The big news in baby names this week has been the Most Popular Names 2012: Top 1, Top 10, Top 100, Top 1000.

　　But swimming just below the surface — not quite on the radar but not truly off, either — are dozens of more unusual baby names poised to find wider favor….or dropping from view.

　　Many Nameberry favorites exist in this limbo of baby names, including choices such as Aurelia and Wren for girls that missed making it into the Top 1000 by a single point.

　　Of course, that may bring relief rather than disappointment to many parents.  If you want to name your baby Magnolia or Clementine, Bishop or Langston — or already have — you may tremble on surveying the new Top 1000, hoping your favorites stay off the list.

　　We looked below the Top 1000 for girls and boys and found those names within 50 points of the cutoff that we felt were heading back into style, along with those sailing off into the sunset.

　　In raw numbers, 251 girls received the Number 1000 name Katalina while 197 boys were named Number 1000 boys’ name Dangelo.  The numbers after each name below represent the number of children given that name in 2012.

　　One note on the names we say are Heading Out: Some of these may appeal to parents in search of a name with Geek Chic or an unusual classic.  Hello, baby Ralph!  Or….dare I suggest….baby Pamela?

　　Here, the names just under the Top 1000 coming into style and heading out:

　　girls

　　Heading In

　　Aurelia 250

　　Wren 250

　　Mercy 248

　　Astrid 246

　　Rory 246

　　Amalia 244 (though it was on in 2011; we think it will climb back)

　　Lyra 242

　　Remi 242

　　Sutton 240

　　Mabel 238

　　Noa 238

　　Liv 236 (touched the Top 1000 in 2011 and fell back out again)

　　Margot 235

　　Ellison 234

　　Faye 230

　　Emmeline 228 (though spelling Emmaline climbed onto the Top 1000)

　　Maren 226

　　Louisa 222

　　Gwen 221 (some may doubt that Gwen and Antonia, below, are heading back in, but we love them both.)

　　Antonia 219

　　Magnolia 218

　　Delia 215

　　Clementine 204

　　Cordelia 204

　　Ellery 201

　　Heading out

　　Stacy 251

　　Theresa 230

　　Penny 227 (though Penelope is rising)

　　Bonnie 222

　　Annette 213

　　Darlene 213

　　Pamela 213

　　Maryjane 211

　　Janet 210

　　Sally 205

　　Gretchen 201

　　boys

　　Heading In

　　Garrison 197

　　Baylor 195

　　Cortez 195

　　Ephraim 193 (is the world ready for a new generation of baby Ephraims?)

　　Royal 193

　　Enoch 192 (see Ephraim)

　　Grey 184

　　Lachlan 183

　　Bishop 182

　　Thatcher 179

　　Otis 178

　　Miller 178 (On the Top 1000 in 2011 but dropped off.  We think it will resurface.)

　　Judson 177

　　Taj 172

　　Azariah 171 (see Ephraim and Enoch)

　　Canaan 170

　　Ford 170

　　Keller 170

　　Langston 168

　　Ulysses 165

　　Bode 163

　　Cormac 163

　　Stetson 163 (talk about a cowboy name!)

　　Magnus 158

　　Duke 154

　　Heading out

　　Gordon 194 (but we love this!)

　　Irvin 193

　　Clarence 190

　　Glenn 178

　　Ralph 178 (Love this too!  Or at least I do; Linda, not so much)

　　Gerard 170

　　Dale 162

　　Norman 153

　　Photo by Elena Kalis.  See more of her beautiful pictures here.

　　Want names that are much more unusual?  Then look for the new Nameberry e-book, The Nameberry Guide to Off-the-Grid Baby Names, coming very soon to the new Nameberry Store!