The Social Security Administration will not release the top baby names of 2010 until the end of the year, but the website Nameberry has already compiled a list of the most popular names for boys and girls for the first half of 2010. Some of the names that made the list are a bit surprising and others, not so much.
It’s important to note, though, that Nameberry’s list is based on the amount of times a name is searched for on their site. Also, the Nameberry site states that their list will differ greatly in comparison to the one that the Social Security Administration will release later this year. The SSA list is based on actual birth names rather than on name searches. The SSA also only includes statistics from the U.S. while Nameberry’s list is based on searches from all over the world.
The top 5 names for boys as compiled by Nameberry are:
- Henry – The name Henry is of Old German origin and means “home ruler”. Some famous Henry’s include actor Henry Fonda, poet Henry James and author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
- Finn – The name Finn is of Irish, Gaelic and Old German origin and means “fair”. Finn is the name of one of the characters on the hit FOX television show Glee.
- Oliver – The name Oliver is of Latin origin and means “olive tree”. Some famous Olivers include actor Oliver Platt and film director Oliver Stone. It’s also the name of the main character in the Charles Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist.
- James – The name James is of English origin and means “supplanter”. Some famous people with the name of James include actor James Gandolfini, and former U.S. Presidents James Monroe, James Polk and James Garfield.
- Asher – The name Asher is of Hebrew origin and means “Happy”. Other forms of Asher include Ash and Asser.
The top 5 names for girls as compiled by Nameberry are:
- Charlotte – The name Charlotte is of French origin and means “little and womanly”. Some famous Charlottes include singer Charlotte Church and novelist Charlotte Brontë.
- Seraphina – The name Seraphina is of Hebrew origin and means “burning ones”. Seraphina is a fairly uncommon name, but since Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck named their second child that, it has definitely risen in popularity.
- Olivia – The name Olivia is of Latin origin and means “olive tree”. The male variation of this name is Oliver. One famous Olivia that you may know of is Olivia Newton-John, who most recently appeared in an episode of Glee as herself.
- Violet – The name Violet is of Latin origin and means purple. Violet is also the name of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s first daughter.
- Elizabeth – The name Elizabeth is of Hebrew origin and means “My God is an oath.” Some famous Elizabeth’s include poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning and actresses Elizabeth Shue and Elizabeth Taylor.
Some other names that made the top list are Jasper, William, Atticus, Alice, Imogen, Lucy and Scarlett.
So what do you think of the names that made the top 5 for each sex? Are you surprised by any?