Stars Inspire Baby Names In 2009
By WENNWednesday, December 23, 2009
Celebrities including MILEY CYRUS and RIHANNA are flexing their star power on a new generation - their unique monikers are topping a new list of popular baby names.
The most common names of the decade were Emma and Jacob, but increasingly popular in 2009 were Miley and Khloe - after Disney sensation Cyrus and reality TV star Khloe Kardashian.
Parents were also inspired by singer Rihanna, Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere and Malia Obama, the daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Kingston, the name Gwen Stefani picked for her first son, and Jude, after British actor Jude Law, were also on the up.
Pamela Redmond Satran, the creator of website Nameberry.com, says, “While the biggest baby name news of the year was Emma’s rise to claim the number one spot for girls’ names, the names moving fastest up the popularity ladder were influenced by stars, their babies, the characters they play, even reality shows and news stories.”
The names of fictional characters in hit vampire franchise Twilight also proved popular - Edward, Cullen, Bella and Esme are new favourites.
