Historically, the most popular boys names in the United States remained the same for generations. Throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, schoolyards were filled with little fellas named Robert, James, John, William, and Daniel. Although these names are still popular, today there are many more boys' names that can be described as common. Unlike the classics that endured for generations, many of the modern popular names reflect baby name trends and have emerged from near obscurity to popularity in a decade or less.
So if you'd like to give your child an original name, how do you keep up with the trends so you know which names to avoid? A handy resource is the Social Security Administration's Popular Baby Name Index, which lists the Top 1000 baby names of each year since 1992, as well as information about names from previous decades. By using the site, you can track the popularity of names over the past 15 years, which helps you predict which names are going to explode into popularity soon. Here are some of the biggest climbers in recent years.
Aiden/Aidan/Ayden. Aiden is the quintessential name that rose out of nowhere. In 1992, it was all the way down at #935, but by 2006, it was up to #30. The variant Aidan climbed from #633 in 1992 to #44 in 2006. Ayden didn't even reach the charts until 1999, when it debuted at #963. By 2006, it climbed to #119.
Jayden/Jaden. This cousin of Aiden also has leaped into popularity, perhaps in part because Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's son is named Jaden. Jayden debuted at #852 in 1994 and rose all the way to #50 in 2006. Jaden also debuted in 2004 at #630 and climbed to #88 in 2006.
Other trendy "aden" names:
- Caden: #870 in 1992 to #91 in 2006
- Kaden: #938 in 1993 to #92 in 2006
- Brayden: #792 in 1992 to #79 in 2006
- Braden: #412 in 1992 to #141 in 2006
- Hayden: #248 in 1992 to #73 in 2006
- Zayden: Debuted at #871 in 2006
Owen. Other than the "aden" names, Owen is one of the biggest climbers. In 1992, Owen was all the way down at #476, but by 2006, the name was at #58 and rising quickly.
Jackson. Jack has always been fairly popular, but Jackson only took off recently. It went from #223 in 1992 to #36 in 2006.
Elijah. Could this name's popularity be in part because of Elijah Wood from Lord of the Rings? This biblical name moved from #203 in 1992 to #29 in 2006.
Noah. Speaking of biblical names, this is one of the oldest, and one of the most popular. Noah climbed from #215 in 1992 all the way up to #15 in 2006.
Wyatt. Wyatt is a name that seems to be on the brink of trendiness. It was all the way down at #368 in 1992, but it's climbed slowly but surely to #82.
Sebastian. Like Wyatt, Sebastian is positioned to become quite popular in the next few years. It ranked at #229 in 1992 and climbed to #76 in 2006.
Gavin. Another solid climber, Gavin moved from #266 in 1992 to #38.
Diego. Go, Diego, go! Diego moved up from #301 in 1992 to #56 in 2006. (However, the girl's name Dora isn't even in the top 1000.)
Camden. This place name hasn't become commonplace, but it certainly seems headed in that direction. It's moved from #878 in 1992 to #221 in 2006, and it's climbing steadily. Parents who give their sons this name presumably haven't been to Camden, New Jersey, a less-than-fabulous place with which to share a name.
See also:
Up-and-Coming Baby Names for Girls
Creative Baby Name Misspellings
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