of course at first I lol'd like any good mother with an ironic sense of humor would (because even my three year old knows when a name has hit Top 10!!)... And then I really started thinking about names and why people get so stuck on certain ones.

I mean- NAMES... they're like... A BIG DEAL! I have personally loved names since as long as I can remember. I vividly remember having twin dolls as a young kid and giving them the names Zoe & Chloe (I've always been a trendsetter- what can I say?)

I love "helping" expectant mother's find names (and with a whopping 6 friends currently pregnant right now- I'm throwing ideas out and annoying every one of them!). I love learning the reasons behind a chosen name and I love Googling the meaning of a name. But there is nothing that I love more than finding out the ranking of a name. Yes- ranking. As in- I want to know just how popular/trendy a name is. Usually when I hear a name I know right away if it's within the top 100. That's easy. In this post we're going to dissect the trendy ones and alert you to the up & comers... How fun!

Before we get in to our "stats" let us assure/warn you: WE ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS! I (Kenna) personally don't even know how people gather actual statistical data therefore this is all mainly our own opinions gathered via the internet as well as what we are hearing all around us in our kid's classrooms and park dates (Kenna in California/Kelsey in Wisconsin- and don't forget the Facebook birth announcements!) This info should only be taken seriously if you like us, and even then only if you yourselves dislike trendy names.

HERE. WE. GO.

The Overtly Trendy Name
You've always loved the name, I know. I had some names I loved as a child too... But miraculously I was able to find another one when it came to naming my child. Let me assure you of something, you can find another one too. You don't have to go with the name you've loved since you were 10- just because you've loved it since you were 10! A lot of new names have appeared- it's a new world for names as a matter of fact! While we're at it... Just stay away from the top 20 okay? Do us all a favor and branch out.

Of course no one (but us) is going to disagree with you when you shout it to the world you're naming your son Aiden, Jack or Noah (the 3 I hear the most)-  everyone's heard them so many times at this point they're par for the course. But have you thought about the fact that it might be more awesome to think of a name that your child can claim all to themselves- at least in their classroom?

Now in case you're really not in the name game at all- this is what we're humbly recommending you NOT name your baby in 2014 and on (there shall be a gag order given to these names until maybe 2030ish) unless you REALLY enjoy the thought of your child always having their last name initial attached to that lovely first name... Carrying it in to adulthood... "Hi, this is Bella! Bella Smith. No... No, the one with blond hair. Short blond hair.... YES! That one! Hi, how are you?"

Boys:

• Noah
• Liam
• Jacob
• Mason
• William
• Ethan
• Michael
• Alexander
• Jayden/Jaden
• Daniel
• Elijah
• Aiden
• James
• Benjamin
• Matthew
• Jackson
• Logan
• David
• Anthony
• Joseph

Girls:

• Sophia/Sofia
• Emma
• Olivia
• Isabella/Bella
• Ava
• Mia
• Emily
• Abigail
• Madison
• Elizabeth
• Charlotte
• Avery
• Chloe
• Ella
• Harper
• Aubrey
• Amelia
• Addison
• Evelyn
• Grace

The Sneaky Trendy Name
These are the names ranging from rankings 30-100 (or that are rising at warp speed into the Top 100). They might not be in your face right now but good lord on high they are coming to a baby near you soon. Example from years past: the name Madison. Have you ever met a Madison's mom who swears they'd never heard the name and then their baby hit Kinder and was in a sea of Madison's (or it's more popular alias: Maddie)? This genuinely happened to that name in 1997. At record speed in went from the ranking of 50 (1995) to Top 10 (1997). SO BE AWARE! That's all we're saying! Don't just think you're the only person in the world with a name idea... RESEARCH! (This isn't the 90's where you actually had to put in a big effort to find out if a name was popular!)

Another sneaker name was Grayson. I remember a mom-to-be actually telling me that she "made the name up". Ya. You and every other mom in LA County in 2008.

You might know this list like the back of your hand based on filling out your kid's Valentine cards last year... But just in case- currently, this is what we're looking at (in random order fyi)...

