Most Popular Baby Names - Then and Now

I’m having a baby girl in 2 short months and we aren’t even close to choosing a name!  I research all the time and can’t seem to find anything I LOVE  - that isn’t #1 or #2 on the most popular list - or completely wonky (and of course my husband hates).  While I love Isabella, do I want her being ‘Isabella B’ her whole life?   Or do I care?  All the Jennifers I know turned out great and don’t have any popular name issues – in fact all the Michaels, Christophers, Johns and Jasons are all fine too.  So does it matter?  Do we go with a solid name that stands the test of time or do we go with something trendy??   

In case you’re in the same boat as I am – have a look at some of the most popular names these days and see how they have changed over the years.  Check out the most popular from today, 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005... 

 

Seems vowel names are super popular for these days.

Girls

Isabella

Emma

Olivia

Ava

Emily

Abigail

Elizabeth

Avery

Addison

Aubrey

Ella/Elle

Evelyn

Eleanor

Boys

Oliver

Ethan

Alexander

Elijah

Anthony

Andrew

Asher

Owen

Oldies that have become popular

Girls

Lily

Charlotte

Sophia

Grace

Violet

Boys

Henry

James

William

Michael

Daniel

Matthew

Benjamin

Hot (or not?!) celebrity names

Harper (girl)

Apple

North (??)

Seraphina

Moses

Maxwell (girl)

Bingham

Shilo

Knox

Blue Ivy

Olive

Most popular names in 2012-13

Girls

1.       Sophia

2.       Emma

3.       Isabella

4.       Olivia

5.       Ava

6.       Emily

7.       Abigail

8.       Mia

9.       Madison

10.   Elizabeth

11.   Chloe

12.   Ella

13.   Avery

14.   Addison

15.   Lily

16.   Natalie

17.   Charlotte

18.   Zoey

19.   Grace

20.   Amelia

Boys

1.       Jacob

2.       Mason

3.       Ethan

4.       Noah

5.       William

6.       Laim

7.       Jayden

8.       Michael

9.       Alexander

10.   Aiden

11.   Daniel

12.   Matthew

13.   Elijah

14.   James

15.   Anthony

16.   Benjamin

17.   Joshua

18.   Andrew

19.   David

20.   Logan

Most popular names from 1975 

Girls

1.       Jennifer

2.       Amy

3.       Heather

4.       Melissa

5.       Angela

6.       Michelle

7.       Kimberly

8.       Lisa

9.       Jessica

10.   Amanda

Boys

1.       Michael

2.       Jason

3.       Christopher

4.       James

5.       David

6.       Robert

7.       John

8.       Brian

9.       Matthew

10.   William

Top names from 1985

Girls 

1.        Jessica

2.       Ashley

3.       Jennifer

4.       Amanda

5.       Sarah

6.       Stephanie

7.       Nicole

8.       Heather

9.       Elizabeth

10.   Megan

Boys

1.        Michael

2.       Christopher

3.       Matthew

4.       Joshua

5.       Daniel

6.       David

7.       James

8.       Robert

9.       John

10.   Joseph

Top names from 1995

Girls 

1.        Jessica

2.       Ashley

3.       Emily

4.       Samantha

5.       Sarah

6.       Sarah

7.       Taylor

8.       Hannah

9.       Brittany

10.   Amanada

Boys

1.        Michael

2.       Matthew

3.       Christopher

4.       Jacob

5.       Joshua

6.       Nicholas

7.       Tyler

8.       Brandon

9.       Daniel

10.   Austin

Top names from 2005

Girls 

1.        Emily

2.       Emma

3.       Madison

4.       Abigail

5.       Olivia

6.       Isabella

7.       Hannah

8.       Samantha

9.       Ava

10.   Ashley

Boys

1.       Jacob

2.       Michael

3.       Joshua

4.       Matthew

5.       Ethan

6.       Andrew

7.       Daniel

8.       Anthony

9.       Christopher

10.   Joseph

Some great sources for names are:

http://nameberry.com/ 

http://www.babynames.com/

A great baby name app is called Baby Names by Schatizsoft.  You can save favorites, search categories, save middle names, search years and even last names...

(also check out http://mashable.com/2013/04/10/baby-name-apps/) 

 If you have any unique, pretty, classic, beautiful, original, not too popular, not to whacky, awesome suggestions, please share :)  Good luck in your search. 

Put down your phone- a confession from a mom who doesn't

This blog resonated with me so much that I just had to copy and share it.  Thank you Heather for posting this.  I WILL live in the moment and PUT DOWN MY PHONE! (or at the very least, try my hardest!) 
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I need to put down my phone.  NOW.  I got a serious wake up call this week, when a video made its way around Facebook and Twitter.  It was a video showing how you can miss all of life's moments, when you are on your phone.

 My truth, if I can stand in it for a minute, is that I always have my phone.  It's awful.  It's an appendage and security blanket.  In fact my greatest fear at our momstown conference last May was to "put my phone down".  It was really hard to admit this silly thing, but its how I feel and it's consuming me.  I even actually get frustrated when my husband or friends are on their phone and not talking to me, so what am I so afraid of? 

I know I started to feel a bit attached to my phone on those lonely days and nights in the hospital with my son, Zack.  It was my lifeline to the outside world when we would be cooped up for several days.  It was how I connected with other moms who had children with special needs and it's also how I stayed close to my family, my husband and friends when we were homebound. I was so proud to tweet and post photos online of my Zackie and I could "manage" his appointments and contacts so easily and now remotely.

I also started blogging and documenting Zack's life, so photos and videos became really important.  I would have my phone poised at every PT and OT appointment, hoping to catch Zack reaching a new milestone so I could snap a photo.  Did I miss out on ACTUALLY being there for those milestones?  It got even worse when I started working in social media and now my phone became a tool for my job.

The habit has gotten worse and it's now something that Paul and the boys bug me about- likely because its bugging THEM.  With more ways to become distracted on your phone, its getting harder to just "put it down".  But I need to do it.  I need to live in the moment and actually enjoy the moments rather than post them on Instagram.  The times I do leave the phone in the car or at home, there is a liberating feeling of freedom and I can actually participate more.  But I do miss it.  Is that awful?


Watch this incredible video called "I Forgot My Phone".  I imagine this is what my boys see...but it's not too late to make a change for me and for my family.  Starting today, I'm pledging to UNPLUG each and every day, when I meet the boys at the school bus at 3pm and take at least 2 hours off (or more)!  So don't text me, what's app me, email, FP message or tweet me during that time....but if you and you catch me?  Remind me to PUT DOWN MY PHONE and live in that moment.

 

*written by Heather Hamilton 
http://momstown-moments.momstown.ca/user/14