ONTD

2:27 pm - 04/11/2012

'Hunger Games,' 'Game of Thrones' references top pop culture baby names



The pop culture babies are coming! Baby naming website Nameberry has made predictions of what the most popular baby names of 2012 will be based on an analysis of almost 3 million page views on their site. The guesses are an eye-opening, pop culture revelation of what is hitting with soon-to-be parents. Highlights below:

Rue
Taking the top spot is a beloved Hunger Games female name, but it’s not the obvious one. Rue, the doe-eyed heroine who stole our hearts (I throw berries at you, Marvel!) leads Nameberry’s list, according to their statistics. If a Hunger Games character had to take the cake, I’m glad it’s Rue. Can you imagine teaching a youngin’ to say Katniss?


Emmett
Heading over to the XY chromosome, Emmett takes the cake, flanked by other boys’ names ending in –ett, like Everett and Beckett. As the the only reference the list makes to Twilight, I can’t help but wonder if the fifth ranked Jacobs of the world feel threatened…

Ivy and Adele

We head over to musical ground as the middle half of Blue Ivy Carter makes an appearance (somewhere Beyonce and Jay-Z are thinking: “Curses! Why didn’t we trademark this name for everyone!”), along with current EW cover star Adele. If two musical nombres had to make the cut, I’m glad it’s these two. I don’t need to see any little Minaj’s running around.

Grayson

Though I wish that Declan had squeezed its way in, I’m tickled to see a reference to this season’s guiltiest pleasure beginning to make a dent. Revenge-related or not, this world could use a few more Daniel Grayson lookalikes.

Aria

Yes, the site lists Aria’s appearance as a favorite among ambitious parents with studiously high hopes for their offspring, but I’m choosing to interpret this name as an homage to Arya, the reigning Game of Thrones bite-sized badass.

Cato
In a puzzling change of pace, the terrorizing and brutal Cato of the Hunger Games has made its way up the ranks in what I can only surmise is that parents-to-be want their children to be built of inordinate strength and spout irrational and violent temper tantrums. Can you imagine the backlash of putting a Cato in a timeout?

Pregnant PopWatcher or not, what are your thoughts on these names? Do you mimic my surprise that Khaleesi didn’t appear? And where is the love for Ron Swanson?!


Source
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genbu_no_miko24 11th-Apr-2012 06:31 pm (UTC)
Rue is a cute name
ebertrules 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
ia but i feel like it should be the short form for something else.
mistycreed 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
It's my sister's nickname. Her name is Robin.
wheeler 11th-Apr-2012 06:42 pm (UTC)
Barbarue. Rueanne. Veruenica. Ruesha. Ruephia. Ruepert. Darruen.
legenxxdary 11th-Apr-2012 06:46 pm (UTC)
I've seen it as a shortened version of Ruby.
bonjourchloe 11th-Apr-2012 06:52 pm (UTC)
it's my last name!
ultrasushi 11th-Apr-2012 09:43 pm (UTC)
it means "street" in french, too.
mushroomsamba 11th-Apr-2012 10:17 pm (UTC)
I used to have a sim I named Rue lol
ashe_frost 11th-Apr-2012 10:35 pm (UTC)
My bb cousin's last name ends with Rue and we meld her first name with "Rue" most of the time. Her gynmastics coaches do it, too. (Her gymnastics coaches are kind of goofy, but you have to be to keep elementary school kids motivated, I suppose.)

If I have a kid I might steal it in tribute.
leopard_legs 12th-Apr-2012 04:45 pm (UTC)
couldn't call my kid rue, rue is french for street as someone pointed out above
I refuse to name my kid street...not to mention it makes me think of street from friday night lights
liberateourtime 11th-Apr-2012 06:32 pm (UTC)
i hope jessica simpson names her baby eddard
chiigusa 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
lmao
eyecarolline 11th-Apr-2012 06:35 pm (UTC)
lol
remix_sakura 11th-Apr-2012 07:16 pm (UTC)
I LOLD'd hard.
babydiego 11th-Apr-2012 07:46 pm (UTC)
i actually love that name
__nocturna 11th-Apr-2012 08:45 pm (UTC)
lmao
clothingaddict 11th-Apr-2012 09:46 pm (UTC)
I vote for Bart or Lisa /immature humour
bad_situation 12th-Apr-2012 12:34 am (UTC)
lmao
asha_greyjoy 11th-Apr-2012 06:32 pm (UTC)
I really like Aria and Rue, they are good names

Cato, however, is a terrible choice
annadraper 11th-Apr-2012 07:48 pm (UTC)
ia, first and only thing i think of when seeing/hearing it.
iamglory 12th-Apr-2012 02:22 am (UTC)
Before I read the book or saw the movie (but the movie was out) someone in a restaurant was talkin about "Cato" but I was like, "Why are they talking about Kato Kaelin and why are they saying he was a muscular scary guy who his entire district wanted him dead!?!