Boys:

• Asher/Ash
• Eli
• Ryder
• Finn/Finley
• Quinn
• Elliot
• Sebastian
• Kaden/Caden
• Declan
• Bennett
• Wyatt
• Luke
• Hunter
• Max
• Oliver
• Jaxon (be aware of those crazy spellings only adding to the trendiness of a name!)
• Carter
• Everett
• Cash
• Silas
• Landon
• Emmett
• Cade/Kade
• Gavin
• Levi
• Hudson
• Jude
• Chase
• Ryder
• Easton
• Weston
• Zachary
• Gabriel

Girls:

• Nora/Norah
• Ruby
• Violet
• Finley/Finlee
• Zoe/Zoey
• Quinn
• Gianna/Giana
• Iris
• Piper
• Mila
• Brooklyn
• Scarlett
• Hadley
• Vivian
• Ellie/Elle
• Savannah
• Penelope/Penny
• Sadie
• Alice
• Paisley/Paislee
• Aria
• London/Londyn (enough with the 'Y' already, people!)
• Reese/Reece/Rhys
• Adelaide/Adaline/Adalyn
• Hazel
• Delilah
• Eden
• Olive
• Stella

The Upcoming Trendy Name
In no way are we telling you to avoid these names- if you notice I have even placed my own daughter's name on the list. All we are doing is warning you- they are on the rise and have entered the top 1000 (or are set to this year). Don't think you're crazy original and go spouting off to all your friends how it came to you in some name vision. No- you actually saw it in People Magazine under the "Celebrity Births of the Week" section... (Or was that just me?) One thing we've learned in the last few years is that NO NAME IS SAFE. Even when I'd (Kenna) researched my kids names to infinity and beyond... I never thought Birdie would became an "up and coming" name on Baby Center (the most popular name-finding website). Because had I have known that- it would've broken my "No Top 1000" rule (which is on track to happen when the social security list for 2014 is released!) Fun fact: her real name is Roberta- so take that Top 1000!

Announcement by Hello Love

Boys:

• Braxton
• Brixton
• Sawyer
• Rowan
• Gunner
• Stryker
• Maverick
• Axel
• Archer
• Memphis
• Atlas
• Gideon
• Atticus
• Allister
• Dash
• Phoenix
• Rex
• Ace
• River
• Enzo
• Beckett
• Seamus 
• Luca/Lucca
• Duke
• Royal
• Nixon
• Cassius
• Bo
• Thatcher
• Nash

Girls:

• Ellery
• Ellody
• Birdie
• Farrah
• Story
• Romy
• Tallulah
• Isla
• Greta
• Braelyn/Braelynn
• Luna
• Eve/Evie
• Lilia
• Gwyneth/Gwendolyn/Gwen
• India 
• Indie
• Collins
• Karis
• Magnolia
• Pearl
• Teagan
• Hattie
• Lux/Luxx
• Freya
• Willow
• Phoebe
• Fiona
• Ivory
• Juniper
• Poppy 
• Wren
• Clementine

The I'm-Going-With-a-Classic-and-I-Don't-Care Name

You're dead set on the name George. I mean if it's good enough for the Princess, it's good enough for you. Hey... You know what? Bless it. One of Cormac's best friend's name is William and his mom acknowledges his classically popular name with pride. Just be sure that you can own the fact that it's not only a classic... But most likely very trendy too. And can ya do us just one favor? Get a little crazy with the middle name... Huh? Can ya?

This years 3 "Big Classics":

Boys:

• Charlie
• Samuel
• Henry

Girls:

• Anna
• Lucy
• Caroline

The Celeb-Kid-Name-Gone-Trendy-That-Will-Conjure-Up-Image-of-Celeb-Kid-Every-Time 
Look- if The Pitts have named their kid something- they won, you loose- find something else. I (Kelsey) was actually very interested in the name Pax until Angie got her hands on it... I moved on!

Every time I hear the name Maddox this is what I think of.

• Jayden
• Maddox
• Matilda
• Knox
• Apple
• Kingston
• Coco
• Moses
• Everly
• Shiloh

Hello baby girl Maxwell Drew! We didn't see that one coming.

The Boy Name as Girl Name
This trend has been around for awhile. I mean my parents got my name (Kelsey) out of the boy section of the baby name book. But more recently this trend rocketed into popularity when model/actress Jaime King started going by James. Now I find myself asking my kids, "Which Ryan? Boy Ryan or girl Ryann?" This is also a big one that parents think they made up, then encounter 3 other "girl Jameses" in play group.

