Stephenie Meyer‘s Twilight series has been one of the biggest influencers of baby name trends in recent times, propelling Bella, Edward, Cullen, Esme, and a host of other names up the charts.  Here, nameberry intern DANIELLE MIKSZA, a Twilight fan, analyzes the Twilight baby names.

　　There’s been a vampire epidemic going on ever since Twilight hit theatres. Everywhere you look there’s Rob Pattinson’s face or Taylor Lautner’s abs, not that I’m complaining. But what’s even more interesting are the names author Stephenie Meyer chose for all the characters.

　　Although Bella is a klutzy, plain, and moody teenager, Stephenie Meyer chose a name for her heroine that means beautiful. Also, she gave her the elegant surname, Swan. It’s difficult to see why a powerful and handsome vampire like Edward would fall in love with a boring human when he’s surrounded by immortal beauties like Rosalie and Tanya.  I guess aside from the floral scent of her blood, Edward sees something lovable in Bella that no one else sees.

　　The name Edward is suitable for Meyer’s other main character because it is an old-fashioned name that means “wealthy guardian.” Edward, Bella’s immortal love, is so protective of her that it becomes annoying. He sneaks into her room at night and once followed her all the way to the bookstore to make sure she was safe. He sees himself as a dark version of her guardian angel and tries to buy her lavish gifts like a new car. I guess being over a century old and never having to worry about buying groceries, he has a few bucks stocked away.

　　Esme is another name that seems to be from a more elegant age. It means “beloved,” which is perfect when paired with Edward’s sweet and charming foster mother.

　　Bella’s mother, Renee, became fed up with her mundane life and left in search of a more exciting one. Renee left her husband, Charlie, and took off to Phoenix, where she married a young baseball player man named Phil. The name Renee fits the character’s personality because it has a young and spunky feel to it. Bella’s mother may have a few laugh lines here and there, but her spirit is anything but ancient.

　　Jacob Black is my all time favorite Twilight character. The only thing I wasn’t too fond of was his name: too good boy for a motorcycle rider whose sole purpose is to kill vampires. But after learning that the Jacob means “supplanter,” I once again applaud Stephenie Meyer for choosing an appropriate name. A supplanter is something that takes the place of something else, fitting for a human who changes into a wolf.

　　Stephenie Meyer mixes a great selection of classic names like Charlotte, James, and Victoria with unusual names like Zafrina, Kachiri, and Eleazar to create the lexicon of Twilight baby names.  And then there’s Bella and Edward’s half human and half vampire child Renesmee.

　　When I first read the name Renesmee, I thought maybe I had misread the word and went over it once again. But I hadn’t made any mistakes. The child was named Renesmee.

　　I’ve been on the fence about this name ever since I first read Breaking Dawn. What is so unpleasant about the name is its flow. Whenever I try to say it out loud I always end up tripping over on my own tongue. But once again the meanings of the two names come into play. Renee which means “reborn” paired with Esme whose meaning is “beloved,” fits a child who is cherished by her family, both mortal and immortal, and who is part of a new and rare race.

　　Thanks to Twilight, I’m pretty sure we’ll be meeting a lot of little Emmetts and Alices, Bellas, Edwards, Charlies, and Jaspers. We may even get to meet an Aro or Sulpicia.  Here, some other Twilight names that may inspire you.

　　GIRLS

　　ATHENDORA

　　BREE

　　CARMEN

　　DIDYME

　　GIANNA

　　HUILEN

　　IRINA

　　KACHIRI

　　KEBI

　　PIRE

　　RENATA

　　RENE

　　SASHA

　　SENNA

　　SIOBHAN

　　TANYA

　　TIA

　　VICTORIA

　　BOYS

　　AFTON

　　ALEC

　　ALISTAIR

　　AMUN

　　BRADY

　　CAIUS

　　CARLISE

　　COLLIN

　　CORIN

　　CULLEN

　　DEMETRI

　　EMBRY

　　EMMET

　　EPHRAIM

　　FELIX

　　GARRETT

　　HARRY

　　JARED

　　JASPER

　　JOHAM

　　LAURENT

　　LIAM

　　MARCUS

　　QUIL

　　RANDALL

　　SANTIAGO

　　SETH

　　STEFAN

　　TYLER

　　VASILII

　　VLADIMIR

　　Guest blogger DANIELLE MIKSZA lives in Jersey City where she is attending the local university to study creative writing. She has written several poems and is currently working on her own vampire novel. While writing and interning for nameberry, she is also working as the seating hostess at the Brownstone Diner.