/csb
scarletfbl 12th-Apr-2012 07:49 am (UTC)
this
liberateourtime 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
ikr

if you're going to name your kid cato, at least name it after the less sociopathic ancient rome one
joliebelle 11th-Apr-2012 07:02 pm (UTC)
Aria was on my list...but hopefully by the time I have kids (like 5-7 years) people will be over the name
darkwarrior 11th-Apr-2012 07:33 pm (UTC)
I like Aria and Rue but now I can never name my child Rue because I don't want people thinking I named my child after The Hunger Games.

I do like Aria though.
highflyer8 11th-Apr-2012 06:32 pm (UTC)
I love Rue as a name. Cato tho...
theratwhispers 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
This just reminds me that most of my characters have very average names, sans for a very few.
ioso 11th-Apr-2012 06:43 pm (UTC)
That just means you're not trying too hard imo.
theratwhispers 11th-Apr-2012 06:47 pm (UTC)
Over the top names, just are not right for these characters. I'm of the belief that the characters should be memorable, and their names simple, but a good match for them. Look at most TV shows; there are not very many that feature odd names like Katniss.
vivisexion 11th-Apr-2012 06:44 pm (UTC)
imo average names are better for characters
warsawed 11th-Apr-2012 06:57 pm (UTC)
Just wondering have you seen Gentleman Broncos? The writing class on fantasy names is so fucking hilarious.
jinxeh13 11th-Apr-2012 06:58 pm (UTC)
I have this one character with a crazy ass name, but...eh. It suits her. And her parents were big on teh drugs, so I guess it's not a surprise.
cricketgrl 11th-Apr-2012 07:17 pm (UTC)
Stop teasin!

It feels like I've been waiting forever bb! :)
hypnology 11th-Apr-2012 07:17 pm (UTC)
I think I choose slightly above average names (at least for main characters). Not too basic like a jessica or ashley (sorry anyone with those names but they're too common) but not over the top... Although I've had this character named Tchaikvosky bouncing around in my head and I really like it but I know it's really out there... and hard to spell.

Edited at 2012-04-11 07:19 pm (UTC)
thefreshchuff 13th-Apr-2012 07:29 am (UTC)
Some of my side characters will have interesting names, but for the main ones I nearly always err on the side of classic and simple. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is opening, like, a fantasy book and all the names are several syllables and barely pronounceable. Frankly, the character should be rich enough that his/her most memorable trait ISN'T a big, complicated ~special snowflake~ name. That tends to reek of desperation.
pushpoplove 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
I'd totally name my future kid Arya ngl.
mingemonster 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
i would, but it's only one letter away from aryan
liberateourtime 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
i went to high school with a kid named aryan
landwarinasia 11th-Apr-2012 07:41 pm (UTC)
My name is Eirian and people always mis-pronounce it as aryan. :/
regi_veggie 12th-Apr-2012 06:15 pm (UTC)
Wait whats so wrong with Aryan?
Does it have a double meaning?
berry_wish 11th-Apr-2012 06:41 pm (UTC)
Totes thought that said "Aryan." I was like "girl are you spawning Hitler's youth?"
hello_samm 11th-Apr-2012 06:55 pm (UTC)
My boyfriend and I love GoT and we wanna name our future daughter Arya but I want it spelled Aria and he's like NO. lol
regi_veggie 12th-Apr-2012 06:13 pm (UTC)
me too
mingemonster 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
i love the name rue c:

cato tho, wtf parents
ioso 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
My sister-in-law is going to be so mad that Emmett is popular now. She had that name picked out because it was ~different.