Here are a few we've heard this year...

• Charlie/Charlee
• Elliott
• Emerson
• Michael
• Ashton
• Rowan
• Ace
• Presley/Preslee
• Austin
• Cash/Kash
• Landon/Landyn 
• Axel/Axyl/Axl
• Luca/Lucca
• Maverick
• Nico
• Jameson
• James
• Ryan/Ryann
• Maxwell
• Brett/Brette
• Wyatt

How to Thoroughly Research a Name...
You didn't think we were just going to bitch and moan about a bunch of names and then not provide you with resources for finding names we like more, did you? No way! Of course there are plenty of great books out there I'm sure- but at this point I think it's pretty safe to say that what's in the books is on the internet...

Here are our favorite naming websites...

www.babycenter.com
www.nameplayground.com
www.nameberry.com
www.parents.com/baby-names
www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames
www.babynamewizard.com
www.babynames.com
www.babble.com/baby-names
www.deadspin.com/american-baby-names-are-somehow-getting-even-worse

Researching Names Based on Cultural Preference...
When I (Kenna) was pregnant with Cormac, I was dead set on giving him an Irish name. Likewise, my friend Amy (who's married to an Italian man) would only consider Italian names for her four boys: Giacomo, Luciano, Valentino and Massimo (I helped her with that last one!)

If your goal is to stay true to your roots- the easiest way to find a name within your cultural preference is to find a good website dedicated to it... Exactly how I found the name Cormac!

Irish
Scottish
English
Italian
African
Nordic
Greek

In closing...

You've finished the post and somehow we've managed to take down at least 3 names in your immediate family or extended... And here's the deal. We still love kids with trendy names- in fact some of my (Kenna) kid's favorite friends to play with are Liam, Noah and Ava. While we do not in anyway, shape or form CONDONE these names for 2014 & on... We vow to still love the babies even if you choose to ignore us. Well, that's kind of a lie because I don't even really like other people's babies/children in general... I mean, my own push their luck at times... But anyway- we will still appreciate them as human beings...?

Before you huff and puff and type your angry comments just remember that this entire post was written mainly to make name snobs laugh  provoke thought when choosing your sweet little precious' name... And hopefully go viral, duh.

NOW GO NAME YOUR BABY!

[Practically] Baby Name Experts,
Kenna (#997) & Kelsey (#306)

SheKnows.com has some great naming insight!

The Gender Reveal Party: Tips (and Opinions) for How (or How Not) to Throw One

Gender Reveal Parties are getting more and more popular, 2013 is definitely going to be their "coming out" year (pun intended- duh). Before we go any further- for those people living under a rock, or out of the baby and toddler loop- a "Gender Reveal Party" is what new or seasoned parents host for friends and family when they've gotten the news about whether they're having a BOY or a GIRL. Usually they are finding out the sex of the baby at the party as well, which is half the fun! I realized not everyone knew what kind of party this was when a good friend's husband heard I was throwing a GRP and had an entirely different "reveal" in mind, please don't make me say it...

I remember a few years ago when I heard of a friend of a friend doing a Gender Reveal Party and I thought, "Are you kidding me? You think people care THAT much about the sex of your baby?!" Well, I was wrong.... people care. I am now one of those people. These parties are fun, fresh and give you a reason to get together with those you love to celebrate a new life. Now I'm like, "Why WOULDN'T you have a Gender Reveal?"

As some of you may know, I just threw a GRP for a good friend after she and her husband were surprised with a 3rd pregnancy. I thought this would be a fun way for them to welcome the idea of a third baby with their closest friends finding out with them.

Before I show off the pictures from that party, which was featured on Amy Atlas shortly after I threw it (uh, ya I'm gonna name drop!)...OF COURSE I am going to give a few opinions I have on current Gender Reveal Parties, so if you hate opinions, skip forward to the pictures...now.

#1. A few themes/ideas to get over: 
-The "What Will It BEEEE?" theme. Unless you have a crazy bee fetish or the baby's nursery is going to be buzzing with bees (figuratively, not literally I hope) OR you or your husband is a bee keeper (I'll totally give you this one), please find a new theme.

