Shine OnAsa, Knox, Louis and Persephone: Next trends in baby names?
Baby name site Nameberry recently analyzed its 'most popular name' page views for the first nine months of 2013 and created a list of new baby names that are "attracting new levels of attention."
So while the popularity of these names are still far from the top 100 in the U.S., they're worth keeping an eye on as monikers that may soon take off.
In a few years, there just might be a few Azaleas running around on the playground.
From Nameberry's list of 28 soon-to-be hot baby names, here are a few celebrity-influenced standouts:
Also see: Most popular baby names of 2013 (so far)
Asa
Young "Ender's Game" actor Asa Butterfield will likely catapult into stardom when the movie opens in theatres next month. His name, Asa, has been attracting plenty of attention on Nameberry, likely in part for its Biblical and Puritan history, but also because it relates to the current trendy name choices of Asher and Ace.
Knox
First Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their son Knox, then two other celebs followed suit: both "The Mentalist"'s Amanda Righetti and country-music star Dierks Bentley chose the name for their baby boys. In the last four years, the name has moved from off the baby name charts to the 368th most popular boy's name in the country.
Also see: Most unusual baby names of 2012
Louis
Sanda Bullock's son and little Prince George are likely contributors to the rise of this classic royal name.
Sasha and Valentina
Thanks to Natasha "Sasha" Obama, Sasha is on the rise for young girls — no need to assign the full name of Natasha anymore, it's now a stand-alone option — and Salma Hayek's daughter Valentina helped boost awareness of the lovely Latin name.
Other names on the up-and-coming list including saint's name Blaise, the "Duck Dynasty"-approved Reed, and Persephone, which Nameberry speculates may become "the new Penelope."
Also see: The shorter the name, the bigger the salary?
Read the entire post, with all 28 names, here.
At least none of these names are part of the "narcissism epidemic."
Parents-to-be, do any up-and-coming baby names strike your fancy?
If you're interested in seeing how baby-name trends change over time — check out the "wondrous GIF" over at The Atlantic Cities that reveals the most popular girl names, per state, since 1960. Maybe it's time to bring Mary back?
