I think the very, very best is http://www.nameberry.com. It's by Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, the authors o Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana. They track name trends in all English-speaking countries, and have trend data going back a century or more! They group names in trends they see, by Style, Image, and more. Within those general groups, they give names that are on the rise; those that are on their way out; those that are so hot that there will be three in every classroom. And they tell you what names are college-bound; what names are being used by doctors and lawyers; what names are common on Soho playgrounds and in London.

I don't know how many parents I've met that named their daughter Emily that told me "I thought it was so lovely and unique, but now that she's in school there are four in her class!" Little wonder, because it's been in the top three names for several years now, swapping first and second places several times. And before that it was in the top 10 and top 25 for around a decade. It IS a lovely name, but no longer unique.

It also points out some things to consider in naming your kids: things like sibling names that go well together, and those that don't. If your first daughter is Isabella (now #2) and you name your next daughter Blake, is Blake a boy or a girl, or did you just create an automatic tomboy? Or what if you name her Mildred? Who are boys going to want to go on a blind date with, Isabella or Mildred? Or if your son is Rocco, can you give him a brother named Percy?

Nameberry also trends created names, and helps you not to fall into a pit.

Their latest book is due out this summer. Rather than another revision of their first book, the new one is Beyond Ava and Aiden.

http://nameberry.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/beyondava-199x300.jpg

From their website, a list of Girls' Names Trendier Than You Think. They note that this list is not what you'd expect, particularly for first-time parents new to baby-naming trends. These are the ones that will require your child to attach the initial of your last name to in school:

Ava
Chloe
Claire
Destiny
Eleanor
Ella
Eva
Faith
Grace
Julia
Laura
Lily
Lucy
Madeline
Olivia
Ruby
Sadie
Sophia
Sophie
Stella
Trinity
Zoe

Here's the list for boys:

Ashton
Beckett
Blake
Bryce
Caleb
Chase
Colin
Elijah
Henry
Isaiah
Jackson
Jagger
Landon
Mason
Milo
Oscar
Owen
Sebastian
Theo
Trenton
Tristan
Source(s):
http://www.nameberry.com

I own almost all of their books and used them to name my kids. I get compliments on my kids' names almost every time I introduce them.


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