Here are the girl names that debuted the highest on the SSA’s 2011 baby name list:
- Magaby, 50 baby girls
- Gredmarie, 47
- Jocell, 31
- Cataleya, 28
- Khaleesi, 27
- Zendaya, 26
- Quorra, 25
- Jorley, 22
- Ayelene, 21
- Locklyn, 17
- Adrialys, 16
- Dim, 16
- Mahniya, 15
- Lumen, 14
- Brynlynn, 13
- Calii, 12
- Kiyan, 12
- Rhyder, 12
- Taisley, 12
- Yanilen, 12
Some likely explanations:
- Magaby is from Magaby Garay, a young singer featured on Mexican reality/talent show Pequeños Gigantes.
- Gredmarie is from Gredmarie Colon, a contestant on beauty pageant/reality show Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011.
- Jocell is from Jocell Villa, also a contestant on Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011.
- Cataleya is from Cataleya, a character played by Zoe Saldana in the movie Colombiana (2011). The character’s name is based on the word Cattleya, which refers to a genus of orchid.
- Khaleesi is the Dothraki word for “queen” in the medieval fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. A khaleesi is the wife of a khal, or “king.” The khaleesi featured in the show is character Daenerys Targaryen, played by actress Emilia Clarke.
- Zendaya is from Zendaya Coleman, a young singer/actress currently starring in the Disney sitcom Shake It Up.
- Quorra is from Quorra, the character played by Olivia Wilde in the movie Tron: Legacy (2010).
- Lumen is from Lumen Pierce, a character played by Julia Stiles during the fifth season of Dexter.
- Yanilen is from Yanilen Diaz, a contestant on Mexican reality/talent show La Academia 2011.
Can you come up with explanations for any of the others? I’m especially curious about Dim — any ideas?
(Here are last year’s debut names.)
Source: SSA
Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri