Around this time every year, we peek behind the Nameberry curtain to see which names are the most popular with our visitors. This Top 100 for each gender, which reflects views of the name pages on our site, indicates which names have captured the most interest since the start of the year.
The girls’ list is evidence of both pop culture events along with future baby name trends. Some analysis:
— The Hunger Games is the obvious inspiration for Katniss at Number 1. We don’t ever expect to see Katniss — or Primrose or Rue — in the U.S. Top 100 for real live baby girls. But the appeal of the heroine inspires a great amount of curiosity about her unusual name.
— Celebrities and their babies attract a lot of page views, which sometimes translate into baby name trends. Names high on the Nameberry list thanks to celebrities and starbabies include Harper, Seraphine, Penelope, Violet, Isla, and Scarlett. And these are all names that will continue to rise in the national name statistics as well, we predict.
— The berries are ahead of their time. While there are some crossovers between the Nameberry and the U.S. Top 100, there are more notable differences. Most important: Classic, stylish names little used in the country at large are popular among our visitors: Imogen, Maeve, Aurelia, Elodie, Pearl.
Here, the Nameberry Girls’ Top 100 for 2012 so far:
Katniss
Charlotte
Harper
Seraphina
Imogen
Penelope
Amelia
Violet
Isla
Eleanor
Adelaide
Alice
Quinn
Cora
Eliza
Evelyn
Aurora
Claire
Sophia
Lila
Maeve
Scarlett
Nora
Hazel
Grace
Ivy
Ava
Olivia
Elizabeth
Stella
Lucy
Clara
Ruby
Ella
Wren
Matilda
Beatrice
Poppy
Clementine
Avery
Emma
Isabella
Willa
Chloe
Aurelia
Audrey
Evangeline
Iris
Lily
Mila
Josephine
Maisie
Rose
Arabella
Adeline
Aria
Elodie
Mae
Genevieve
Lydia
Merida
Eloise
Caroline
Jane
Juliet
Phoebe
Gemma
Margaret
Harlow
Emmeline
Zoe
Emily
Delilah
Esme
Cordelia
Georgia
Olive
Sadie
Piper
Madeline
Mia
Hannah
Anna
Emery
Willow
Hadley
Cecilia
Zara
Luna
Maya
Pearl
Kate
Mabel
Lola
Isadora
Ellie
Eden
Amelie
Eva
Beatrix
Look for the boys’ list tomorrow.