I love the names Aria and Cato.
sashapoly1911 11th-Apr-2012 08:28 pm (UTC)
Emmett is fairly common where I live tbh.
ioso 11th-Apr-2012 08:30 pm (UTC)
Where do you live? Where we live (in Canada) it's not common at all. In fact I've never met an Emmett irl.
kitapita 11th-Apr-2012 09:49 pm (UTC)
Emmett was my maternal grandfather's name (may he rest in peace).
heartbreakingg 11th-Apr-2012 11:16 pm (UTC)
My cat's name is Emmett....It's awkward to be actually meeting people named Emmett now because I'm used to yelling it at a furry creature.
ologist 13th-Apr-2012 04:42 am (UTC)
This is why people should keep on eye on the top 100s lists and go for names that don't fit with the trends of the names with increaing popularity. -ett names have been gaining in recent years.
mellarks 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
Aw, Rue! I was worried it'd be Katniss or Finnick. I love Aria and Rue.
pushpoplove 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
Me too. I opened this post about to be all like THIS IS WHY 15 YEAR OLDS SHOULD STOP BREEDING thinking there'd be Katniss Peeta, Thrush, etc. names.
highflyer8 11th-Apr-2012 06:36 pm (UTC)
lololol thrush is a yeast infection of the mouth
emo_isoverused 11th-Apr-2012 06:54 pm (UTC)
lol me too
killbot 11th-Apr-2012 06:43 pm (UTC)
finnick would be a good name for like

a dog


a pomeranian, yeah.
schexyschteve 12th-Apr-2012 04:47 pm (UTC)
I actually like Finnick. It's a nice way to use Finn while wanting a long name (but not wanting to use Finley or Phineas).
ebertrules 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
douchiest names imo: grayson, declan, hunter, triston
hiclasslowlife 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
mark
i haven't known any nice marks
ebertrules 11th-Apr-2012 06:35 pm (UTC)
i knew 2 marks in highschool and they were both fratbros in training.
owly 11th-Apr-2012 06:48 pm (UTC)
i know two decent marks
one_hoopy_frood 11th-Apr-2012 06:57 pm (UTC)
hdu my dad and uncle and boyfriend's mother's boyfriend are all named Mark
stephaniebrown 11th-Apr-2012 07:16 pm (UTC)
i had a crush on a guy called mark. he was hungarian + super adorable.
dothecrunge 11th-Apr-2012 06:35 pm (UTC)
mte
pushpoplove 11th-Apr-2012 06:35 pm (UTC)
jason

every jason i've met was a douche
oblivious_frog 11th-Apr-2012 06:36 pm (UTC)
I love the name Hunter :/
dirrtypony 11th-Apr-2012 06:37 pm (UTC)
i love the name triston
theratwhispers 11th-Apr-2012 06:37 pm (UTC)
I have yet to meet a Hunter that wasn't an asshole with anger problems.
liberateourtime 11th-Apr-2012 06:37 pm (UTC)
spencer.
i've never met a normal spencer.
or nick.
also lindsey/lindsay
killbot 11th-Apr-2012 06:43 pm (UTC)
douche name: tyler

kevin

vivisexion 11th-Apr-2012 06:45 pm (UTC)
iawtc
just about every name ending in -son is douchey tbh
honey_child 11th-Apr-2012 06:46 pm (UTC)
I knew a girl named Hunter. She was in a group I chaperoned.

Cool name for a girl but I think her parents were Neil Gaiman fans.
hypnology 11th-Apr-2012 06:50 pm (UTC)
I love Declan and Hunter though.

To me the douchiest are Tylers.
sandvich 11th-Apr-2012 06:50 pm (UTC)
Chad and Brad.
hello_samm 11th-Apr-2012 06:56 pm (UTC)
douchy parents who name their kids cayden, braeden, braelyn, ugh.
derka_drka 11th-Apr-2012 06:56 pm (UTC)
declan is one of my favorite boys' names. :(
vivafreedom 11th-Apr-2012 06:58 pm (UTC)
Every Conner I've ever met has ranged from total dick to full blown psychopath.
k_byte 11th-Apr-2012 07:05 pm (UTC)
trevor

i was born in the mid-80s and almost every girl i know who's around my age who has an out of date name (mary/mary beth/mary katherine/etc., patricia, nancy, janet, susan, linda, stuff like your mom might be named) has been a nutbar. there are a few exceptions tho
ohforreal 11th-Apr-2012 07:19 pm (UTC)
for real -- you know if you name your kids one of those names (and also brad, braedon... etc), your son is going to be a jock and/or in a frat. you don't see nerds and dorks named grayson.
alohomora 11th-Apr-2012 07:23 pm (UTC)
ia w/ the rest but not declan
hireaunicorn 11th-Apr-2012 07:30 pm (UTC)
Hunter is one of my favourite boy names. Maybe because the only Hunter I know is the nicest guy ever (SUPER hot too).
lucillebluth 11th-Apr-2012 07:51 pm (UTC)
Callum tbh, every Callum I've ever met has been a twat and my sister and sister-in-law (who are teachers) say they're always the worst kids.
deargirl 11th-Apr-2012 08:31 pm (UTC)
dont forget chaz though

