Most parents like to keep up with the latest trends when it comes to preparing for the arrival of their new baby. They choose the latest style of crib, clothing and baby accessories to make sure that their baby has up-to-date, modern items. This adherence to trends may even extend to the baby’s name. In 2009, ironically, the trend was for parents to choose classic, old-fashioned names for their children.
Boys’ Names
The trend in 2009 was to choose classic names, many of which were also popular two generations ago. These include traditional favorites from the Bible. This trend actually began in the early 2000s. In fact, Jacob, which means “supplanter,” was the top baby name for boys from 1999 to 2009, followed closely by Ethan and the always-popular Michael, which means “Who is like God?” Alexander, William, Joshua, Daniel, Jayden, Noah and Anthony finished up the top 10. Christopher, which means “bearer of Christ,” Aiden, Matthew, David, Andrew, Joseph, Logan, James, Ryan and Benjamin rounded out the top 20 modern baby boy names of 2009.
Girls’ Names
Girls followed the same pattern of boys, with classic choices being the most trendy. Modern parents choose the name of Isabella most often for their baby girls. There were 22,067 baby girls named Isabella born in 2009, which means “My God is a vow.” Isabella was followed by Emma, Olivia and Sophia, which means “wisdom.” Ava, Emily, Madison, Abigail, Chloe and Mia finished up the top 10. Emily, which means “rival,” was the top choice in 2000, but it has decreased in popularity over the course of the decade. Mia, Elizabeth, Addison, Alexis, Ella, Samantha, Natalie, Grace, Lily, Alyssa and Ashley rounded out the top 20 girl baby names in 2009.
Trendy Names
Another trend in the early 2000s was to use different spellings of classic names. Jack became Jax, for example. This was evident in the way many famous people named their children. Musician Tori Amos named her daughter “Natashya” rather than the traditional “Natasha.” Natasha means “Christ’s birthday.” In fact, adding a “y” to a name became a trend all its own, with many “Jaydens,” “Haydens” and “Hayleys” appearing on birth certificates. Very feminine names were a trend among movie stars, with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Gardner naming their daughters Violet and Seraphina, which means “fiery one.” Cam Gigandet gave his daughter the name of Everleigh, which means “endless meadow.”
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