By Brooke Cussans of Baby Name Pondering

　　It often feels like Twilight made a huge impact on the naming scene. Isabella and Jacob may have been top ten names before the first book was published, but the series possibly enabled them to hold onto their top positions longer than they may have otherwise. And while Edward seems to be the one anomaly that didn’t benefit from the resurgence in attention, the secondary characters in the series certainly did.

　　As soon as the final movie was released, critics started theorizing on what will be the next big sensation. And Nameberries have been wondering what might replace Twilight for naming inspiration.

　　One promising contender is Veronica Roth‘s Divergent trilogy. The first two books are Divergent and Insurgent, soon to be joined by the final book Allegiant later this year. Filming of the first movie also started earlier this year, starring Shailene Woodley (of George Clooney Oscar winner The Descendants) and Kate Winslet. But perhaps more importantly, it feels that in many ways the author has managed to tap into a naming style that may prove to be just as inspirational as Stephenie Meyer‘s.

　　The names and the evidence:

　　Beatrice “Tris”

　　The books are told in the voice of Beatrice “Tris” Prior. As the series is very much about how the characters identify themselves, it’s a poignant moment when Beatrice leaves one life behind her and chooses to “remake” her life with the name Tris.

　　There are several ways in which this name and character are reminiscent of Isabella.

　　1 – The name is a classic beauty

　　2 – It comes with more than one great nickname option

　　3 – It’s already rising in popularity

　　4 – She’s a strong girl yet quietly reserved girl with a “unique” mind

　　5 – And it is this that captures the romantic attention of a an aloof but attractive, seemingly unattainable older guy.

　　Could Beatrice be the next Isabella? I’m sure a lot of Beatrice lovers are hoping it won’t be, but it has real potential.

　　Tobias

　　Tobias is another fantastic classic choice with a familiar nickname, however has been hovering on the charts around the low 500’s for a few years now. Exposure from this series may be just the boost this name needs to gain some upward momentum.

　　Tobias is Beatrice‘s love interest, and like Beatrice Tobias has turned his back on his old life and is better known by the nickname Four (for reasons unrelated to his name). In fact, very few people in his life know his original name, and revealing his “real” name to Tris signifies the depth of his feelings for her. In many ways, this is a strong character that will likely appeal to many.

　　Other Worthy Mentions:

　　Alice, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Cullen – and even Renesmee – have all experienced a surge in popularity in recent years thanks to Twilight. Luckily, the Divergent supporting characters are also rich with options for parents looking for underused classics begging to be rediscovered.

　　Albert (Al)

　　Amity (faction name)

　　Caleb

　　Cara

　　Christina

　　Eric

　　Evelyn

　　Hector

　　Jeanine

　　Johanna

　　Marcus

　　Marlene

　　Max

　　Molly

　　Myra

　　Natalie

　　Peter

　　Susan

　　Tori

　　Uriah

　　Will

　　Zeke

　　Brooke Cussans – better known on the Nameberry forums as bluejuniper – is based in Melbourne, Australia and is the author of name blog Baby Name Pondering. She especially loves rare and unusual names.