i have yet to meet a chaz i didnt loathe within an hour of knowing him
browniecakemix 11th-Apr-2012 08:36 pm (UTC)
d'aw I like Hunter and Declan

tbh I will always associate "Declan" with my friend's little brother who is just the coolest lil' man
mhfromnh 11th-Apr-2012 08:39 pm (UTC)
Tristan is ok. but only the original spelling.
sylarsexypants 11th-Apr-2012 09:00 pm (UTC)
i beg to differ


douchiest name is Preston
harleenfrances 11th-Apr-2012 09:28 pm (UTC)
chad
blaine
grant
landon
brayden
jackson
logan
price
sloane
tristen
sparkfactory 11th-Apr-2012 10:21 pm (UTC)
little girls named after presidents are always the worst. at my cousin's school there is a kennedy and a reagan lolol
kidkai 12th-Apr-2012 12:27 am (UTC)
I like Hunter. Has nothing to do with this guy either. No, really.
scarletfbl 12th-Apr-2012 07:55 am (UTC)
cosigned
egosumopacis 12th-Apr-2012 05:05 pm (UTC)
My name is Tristan.. granted, I'm a girl and I was born in the 80s and my parents got my name from the guy that played Scorpio on General Hospital (he also voiced Jake in Rescuers: Down Under), but I don't tend to think my name (or any weird spelling of it) is douchey.
And Declan is Elvis Costello's real name and I'm kind of more offended by that insult than the one of my name.
xbrokenxdollx 13th-Apr-2012 12:13 am (UTC)
grayson is the worst
eveofrevolution 15th-Apr-2012 02:47 am (UTC)
omg I love the name Declan. Tristan is also a good name. They both sound like rich kids tho (Declan mostly because of the sexy beast in my icon)
hiclasslowlife 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
Cato is an awful choice
greenfairy_87 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
It makes me think of the Pink Panther movies.
lulubelle007 not now, cato!!!11th-Apr-2012 07:10 pm (UTC)
saaame here

the only cato for me

landwarinasia 11th-Apr-2012 07:42 pm (UTC)
loooool I always need to say that name the way Peter Sellers said it.
greenfairy_87 11th-Apr-2012 06:33 pm (UTC)
I really like the name Sansa. And I can't think of Rue without thinking of Kanga from Winnie the Pooh.
oblivious_frog 11th-Apr-2012 06:37 pm (UTC)
Sansa is lovely though I do prefer Arya.
greenfairy_87 11th-Apr-2012 06:43 pm (UTC)
Outstanding icon, bb.
javamonster983 11th-Apr-2012 06:40 pm (UTC)
Sansa is such a pretty name
winninghearts 11th-Apr-2012 06:58 pm (UTC)
Sansa is my favorite asoiaf name
mwstrawberries 11th-Apr-2012 07:16 pm (UTC)
It always sounds like "sonsa" to me... which means "idiot" in Spanish. /debbie downer
rydiachachunk 11th-Apr-2012 07:42 pm (UTC)
Me too, its so pretty.
_sugar 11th-Apr-2012 09:06 pm (UTC)
My parents have called me (and still do) Roo after Kanga's bb from Winnie The Pooh haha I actually have it tattooed on me in my mom's handwriting
rootooyoo 11th-Apr-2012 10:48 pm (UTC)
I loled at first cause it reminded me of the MP3 player brand, but I've grown to like it.
lucythedragon 13th-Apr-2012 09:43 am (UTC)
I would name a girl Sansa, it's such a pretty name.
rainbowtomatoe 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
i like arya/aria
dothecrunge 11th-Apr-2012 06:34 pm (UTC)
Arya (not Aria) and Rue are qt

Ivy can go either way for me. The only Ivy I know irl is this nosy old hag my mom works with that everyone hates

Edited at 2012-04-11 06:35 pm (UTC)
_pinkpornstar_ 11th-Apr-2012 06:35 pm (UTC)
ew Rue?!

I like Arya though.
im_chris_hansen 11th-Apr-2012 07:14 pm (UTC)
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