Names that Peaked in 2010

A creative spelling variation of the Top 100 name Melanie.

Carleigh, a fancier way of spelling Carly, reflects the trend toward trying to make an ordinary name more special by fiddling with the spelling. Yes, Leigh is a feminine way to spell Lee, so Carleigh is theoretically an acceptable way to spell Carly, but it doesn't really work that way. People will wonder: is it Car-lay? Car-lee-uh? And your child will forever have to spell her name. Stick with Carly....or better, Carla or Carlin, or better yet, Charlotte or Caroline.

Variation of the very trendy Addison, perhaps lending itself more obviously to the nickname Addy.

This Dana-Donna variation has started to carve out its own place on popularity lists; an interesting alternative to Daniella as a namesake for a relative named Daniel.

Both Madisyn and Madison have lost ground in recent years.

While Kayla has been a mainstay in the US Top 1000 list since the 1960s, alternate version Keyla is relatively new, first entering the charts in 2002. While this spelling also has the possibility of being pronounced KEE-lah, it's most likely to cause confusing and frustration in the shadow of the much more popular spelling.

The family of Kaylin names includes a wide variety of spellings—Kaylen, Kaelyn, and Kaylynn are a few—that enjoy varying degrees of popularity. This particular spelling plays on a couple contemporary trends, namely the ae vowel combination and the -lynn ending. While it's definitely a distinct spelling, it's likely to be misspelled more often than not.

Another of the many -aiden names. Several spellings have charted in the US Top 1000 in recent years, but now most of the -aidens are fading. Braiden is no exception, dropping down the charts each year since its peak at Number 468 in 2010.

All the sounds of Giovanni without the authentic spelling.

It's a little bit Jay, and a little bit J.V., and a little bit any name ending with -ion. A few hundred parents choose this name each year for their baby boys, placing it in the Top 1000, but we think there are better choices out there.

Sleek and modern.

Jordynn is one of the many spelling variations of Jordan—and it does not improve on the original. This iteration has appeared in the US Top 1000 since 2010, though it's currently at its lowest point since then.

Some creative spellings work, and then some just don't. We think this one falls into the latter category.

This variant of Jocelyn adds an extra n but not much else. It's declining numbers over the past five years indicate it may be best to stick with the popular and traditional Jocelyn, which currently ranks at Number 133 in the US.

Max, with something X-tra.