Not content to wait until the end of the year to reveal how much pop culture has influenced the way that people named their babies in 2014, Nameberry has released the Top 100 lists for newborn boys and girls names at the halfway point for this year. The frontrunners thus far are Imogen for girls and Asher for boys, and while I’d love to think that more parents have been reading Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, I’ll assume that Imogen is simply popular because of stars like Poot and possibly Heap. As for Asher, well, that is actor Judd Nelson’s middle name, so that one is open and shut.
When it comes to the pop culture influence on the boys list, the Top 5 reads like a Who’s Who in Who’s Named After Books that Schools Used to Let Kids Read, with Atticus at No. 3 and Finn at No. 4, while Elvis Costello gets a little love with Declan as the No. 2 name behind Asher. According to Nameberry, though, no boys name has made a bigger leap in the first half of 2014 than Archer, which debuts at No. 42. There’s simply no mistaking the reason for that wonderful choice.
On the female side, Cora comes in at No. 4 on the girls list, perhaps a nod to the queen from Once Upon a Time, while Hazel and Katniss rank at 13 and 14, respectively, because your daughter won’t fit in 14 years from now if she’s not named after characters in young adult books. But the biggest debut in this year’s Top 100 for girls reveals the true power of Game of Thrones fans, as Khaleesi has jumped all the way to No. 18. The Mother of Dragons could pose an incredible threat to the innocence of last year’s Top 10 names for girls, as Sophia came in at No. 1 (perhaps from Princess Sophia?), Emma at No. 2 and Olivia at No. 3, which isn’t so innocent because I assume it’s based on Scandal, as women are obsessed with Scandal.
Here are the Top 100 lists for each gender, along with my expert analysis on the relevance of some of the names. Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong on some of these if you dare, but I’m not. I’m always right about this.
Girls
1. Imogen – Hehehehehe, Poots.
2. Charlotte – As in “The secret lies with Charlotte,” from National Treasure.
3. Isla – Based on the 1987 Madonna hit “La Isla Bonita.”
4. Cora – A tribute to former MLB middle infielder Joey Cora.
5. Penelope
6. Violet
7. Amelia – Earhart had a decent 2014, with people possibly solving her disappearance.
8. Eleanor
9. Harper
10. Claire – As in Dunphy.
11. Alice – A reference to the TV series about Mel’s Diner that ran from 1976-1985, and was based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
12. Adelaide
13. Hazel – A sign of the overdue comeback of Sister Hazel, or the popularity of The Fault in Our Stars.
14. Katniss – The inspiration for a character in the hilarious The Starving Games.
15. Olivia
16. Evangeline – Based on the Bad Religion song of the same name.
17. Ivy – As in Operation Ivy. Punk names are huge in 2014.
18. Khaleesi
19. Maeve – The sounds someone makes when yawning.
20. Evelyn
21. Maisie
22. Adeline
23. Genevieve
24. Seraphina
25. Beatrice – Named after Beatrice Quimby, which offers permission to all of her friends to nickname her Beezus.
26. Lucy
27. Aurora – Either based on Alkaline Trio’s “F*ck You, Aurora” or adult film star Aurora Snow. Either way, asking for trouble.
28. Rose
29. Scarlett
30. Elizabeth
31. Ava
32. Elodie – It’s a French name or something.
33. Lila
34. Nora
35. Grace
36. Emma
37. Willa – A tribute to pop singer Willa Ford.
38. Clementine – A name given to children born with abnormally large feet (shout out to folk ballad fans who get that one).
39. Matilda
40. Eloise
41. Caroline – A response from the growing movement of people demanding that Lea Thompson’s 90s sitcom make a return to syndication.
42. Clara
43. Finn
44. Aurelia – Like the girl from Love, Actually.
45. Arabella
46. Eliza
47. Poppy – Heroin fans are big on this one.
48. Ella
49. Sophia
50. Iris
51. Ruby
52. Mila
53. Josephine
54. Harlow
55. Aria – A popular name for babies that were conceived in a specific hotel in Las Vegas.
56. Audrey
57. Isabella
58. Wren – Maybe from Pretty Little Liars, but a guy is named Wren. Regardless, a wren is a bird.
59. Quinn
60. Cordelia – Possibly after Cordelia Foxx from American Horror Story: Coven.
61. Chloe – After the 2009 erotic thriller starring Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried.
62. Mae – Based on the Gaslight Anthem song.
63. Emily
64. Luna – From Harry Potter, obviously. How could you not know that, you dork.
65. Rowan – A female tribute to Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson.
66. Mia
67. Stella – For the beer daddy was drinking when he pulled an “Oops,” am I right fellas?
68. Emmeline
69. Ellie
70. Juliet
71. Merida – Princess Merida from Brave, this is a name that only works for redheaded children.
72. Anna – From Frozen, a name to give a second daughter to show her that she’s not important or unique.
73. Lily – Named for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Lily Aldridge. Dads can deny it all they want.
74. Olive
75. Margaret
76. Piper – Actress Piper Perabo, star of USA’s Covert Affairs and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
77. Avery
78. Jane
79. Sadie – Another Alkaline Trio song. Big, big year for punk references.
80. Lydia
81. Esme
82. Everly
83. Gemma – As in Gemma Arterton, who starred in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, a movie that is best described as “financially successful.”
