It is now April, which means we can officially say the 2014 SSA Popular Baby Names list will be out next month! It's Christmas in May for name enthusiasts and I, for one, can't wait to see what names made their move upward last year. I am not one who likes to make predictions, but there is something about this list that forces me to go out on a limb.
Here are 10 names I think have a chance to jump up into the Top 100 for 2014...
GIRLS
Alice
2013 Rank: #107
Once ranked as high as #8 in the 1880s and early 1900s, Alice is currently in the news as being one of the top contenders for the new English princess. But the name has already been climbing gradually among American parents since the 1990s and does not have too far to go to break into the Top 100. If it doesn't do it this time, a Princess Alice will surely help make that final push for 2015.
Cora
2013 Rank: #127
Cora has been rising from elegant obscurity since the 1990s, even before the influence of Downton Abbey's matriarch Lady Cora (but she didn't hurt the name either). This would be a return to the Top 100 for Cora, which made it as high as #15 in 1880 and remained in the Top 100 through 1912.
Elsa
2013 Rank: #528
Frozen came out in November 2013. With an entire year of Queen Elsa under parents' belts and the fact that the Elizabeth nickname was already gaining steam since the late 1990s, it would be no big surprise to see Elsa move up in 2014. The question is, can it jump more than 428 spots into the Top 100?
Everly
2013 Rank: #383
For a name that was barely even used for girls before 2000, Everly has made huge strides in the past couple of years. Honestly, this is my most far-reaching pick for Top 100 this year, but I think it has tremendous potential, especially after receiving some status in the celebrity baby name realm. I also love that I picked this name to enter the Top 1000 back in 2012 (which I got right)!
Vivian
2013 Rank: #119
Speaking of celebrity baby names, how much love has Vivian and Vivienne received in the past several years? That fact and knowing the name has gradually grown in usage since the 1980s, makes Vivian a pretty strong possibility to take over a spot in the Top 100. It held a spot from 1911 through 1934 and ranked at #64 at its highest, so it is not too far of a reach to expect it back there soon.
BOYS
Asher
2013 Rank: #104
Biblical names are both classic and on the rise. Asher is one of the latter. Admittedly, Asher doesn't have far to go to make it into the Top 100, but year by year, it just keeps gaining ground so this could be the year it will slip into the top group.
Ezra
2013 Rank: #143
Another Biblical name that is slowly clambering up the ranks, Ezra has been given to boys since 1880 but it is currently at its highest rate of usage. It also has the cool "z" sound that could help it continue to rise right into the Top 100.
Jayce
2013 Rank: #146
Jace and Jase are now firmly in the Top 100, so why shouldn't Jayce join them? I really don't see a reason why all three can't be in the top, especially with the continued popularity of Duck Dynasty and the ongoing need to vary the spelling of trendy names.
Leo
2013 Rank: #112
Leo was a steady Top 100 name from 1882 through 1937, but never made it higher than #38. Its raw numbers are reaching almost the same amount now as they were back then and they continue to soar. Leo is a true example of the old becoming new again and re-entering the Top 100 would be additional proof to support that assertion.
Maddox
2013 Rank: #169
The name Maddox wasn't even given to children before 1995 (at least it wasn't recorded until then), but it seemed to really start rising after Angelina Jolie used the name for her first child in 2002. At the rate it keeps rising I don't see it slowing down and the continued appeal of the "x" should help propel it into the Top 100 soon.
What do you think? Do you agree with any of these names or do you see a different name joining the Top 100 for 2014?
