Baby Names 2011: The Hottest Choices in Every Category

Baby Names 2011: The Hottest Choices in Every Category

Click here for the new list of most popular names.

What choices do we see leading the way for baby names 2011? Here, we look at some of the most popular categories for parents and pick out the specific names we predict we’ll be hearing much more of this year and in the decade ahead, based on nameberry statistics.Biblical Names 2011

Biblical names have been popular for several decades now, which means parents are forging into new territory in search of biblical names that haven’t been overused.

Girls: Delilah, Jemima, Magdalene, Ruth, SusannaBoys: Abel, Asher, Eli, Gideon, Levi

Celebrity Names 2011

The hottest celebrity names are either the names of newly-hot celebrities such as Isla Fisher; the fresh-sounding names of new celebrity babies, such as Flynn; new ways to use the names of megapopular celebrities, such as Anniston for Jennifer; or rediscovered names of celebrities such as Isadora Duncan.

Girls: Anniston, Evangeline, Isadora, Isla, SeraphinaBoys: Arlo, Dexter, Flynn, Penn, Rufus

Hero Names 2011

Hero names are most often drawn from the world of politics, but may come from science, art, or – veering into one of our other categories – literature.

Girls: Ada, Eleanor, Hillary, Kennedy, MandelaBoys: Barack, Clinton, George, Jackson, Lincoln

Literary Names 2011

Literary names are one of the hottest categories for 2011, inspired by both writers and their inspirational characters.

Girls: Anais, Darcy, Eloise, Isolde, OpheliaBoys: Archer, Atticus, Dashiell, Holden, Truman

Nature Names 2011

Nature names, like biblical names, are a category that’s been hot for so long that parents are moving beyond obvious choices like Lily and Rose in search of new ideas.

Girls: Clover, Dahlia, Ivy, Juniper, LarkBoys: Cole, Jasper, Oak, Ranger, Rider

Nicknames 2011

Nicknames in 2011 have grown up and taken their proper place on birth certificates. Not short for anything are these hot choices.

Girls: Daisy, Edie, Kate, Maisie, MinnieBoys: Buddy, Buster, Jack, Theo, Will

Vintage Names 2011

What’s old is new again in another popular category, with new old names being rediscovered and enjoying new appreciation. Among the hottest vintage names now are:

Girls: Aurelia, Clara, Cora, Imogen, TheodoraBoys: Arthur, Everett, Hugo, Jasper, Thaddeus

Go here to see the hottest baby name trends for 2011.

About the Author

Pamela Redmond

Pamela Redmond

Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.

Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.