Baby Name Trends 2010: Back to Basics

The tireless search for the perfect baby name isn’t always easy on any new mom and pop — even after scouring the web for advice, playing with naming tools, and sifting through mountains of baby-name books at the bookstore. (Sound familiar?) If you’re still on a quest to name baby something cool and trendy, you might want to reconsider your strategy: Instead of hopping on the trend train this year, it’s looking like more and more parents-to-be will be opting for unique classics they love. Wondering what oldies-but-goodies will trump the rest? With the help of Jennifer Moss from BabyNames.com, we make our predictions about what’s hot (and what’s not) this year in baby names.

In for Girls

_Romantic, Old-Fashioned Names _
Little Sophias, Lilys, Isabellas, Avas, and Olivias are already starting to fill up preschools and kindergartens, and it looks like they’ll still be going strong in 2010. How come? These days, parents-to-be are loving distinctly feminine-sounding monikers for girls and kicking the crossover trend (of names like Riley and Dylan) to the curb — at least for now. And don’t expect to find any Tiffanys in this bunch — 2010 babes will be sporting classic and simple names, not diminutive and frilly ones.

Also propelling the popularity of these names? Grandma Grace, Great-Grandma Charlotte, and Great-Aunt Abigail. Older relatives’ names match perfectly with the current trend, so parents naming their baby Hannah or Claire get the double bonus of honoring a loved one. (While it’s tough for us to imagine a baby Judy, Donna, or Brenda today, check back with us in 2020.)

Names to look out for: Vivienne, Stella, and Amelia. Angelina Jolie’s Vivienne is just a year-and-a-half old, and the name is already climbing the charts. Same goes for Stella, recently used by Ellen Pompeo and Tori Spelling. And Amelia? It’s just plain adorable.

Out for Girls

_Crossover Names _
While you’ll no doubt still see some newborn Baileys and Rileys in the nursery, in general, these names are losing steam. The one exception is Addison, for its lack of cutesiness.

In for Boys

Biblical and Celtic Names
Just like with girls, parents of boys are moving away from modern, sometimes made-up names and opting for traditional, often family-inspired monikers.

Names to look out for: Ethan, Jacob, Lucas, Liam, Logan, Gavin, and Aidan. Aidan has been a clear favorite for the past few years and looks to continue its reign in 2010.

**Out for Boys
**
**_Anything that rhymes with Aidan, except Aidan itself.
_**The super-hot name sparked a rush of spin-offs (thanks to Britney) from Jayden to Caeden to Greydon and far, far beyond. Sure, some of the less out-there variations will probably still pop up, but as a whole, this trend (and the entire made-up name category) is on the outs.

In for Both

Twilight_-Inspired Names_
Twilight, the hottest juggernaut since Harry Potter, has surprisingly sparked an even bigger following when it comes to baby names. Hot names pulled from its pages include Edward, Bella, Emmet, Jacob, Jasper, Esme, Alice, Rosalie, and Carlisle. Even Cullen — the last name of its dreamy hero, Edward — is also expected be a hit. But while the Twilight craze itself has certainly given major play in the popularity of these names, they just so happen to also fit in perfectly with this year’s trend of going back to the classics.

Need more inspiration for the perfect baby name? Check out our naming tool, The Bump Baby Namer for more great ideas and thousands of options.