While no one knows what the most popular baby names will be this year, history has shown that the baby names parents choose are strongly influenced by trends. This means that pop culture, fiction, religion, politics and even the economy may play a role in what the most popular names are. Based on that premise, what are the top baby names for 2010?
For boys, the names are starting to move away from the eclectic and oft inspired and more contemporary names, and back to the more traditional, solid, even Biblical names. The shaky economy is forcing people go back to basics, and this includes baby names.
According to the most recent polls, as well as the forecasts for 2010 from baby name experts, the top boy names will be:
1 Daniel originates from Hebrew and means “God Judges”.
2 Jacob is Hebrew and means “held by the heel”.
3 David has its origins in Hebrew and means “friend”.
4 Matthew is Hebrew for “gift of God”.
5 Andrew is Greek for “manly”.
6 Christopher is originally Greek and means “Christ-bearer”.
7 Michael which means “Who is like God?” is Hebrew.
8 Joseph originates from Hebrew and means “God will increase”.
9 Isaac is Hebrew and means “He will laugh”.
10 Noah means “rest” and is Hebrew.
So, what about girl names? Are they likely to be derived from Greek and Hebrew names as the male names are? The top girl names for 2010 are predicted to be:
1 Emma is Teutonic and it means “whole”.
2 Sophia means “wisdom” and originated in Greece.
3 Emily is Latin for “industrious”.
4 Elizabeth means “oath of God” and is Hebrew.
5 Chloe is Greek and it means “blooming”.
6 Alyssa is German in origin and means “truth”.
7 Olivia means “olive tree” and is Latin.
8 Taylor is English and means “a cutter of cloth”.
9 Lily is originally Latin and means “a lily”, like the flower.
10 Abigail or “a father’s joy” is Hebrew.