Thank you for purchasing this eBook. At Sourcebooks we believe one thing: BOOKS CHANGE LIVES. We would love to invite you to receive exclusive rewards. Sign up now for VIP savings, bonus content, early access to new ideas we're developing, and sneak peeks at our hottest titles! Happy reading! SIGN UP NOW! Copyright © 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover and internal design © 2010, 2015 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover design by Dawn Adams/Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover image © Tiplyashina Evgeniya/Shutterstock Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.—From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 Fax: (630) 961-2168 www.sourcebooks.com Sixth Edition Contents Introduction Inside the Popularity Charts What’s Hot (or Not) Today (And What Will—and Won’t!—Be Tomorrow) Girls’ Names A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Boys’ Names A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Introduction So, you’ve got a baby to name. As if preparing for the arrival of the baby isn’t enough, you’re dealing with all the pressure of figuring out what, exactly, to call the little bundle of joy. It can be stressful to find a name that will do justice to the hope you have for your child. After all, names influence first impressions. They can trigger great—or unpleasant—nicknames. They can affect your child’s self-esteem. They can be a tangible, lasting link to a family legacy. But let’s not forget that they can be fun. And that’s what this book is all about. Remember The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which comes out annually as a guide to each year’s trends, forecasts, and hot spots? Aimed at farmers, of course, the book provides a way to put the year into context, to navigate the shifting seasons, and to understand all the factors swirling in the atmosphere. The 2016 Baby Names Almanac aims to be a similar lifeline for parents. With a finger on the pulse of pop culture and an ear to the ground of what’s hip, new, and relevant, this book offers you an instant, idiosyncratic snapshot of how the world today is shaping what you may want to name your child tomorrow. Jam-packed with information and ideas, plus thousands of names to browse, this book analyzes the most recent trends and fads in baby naming, offering up forecasts and predictions. You’ll find our take on questions like these (and much more!): • Which cutting-edge names are on the rise? • Which popular names are on the decline? • What influence do celebrities have on names? – Names in music: Will your child be Zendaya or Hendrix? – Names in movies: Will Elsa be in your child’s kindergarten class? Or will you see more Star Wars–inspired kids? – Names in sports: Will Olympians continue to inspire the names of the next generation? Or will NBA offspring, like Riley, inspire? • How many babies get the most popular name, anyway? • Which letter do most girls’ names start with? How about boys’ names? • What are the most popular “gender-neutral” names today—and which gender uses each name more often? (If you name your daughter Landry, will she find herself playing with lots of other little girls named Landry— or little boys instead?) • How can you take a trend and turn it into a name you love? (How about a little Royal of your own?) We understand that sometimes this information on trends and popularity is hard to digest, so we’ve created some easy-to-visualize graphics. Turn to page 4, for example, to see a map of the United States showing where Emma reigns and where little Noah is king. And what baby name book would be complete without the names? Flip to page 67 to begin browsing through more than 20,000 names, including entries for the most popular names for girls and boys as reported by the Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames). A little bit of a mishmash and a screenshot of the world today, The 2016 Baby Names Almanac is like no other book out there. Stuffed with ideas on what’s hip and hot and how you can take a trend and turn it into a name you love, this book is your all-in-one guide to baby names now.