Nymbler Trendspotting #2: A History Lesson

The second trend we're going to look at takes us to many different places. The first stop may be your very own town. But before we can go there, we need to go back in time.

When cities and states were being colonized in “The New World,” many places were named after the people founding them or someone close to them. For example, Georgia was named after King George I of Britain. Louisiana was named after King Louis XIV of France. Pennsylvania for its founder, William Penn. And Maryland for Henrietta Maria de Bourbon, wife of Charles I.

Nowadays, we aren’t naming places after our loved ones or our contractors who build our homes. But, we are seeing a little bit of history repeating, only this time, in reverse.

Today we see names such as Brooklyn, Boston and Dallas appearing more and more. With the popularity of Paris Hilton, maybe city names will be the new trend.

If you’re thinking place names might be the way you want to go, Nymbler a few to find out. Get started with our short list: Camden, Trenton, London, Aspen, Austin. And be sure to let us know if your favorite place is missing.

Nymbler Trendspotting #1: From Surname to First Name

Nymbler’s been watching the trends for a while now, so we figured it was time we break down some of the more prevalent trends that we’ve noticed. What will we tackle first? Last names as first names.

In our list of Top Names of 2007, we found quite a few last names that have made their way to the front of a signature. While that short-list is dominated by male names, the last name chart topper was the female form of the androgynous Avery at #20. The closest contender was Riley at #62.

Boys’ (last) names that made the Top 100 of 2007 include Brady at #57, Grant at #65, Logan at #69 and Jackson at #76.

While we’ve split them into male and female names, many last names are androgynous when used as first names, including the aforementioned Avery and Logan. Others include Bailey, Taylor, Jordan and Morgan.

Using a last name as a first name is a good way to please multiple family members at once. Just think, you can please Aunt Mildred, Uncle Wilson and your Grandfather, William all by using their surname. Not all last names carry over as well as others, so just be sure you know where to draw the line.

Happy New Year Nymbler! (Part 3)

Last time, we dissected our numbers and broke down Nymbler’s Top Ten names of 2007. But now, we’re turning our eyes on popular baby names outside the US. What we learned is that, when English is the language, some names are truly global.

Worldwide, Jack has a strong showing on a few lists. (Remember, Jack was first in Nymbler’s Top Ten.) In England, Australia and New Zealand Jack took the top spot in the most popular boys’ names of 2007. Scotland made up its own mind though, with Lewis kicking the reigning Jack out of first place.

The girls’ lists are a little more complicated. In England, Grace topped the list and Ava (Nymbler’s #1) was nowhere to be found. Australians chose the name Olivia most for their newborn girls. And the close by New Zealand chose Ella as the top girls’ name. In Scotland, Sophie took the top spot.

In a completely different area of the world, the Japanese top ten list was led by Hiroto (male) and Aoi (female.) Hiroto is made up of two Japanese characters meaning “big” and “flying in the air.” Aoi’s character is representative of the mallow plant, a medicinal plant.

While the global lists don’t match up, one thing’s for sure, families will always be naming their new additions and Nymbler will be there counting the names.

Happy New Year Nymbler! (Part 2)

Yes, we’re still celebrating the New Year. But today we’re also celebrating Nymbler’s newest additions – more names!

We’ve just added a handful of new names that made the top list in the past year and some that you suggested. More names mean more inspirations and even better name suggestions. It’s the first of many enhancements planned for 2008.

So you may be wondering where those new names are hiding. Well, here’s a few starting places: Madigan, Gray, Lorelai, Cain and Ronin. Go ahead and poke around, we’re sure you’ll find even more names.

What!? Nymbler still doesn’t know your favorite name? Be sure to let us know, we’re adding to our name lists all the time.

Happy New Year Nymbler!

It’s 2008, and Nymbler is ready to see what baby names will be on top this year. But before we try to forecast what name will earn the #1 spot in 2008, let’s look back at some of the top names of 2007.

And 2007’s top names are… (drumroll, please…) Jack & Ava! Here’s a look at the overall top 10, broken down by gender:

Male
1. Jack
2. Benjamin
3. Owen
4. Noah
5. James
6. Reid
7. Max
8. Nathan
9. Finn
10. Hayden

Female
1. Ava
2. Charlotte
3. Elizabeth
4. Hannah
5. Sophie
6. Ella
7. Anna
8. Lily
9. Olivia
10. Abigail

We had a feeling Jack and Ava would take the top slots on our list. As far as the boys go, we see some trends including some Biblical names ¬– Benjamin, Noah, James – and some good, strong names that have stood the test of time – Jack, James, Reid. The girls also have a trend toward the Biblical – Elizabeth, Hannah, Anna – and some old-fashioned names – Sophie, Olivia and Charlotte.


With each name that’s added to the “Favorites” list, the overall rankings change. We’ve compiled the list of the fastest movers from Nymbler during 2007. These are the names that jumped in the rankings, some by more than 3,000 places!

Male
1. O’Rourke
2. Wright
3. Morton
4. Weaver
5. Milford

Female
1. Shawn
2. Ray
3. Joey
4. Marsha
5. Lois

It sounds like the boys are going more toward surnames and first names. And it looks as though the boys’ names are creeping over to the girl’s list. We’re anticipating some of these trends might hold for 2008.


We’re anxious to see if our names will match up with the US Social Security Data from 2007. Either way, we know our Nymbler statistics represent what you are looking for. And who knows, maybe our 2007 list, will match the 2008 data.

Happy New Year and Happy Nymblering in 2008!

It's time to get (un)inspired

We blog a lot about where to look for baby name inspiration. From football stars to relatives to celebrities, it seems name ideas are everywhere you look.

But what about those times you’re not looking for your baby name muse to put the perfect name in your head? What about those times when you want to knock names out of the running?

To help out with this, we put together a list of un-inspiring situations. It’s those times you’ll want to listen up for names you might want to weed out of your potential name collection.

The New Neighborhood. You just moved in, so the neighbors, and their new baby, swing by with a Jello Mold to welcome you. Listen closely to the name of that little one. It could get plain confusing when Kate comes over to play with your Kate. Or Justin is out back playing ball with your Justin. We’re confused already!

Your Favorite Places. When you’re out at the mall or walking by the local playground, listen up for those names that are shouted out as little ones bounce too far away from mom. “Davis, come here!” “Madison, stay with Mommy!” You can’t change other children’s names, so if you’re seeking a unique name, don’t look for inspiration by the jungle gym.

Your Morning Read. Whether on the train or on the back porch, look at that newspaper. Most newspapers publish birth announcements weekly, so check out who’s who in your hospital’s nursery. (If you can’t find it in the paper, some hospitals have online nurseries you can peek into.)

The Dirty Dog Salon. You may really like the name Roman. Just remember, as a child your spouse had a puppy called Roman. And that four-legged stigma will probably always go right along with the name. Besides when neighbors holler “Lassie!” from the front porch, you don’t want your little one to run to their doorstep.

Where do you look to get uninspired? Old yearbooks? History documentaries? Let us know!

(Also, be sure to check in next week. We’ll be recapping November’s top names. It might be a close race! See if you can predict Nymbler's most popular names.)