Downton Abbey Had A Huge Effect On Baby Names In 2015

Whether you grew up in the '80s, '90s, or '00s, there’s one trend that always stays the same: at least three kids in your first-grade class had the same name and had to go by their last initial (sorry Jennifers). That’s why it’s fun to see what baby names are trending for the wee-ones of the newest generation. The Social Security Administration just released the list of the most-popular baby names of 2015, and it’s got some fun trends. As the Baby Name Wizard blog points out, actress Shailene Woodley seems to have an outsized influence on this year’s names, though not with her own name. The name Hazel — the character played by Woodley in The Fault In Our Stars — has moved up more than 40 places in the ranking to come in at number 63 on the 2015 list. