For expecting parents, the nine months during pregnancy is the perfect time to do all the prep work. There’s a nursery to decorate, a car seat to install, doctor appointments to attend and much more. In addition, this is a great opportunity to research possible baby boy names. That way, you and your partner will have time to mull over the ones that you agree and disagree on.
So where should you start? Although baby naming books are resourceful, they also can be overwhelming with up to 400 pages to read! Instead of flipping through a book, start by taking a look at popular baby names over the years. There’s a reason they were popular, after all. Here are some of the top boy names in 2012.
The top 10 boys names
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration’s list of the top boys’ names in 2012, the 10 most popular choices didn’t change much from the previous year. Jacob and Mason held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. In addition, most of the names that made the top 10 in 2011 also ranked in the year 2012. The names Ethan, Michael, Jayden, William, Alexander, Noah and Aiden all made it. The only new addition was Liam, which was No. 15 in 2011. Here are the top 10 names in order of ranking.
Names ending in ‘an,’Â ‘en’ and ‘on’
In 2012, there were lots of names that end in “n” that topped the charts for boys in 2012. Mason, Ethan, Jayden and Aiden made it into the top 10. Other names on the list that followed suit were Logan (No. 22), Jackson (No. 21) and Owen (No. 38), among others.
For years, this has been a hot trend for baby naming. These names roll off the tongue easily and pair well with a middle or last name that ends in a consonant. Play around with the names you like to hear how well they flow.
Gender-neutral names
Lately, more parents have been adopting names that work for both boys and girls. Many of the names that made it on the top 100 list in 2012 are gender neutral. If you like this idea, you can name your little boy something like Jordan (No. 48) or maybe Ryan (No. 26). On the other hand, you could alter traditional girl names to make them a little more masculine for your little boy. For instance, the name Mila can become Miles or Alexa can simply be Alex, which is also gender neutral.
Don’t let the baby’s sex limit your choices. Even if you don’t know the gender, name your little one after something you love. It’s a modern and progressive twist on naming traditions.
Get the most recent trends with the most popular boys names of this year.
