It’s December 2 — the doubly momentous day on which Britney Spears celebrates her birthday and on which we start another round of the annual Pop Culture Baby Name Game.
Which baby names will see significant movement on the charts in 2016 thanks to popular culture (TV, movies, music, sports, politics, products, current events, video games, etc.)? Below are some possibilities. Leave a comment with the names you’d add — and don’t forget to mention the pop culture influence.
- Addison – Chicago Cubs winning season
- Adonis – movie Creed (suggested by Becca)
- Ajax – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Alessia – singer Alessia Cara (suggested by Ebony)
- Ali – death of Muhammad Ali
- Angel (f) – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Angel Dust – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Aroldis – Chicago Cubs winning season/World Series
- Auli’i – movie Moana
- Barron – son of president-elect Donald Trump (suggested by Andrea)
- Bebe – singer Bleta “Bebe” Rexha (suggested by Ebony)
- Bernie – presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (suggested by elbowin)
- Bison – new national mammal & Dakota Access pipeline protests
- Boomer – son of Michael Phelps
- Bowie – musician David Bowie
- Broncs – son of Mackenzie McKee (late suggestion by me)
- Camila – singer Camila Cabello (suggested by Ebony)
- Canaan – son of Oprah Winfrey
- Chyna – pro-wrestler Chyna (late suggestion by me)
- Clark – Chicago Cubs winning season
- Cohen – death of Leonard Cohen
- Creed – movie Creed (suggested by Julie and Becca)
- Cub – Chicago Cubs winning season
- Cubby – Chicago Cubs winning season
- Cyrus – TV miniseries Roots
- Curiosity – Mars rover (suggested by elbowin)
- Dak – NFL player Rayne Dakota “Dak” Prescott (late suggestion by me)
- Daya – singer Daya (suggested by Ebony)
- Dexter – Chicago Cubs winning season/World Series
- Dopinder – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Doris – movie Hello, My Name Is Doris
- Dory – movie Finding Dory (suggested by Randi)
- Draymond – NBA player Draymond Green (late suggestion by me)
- Dream – latest Kardashian baby (late suggestion by me)
- Eleven – TV show Stranger Things (late suggestion by me)
- Elle – singer Elle King (suggested by Ebony)
- Emayatzy – TV miniseries Roots
- E’myri – TV miniseries Roots
- Esperanto – number of speakers (suggested by elbowin)
- Francis – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Greyson – son of JWoww
- Halsey – singer Halsey (suggested by Ebony)
- Hamilton – musical Hamilton
- Harriet – Harriet Tubman, chosen to appear on $20 bill
- Hermine – Hurricane Hermine (late suggestion by me)
- Hillary – presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
- Ingwen – Tsai Ing-wen, president of Taiwan (suggested by elbowin)
- Ivanka – daughter of president-elect Donald Trump (suggested by elbowin)
- Jikan – death of Leonard Cohen (suggested by elbowin)
- Jonbenet – anniversary of the death of JonBenet Ramsey
- Juno – NASA space probe
- Jupiter – NASA space probe
- Lorca – death of Leonard Cohen (suggested by elbowin)
- Luna – daughter of John Legend & Chrissy Teigen
- Keanu – Key & Peele movie Keanu
- Kehlani – musician Kehlani (late suggestion by me)
- Kizzy – TV miniseries Roots
- Kunta – TV miniseries Roots
- Laremy – NFL player Laremy Tunsil (late suggestion by me)
- Linmanuel – actor/playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda (late suggestion by me)
- Lyanna – TV show Game of Thrones
- Maga – Trump hashtag #MAGA (late suggestion by me)
- Maisa – Brazilian child actress Maisa da Silva Andrade (late suggestion by me)
- Malachi – TV miniseries Roots
- Maui – movie Moana
- MacGyver – TV show MacGyver (late suggestion by me)
- Melania – wife of president-elect Donald Trump (suggested by elbowin)
- Merrick – judge Merrick Garland, former Supreme Court nominee (late suggestion by me)
- Miesha – UFC fighter Miesha Tate (late suggestion by me)
- Moana – movie Moana
- Monica – Puerto Rican Olympian Monica Puig (I’m curious about the rankings in Puerto Rico specifically; Monica fell out of the top 100 in PR after 2002.)
- Mountain – daughter of actress Jena Malone
- Moushumi – TV show The Voice (late suggestion by me)
- Mowgli – movie The Jungle Book
- Muhammad – death of Muhammad Ali
- Murray – Chicago Cubs winning season/World Series
- Ode – daughter of actress Jena Malone
- Omran – Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh
- Onyx – daughter of Alanis Morissette
- Phiona – movie Queen of Katwe
- Paisley – death of Prince
- Prince – death of Prince (suggested by elbowin)
- Queen – TV show Queen Sugar & movie Queen of Katwe
- Regé-Jean – TV miniseries Roots
- Rihanna – singer Rihanna (suggested by Ebony)
- Rio – location of the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Rykiel – death of Sonia Rykiel (suggested by elbowin)
- Sanders – presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
- Simone – gymnast Simone Biles & daughter of John Legend & Chrissy Teigen
- Solace – daughter of Alanis Morissette
- Sully – movie Sully
- Teresa – canonization of Mother Teresa
- Teyana – musician Teyana Taylor (late suggestion by me)
- Tiffany – daughter of president-elect Donald Trump (suggested by elbowin)
- Trump – president-elect Donald Trump
- Tulip – movie Storks
- Usain – runner Usain Bolt (late suggestion by me)
- Valor – son of JWoww
- Vanessa – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Voltron – web TV show Voltron: Legendary Defender (late suggestion by me)
- Wade – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Wilder – death of Gene Wilder (suggested by m4yb3_daijirou)
- Wilson – movie Deadpool (suggested by Elizabeth)
- Wrigley – Chicago Cubs winning season
- Zephyr – U.S. House of Rep. (NY) candidate Zephyr Teachout, who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders. (She was born in Washington state, where Zephyr is particularly popular.)
- Zobrist – Chicago Cubs winning season/World Series
I’ll post the results next May, when the SSA releases the 2016 baby name data. If you don’t want to miss the results post, please subscribe!
Previous rounds of the Pop Culture Baby Name Game: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011: #1 & #2, 2010.
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