84. Willow
85. Maya
86. Frances
87. Louisa
88. Elsa – A name given to a girl that will eventually be locked in a castle for being different.
89. Ada
90. Lola
91. Phoebe – Named for the former violent criminal and masseuse who tried to seduce clients, otherwise a beloved character on Friends.
92. Kinsley
93. Zara
94. Madeline
95. Hannah
96. James
97. Delilah – An opportunity for people to say, “Hey there, Delilah” and give the Plain White T’s one more second of relevance.
98. Mabel
99. Emmett
100. Hadley – An obvious female tribute to Haddaway, the “What is Love” singer.
Boys
1. Asher
2. Declan
3. Atticus
4. Finn
5. Oliver – Platt, the star of Ready to Rumble.
6. Henry
7. Silas – YOUR SILAS IS DEAD!
8. Jasper – The bearded old man from The Simpsons.
9. Milo – Of Milo and Otis fame.
10. Jude
11. Ezra – A tribute to the 90s band Better Than Ezra.
12. Emmett – The first name of Doc Brown from Back to the Future.
13. Harper – The biggest androgynous name of 2014, apparently.
14. Leo
15. Owen
16. Levi
17. James
18. Rowan – The second biggest androgynous name, and a huge reminder that people love Mr. Bean.
19. Felix
20. Miles
21. Sebastian
22. Liam – As in Liam Gallagher of Oasis, which is a huge blow to Team Noel.
23. Sawyer
24. Jack – Chosen for Jack Donaghy of 30 Rock, although John Francis would make a much more powerful full name.
25. Theodore
26. Beckett – A name given to boys who are familiar with standard trading card values.
27. Wyatt
28. Hudson – As in Hudson Hawk, the most underrated movie of Bruce Willis’s career. Read about it in a feature on March 19, 2015.
29. Evelyn – No clue, but this is a terrible idea and it needs to stop. Trust me. Signed, a boy named Ashley.
30. Kai – The homeless hitchhiker has left his mark.
31. Ethan
32. William
33. Benjamin
34. Soren
35. Eli
36. Caleb
37. Flynn
38. Noah
39. Quinn
40. Julian
41. Bodhi – Finally, Point Break gets a little credit.
42. Archer – This is better than Sterling.
43. Oscar – After the baby from Ghostbusters II, which was the significantly lesser of the two films.
44. Everett
45. Alexander
46. Django – Sure, why not?
47. August – It’s cool, because then your child only has to memorize 11 months.
48. Andrew
49. Josiah
50. Dashielle
51. Zachary – Home Improvement star Zachary Ty Bryant has always been a big cultural influence.
52. Christian
53. Kieran
54. Luca
55. Luke
56. Elliot
57. Charlie
58. Elijah
59. Hugo
60. Thomas
61. Ryder – As in actor Ryder Strong, another apparent sign of the popularity of Boy Meets World.
62. Isaac
63. Theo
64. Jacob
65. Rhys
66. Lucas
67. Callum
68. Arthur
69. Gabriel
70. Samuel
71. Zane – As in Billy, obviously.
72. Nico – Named for Steven Seagal’s character Nico Toscani in his debut movie, Above the Law.
73. Micah
74. Avery – Inspired by James Avery, Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
75. Dylan – One of the five greatest rappers of all-time.
76. Ryker – Named for the place where he’ll probably spend 20 years of his life.
77. Roman
78. Nathaniel
79. Jackson
80. Greyson – There are still a few Cougar Town fans out there, it seems.
81. George
82. Knox – This isn’t a name.
83. Rory
84. Ronan – Recognition of Robert De Niro’s most underrated film.
85. Xavier – As in the X-Man, Xavier McDaniel.
86. Daniel
87. John – BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!
88. Finley
89. Emerson
90. Aiden
91. Harrison
92. Simon
93. Nolan
94. Charles – A very common name, yes, but this year it is inspired by an eventual resurgence of Charles in Charge, one of the best sitcoms ever made.
95. Axel
96. Tristan
97. Arlo
98. Beau
99. Jonah
100. Max – A tribute to the restaurant from Saved by the Bell.
*This post was written by a boy named Ashley, so if you’re offended by any of these harmless jokes, suck it up, rub some dirt on it, and ask your uniquely-named child about life in 18 years.