-The Mustache/Bow theme... in case you don't know how I feel about mustaches, I loathe them- especially in party planning. The ironic mustache is done, move on. I wrote about this here, and from this point on I refuse to ever say the word "mustache" again.

-Please don't even think about having HERsHEy Bars at the reveal. Even your great grandma is over this idea, she saw it pinned one too many times and told me to tell you, "NO!" Oh, she's dead? Well her spirit told me then.

-The box full of pink or blue balloons. It was a great idea. Key word: was. Lots of new ideas out there (everyone loves biting into a color, trust me).

-The question mark (?) is an obvious Gender Reveal graphic and while I'm not saying you can't use it anywhere (it definitely has its place at the end of a question), an entire theme around a "?" is just weird. And yes, I've seen it done. Also keep in mind that question marks tend to look like sperm if not used carefully... and while I know... oh never mind, I'll let you take it from here...

#2. Choose a fresh color palette/graphic. There are a ton of colors in the world- you don't need to use pink and blue, I promise. There actually doesn't need to be "designated" colors for each gender at all. A fun and unique gender neutral color palette is all you need... your options are endless and gray is always a great color to throw in the mix, this is the year of the gray!

I recently saw a black/white and gold Gender Reveal done by IDEA! event + style based on the couple's love of the New Orleans Saints. And it was perfect! I love that they rolled their favorite sports team into it- now we're talking! For my recent GRP- I chose to use silhouettes, but instead of just using standard ones, I also used silhouettes on bicycles and then threw some different bicycle graphics and an actual bicycle decoration in the mix and a "theme" was born!

#3. Have something to entertain your guests. You've invited people over and because there's a good amount of work put into these parties, you don't want your guests to walk in, watch you cut a cake/pop a balloon and leave. So give them a few options for fun:

- Provide sweets, everyone loves to raid a good dessert bar.
- Have at least one "game."

For this GR, the couple wanted to ask their friends' opinions on their name choices for a boy and a girl. People loved this idea and it made them feel important that their opinion on the baby's name mattered. Now if you are like me and would never want anyone giving you name opinions- you can always have people "suggest names"... and then make fun of all the ones you'd never use...

Idea by Paging Super Mom!

#4. Vote on the gender. A must. There are a few ways to vote on the gender of the baby: public tally (think chalkboard), private tally (ballot style) or wear your vote- pin/sticker/colored clothespin, etc. Whichever you choose- this should be a BIG piece of the party. It is always fun to get a picture of each group either before or after the reveal, depending on when everyone says how they voted. Essentially there is a winner and a loser group and hopefully the losers do it with grace...

Cute chalkboard idea by Paging Super Mom!- see entire party here!

#5. How will you reveal? So many options. We chose the simple colored cake for the couple to cut into. I've seen colored cake pops and cupcakes too. Just be sure the entire outside of the "reveal dessert" is neutral because the surprise inside is the fun part and shouldn't be given away until the proper "Everyone bite NOW!" time. Aside from desserts, I've also seen people have a friend buy them a cute outfit based on what the ultrasound says. Just make sure the outfit screams BOY or GIRL. No denim rompers if you get my drift...

Another popular idea is to pop a confetti-filled 36" balloon and let it rain down blue or pink colored confetti. This actually sounds amazing, I would love to dance in confetti falling from the sky. Just make sure the balloon is a matte color so you can't see through it- again, remember the surprise factor!

Shop thegenderreveal.com for balloons

And now on to the photos from the Gender Reveal Party I threw March 2013 for my good friends, the Klosek Family... enjoy!

TO PURCHASE THE "PARTY-IN-A-BOX" COMPLETE SET OF THIS GENDER REVEAL PARTY, find it listed in my Etsy shop >>>here<<<

                                                                   

   xo  Party or Die xo

   kenna

(Wrong!)

                                                           Excited to add ANOTHER little girl!

Vendor Credits:

Purchase a "Party-in-a-Box" of this Gender Reveal! MissPartyMom on Etsy
Styling by: Miss Party Mom
Photography by: Jen McGinn
Printables by: World Wide Party by Elena
Cookies and Desserts: Hannah's Cookie's and Treats
Girl's Chevron Dresses: NorahZariah
"Dream Big Little One" Print: Target