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!

November's Most Popular Baby Names

We've done it again! We looked what all Nymbler users were searching for during November. We're seeing some overall trends of 2007 here, but you'll have to wait till after the holidays to see what Nymbler's top names of 2007 were.

During November, there were more than 25,000 Nymbler users emailing, adding, blocking and seeking more information about names. Here's our overall Top Ten:

1. Ava
2. Jack
3. Benjamin
4. Hannah
5. Elizabeth
6. Sophie
7. Owen
8. Olivia
9. Charlotte
10. Abigail

Where are the boys at? It looks like everyone is expecting (or hoping for a little girl.) Other boys' names that just missed out overall top ten are Noah, James, Reid and Gabriel.


So what are the top blocked names? Well the leader is a boy's name that just missed the top ten. Here's our blocked names Top Ten:

1. Reid
2. Brayden
3. Lena
4. Victoria
5. Anna
6. Kenyatta (male)
7. Brady
8. Jack
9. Kwame
10. Hayden (male)

Again, it looks like girls' names are getting more love than male names. Maybe we're all just pickier when it comes to our little boys. We were surprised to find Jack in the list of the top blocked names. He was #1 last month for the guys!


Lastly, we've found that many Nymbler users start off knowing the names they'd like to use for inspiration. We add those to our "User Inspiration" list. Here's our inspired Nymbler users' Top Ten:

1. Grace
2. Ava
3. Elizabeth
4. Olivia
5. Jack
6. James
7. Henry
8. Emma
9. William
10. Noah

Looks like Nymbler users know what they want. And your own inspirations have factored into our Top Ten list overall. It just may be that the Nymbler karma of adding your own name is rubbing off on other Nymbler users.


Is your favorite name missing from the Top Ten? Or is there a name you hate on our top ten that you can't wait to see on the blocked list? Get over to Nymbler right away and start e-mailing those names around.

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.)

Are you ready for some football?! Baby name-style!

Football season is in full swing. And while we're not exactly following all the games, we are always checking out the names that are making headlines. You never know where you'll find baby name inspiration. And with more and more searching for unique baby boy names, why not look to the roster of your favorite team?

While you can find out the standings of your favorite team, it takes a little more digging to find out how their quarterbacks match up against one another. So, we've done the work for you. No, we didn't compare passing yards and touchdowns. We compared their first names, of course!

So here it is, the top ten NFL teams' quarterbacks face off to see where their names rank. (Teams are listed in NFL rank.)

New England Patriots – Tom Brady
His team may be first, but his name isn't! Tom peaked in 1959 and currently is not ranked in the top 1000 baby names. (His full name is Thomas which comes in at #40)

Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo
Tony peaked soon after in 1961 and is currently #320. (Although it's usually a nickname for Anthony, Tony's full name is Antonio which is ranked #92.)

Green Bay Packers – Brett Favre
Most popular in 1986, Brett is currently #242 and dropping at about a 25% rate.

Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning
Now at #138, Peyton is at its highest rank ever among boys’ names. (Maybe that's due in part to Manning's 10-year career – the name is still climbing at about a 60% rate!)

Pittsburgh Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger
It was at its peak in 1918, but today Ben comes in at #543 in the top 1000. (Although it's usually a nickname for Benjamin, this QB's full name is just Ben.)

Detroit Lions – Jon Kitna
Currently at #433, Jon hit its peak in 1964 and is declining at a 16% rate. (The more popular John is #18.)

Jacksonville Jaguars – David Garrard
Although it peaked in 1955, David is still ranked in the top 20 boys' names – it's #14.

New York Giants – Eli Manning
Ranked #152, Eli is in its peak and still on the rise. (Looks like the Manning parents had a knack for naming and raising QBs!)

Tennessee Titans – Vince Young
Most popular in 1962, Vince is no longer ranked in the top 1000 boys' names. (It's another nickname too! This QB's full name, Vincent, is #111 and on the rise.)

Buffalo Bills – J.P. (Jonathan Paul) Losman
The first in the bunch to stump Nymbler! J.P. isn't included in our database. (But Jonathan is! It's at #19.)

