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Babies Online Baby Names for 2007

Baby names are often the most debated decision among expectant parents. The will of family members and the media comes into play for many parents, who often start name lists before the sex of the baby is even known. Of course, the names chosen are often shaped by the century the parents are living it- and even the decade.

In 1907, the most popular girls’ names were Mary, Helen and Margaret, followed by Anna and Ruth. The most popular boys’ names that year were John, William, James, George and Charles. One hundred years later, the list looks a lot different. In a survey of the top 20 boys’ and girls’ names of 2007 only one of these names, William, appeared at all.

Names heard on television, particularly on soaps, have been shown to be a strong influence on the baby names chosen in any particular year. The name Madison was virtually unknown until the movie Splash came out, featuring a mermaid named Madison. Since then, Madison has been steadily climbing the charts and is now the third most popular name of BabiesOnline babies this year.  Next year’s names are impossible to predict, as they vary substantially from year to year.

New television and movie characters, as well as negative associations formed during the year, will no doubt shape the new year’s crop of names. Negative associations with names are often just as powerful as positive ones. People who associate a bad behavior with someone with a specific name have a hard time considering that name for their innocent new baby. So, at the end of 2008, we may have babies named after the new president, whoever he or she may be, new soap characters and perhaps babies named after heroes we have yet to hear from.

This list represents the most popular baby names that Babies Online members named their children in 2007. What did you name your baby?

Tags: Baby Names, popular names