‘Twilight’ influence shows in name list

The Social Security Administration has released its list of the top thousand names given to infants in the previous year. It’s the agency’s annual Mother’s Day gift to name junkies like me.

In 2009, the top names were Jacob and Isabella. There were 22,067 Isabellas born and only 20,858 Jacobs. The last time the top name for girls accounted for more babies than the top name for boys was 1949, when 90,942 girls were named Linda and only 86,727 boys were named James.

Social Security counts every spelling as a different name. Adding together spellings I believe are pronounced the same, the figures change. The top name for boys becomes Aiden (also spelled Aaden, Aden, Aedan, Aidan, Aidyn, Aydan, Ayden, and Aydin), with a grand total of 30,518.

Isabella is still the top name for girls with combined spellings. The total for Isabella, Isabela and Izabella is 24,629.

On my list combining spellings, the rest of the boys’ top 10 are Jayden, Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, Kaden, William, Christopher and Jackson. William and Jackson are new for 2009, replacing Joshua and Daniel.

For girls, Sophia, Madison, Emily, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Abigail, Chloe and Hailey follow Isabella. Chloe is new, bumping Madelyn to No. 11.

Isabella has been in the top 10 for several years and was No. 2 last year. However, the number of Isabellas born in 2009 was more than 20 percent higher than in 2008. There actually were 2 percent fewer born in 2008 than 2007.

“Twilight” propelled Isabella forward in 2009. The heroine of Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular book and film series, featuring vampires who sparkle, is named Isabella “Bella” Swan. Bella rose 63 percent between 2008 and 2009 to be the 72nd most common name for girls.

The hero of “Twilight” is vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen. The number of boys named Cullen doubled between 2008 and 2009. Edward rose about 8 percent, its first substantial increase since the 1920s.

Isabella and Bella are an example of the Hollywood feedback loop. Meyer gave her character the same name she would have given her own daughter. She made a name that was already fashionable even more so. Something similar happened when Emma was chosen as the baby’s name on “Friends” in 2002.

Some predictions I made in this column came true. In December 2008, I said if any Obama family names boomed, it would be Malia. Malia rose 106 percent and 99 positions to end up 97th on the popularity list in 2009. Sasha rose by 38 percent to 244th. Michelle dropped five places to 121st, and Barack didn’t make the 2009 top thousand.

Last August, I wondered if Disney Channel star Demi Lovato would revive her name. Demi jumped back onto the Social Security Administration list in 883rd place after having been missing since 1998.

My mother’s name, Leona, was back among the top thousand in 2009 for the first time in 28 years, at No. 970. This has more to do with singer Leona Lewis than my column last November. Still, in my opinion, it couldn’t happen to a better name.

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