Did we miss your favorite team or player? Nymbler your top NFL name and let us know where it stands.

October's Most Popular Baby Names

It’s the first Friday of the month, so we’re going to check on some favorite names (and some not so favorite names) according to you, the Nymbler community.

Here at Nymbler we hope everyone had a great October. As far as names go, just like last month, Ava had the best month among female names. And fighting his way back to the top spot is Jack, who was slightly edged out by Benjamin (#2 in October) in September. The runner-up in female names is Elizabeth, followed by Hannah, Anna and Sophie. For the boys, Benjamin is trailed by James, Owen and Simon.

Our top blocked names were mostly male in October, with only two female names (Anna and Rachel) making the top 10. The male-dominated blocked list includes Reid, Brayden, Vaughn, Levi and Brady.

The top emailed names in October were Benjamin, Ava, Jack, Noah and Owen. And names most often suggested by Nymbler include Rachel, Sarah, Anna and Max.

Another "Top 10 Names" list we compiled is made up of the names that are manually added to inspirations, but Nymbler doesn’t have enough information about quite yet. That top 10 list looks like this:

Lilah
Zach
Mila
Cate
Sloan
Zara
Gray
Tegan
Scarlet
Scout

We can only guess that Mila is becoming popular because of actress Milla Jovovich (and she’s due this weekend!) Zara might be gaining speed because of the clothing line of the same name that is becoming more popular. Gray might be rising because of television's Grey's Anatomy. And we have a feeling Tegan is requested because of the sister-singing sensation Tegan and Sara.

What names do you wish Nymbler knew? Let us know so we can add them to our "Names to teach Nymbler" list.

What OTHER baby name sites?

Yes, there are other baby name sites out there. And yes, we admittedly look at a few of them from time to time. Don't get us wrong, Nymbler is by far our favorite. And in our bias opinion, it's the best baby name tool around. But, there are a few baby name sites that are fun to play with. Here are a look at the best from around the web and around the world.

Baby Name Wizard – Developed by Nymbler's own Laura Wattenberg, this is one of the best baby name tools out there. We just love the way it charts the names. This one will definitely keep you busy at work on a dull morning.

Baby Name Game – All the way from the UK, this one caught our eye because of the fun certificates you can print out. While the database doesn't include all names, it can give you a "prediction" of how rich your baby might be when he or she grows up. (Note: It says you need to input your postcode… we just used their example so we could play too!)

Name by Numbers – It's not exactly a baby name site, but it's still fun. Input your baby’s full name (or prospective full name) and see what the "expression or destiny" of the name is. Also find out the "Soul Urge" number of the name is.

Celebrity Baby Names Blog – We think it's important to keep up with the Hollywood trends, so we're always sure to read as many blogs as possible. This is one of our top picks since it features news specifically about, as its name implies, celebrity baby names. (There's also a celebrity baby bump watch which we love to check up on.)


Nymbler, and all of these resources, can help you find a name that is perfect for your baby. But, your search shouldn't end with what the numbers say about a name or what the latest baby name craze is on Rodeo Drive. You should choose a name that you and your partner agree on. And when you find that perfect name, chances are you'll know it when you say it.

It’s a two-newspaper town

Boston, that is.

Nymbler is nestled right outside of Boston so we were excited to see this news story. It turns out a couple in Tyler, Texas has named their baby boy after one of our two daily news sources.

According to the Houston Chronicle the baby, born October 8, was named “Boston” after the famous rock band. The middle name came in a moment of inspiration while the couple was watching a TV show that mentioned the Boston Herald. Apparently, “Harold” is a family name on both sides, and so was named “Boston Harold Morgan.”

As for the Boston Globe, well, we’re not giving up yet. We haven’t heard of any babies with the name, but you never know. Although “Herald” and “Globe” aren’t in Nymbler’s database, “Boston” is, along with other city names including Troy, London, Hudson and Austin.

OCT. 26 - UPDATE: With the Boston Red Sox in the World Series now, we wanted to include another story about the "Boston" naming trend. Apparently it's a more popular name that you might have imagined.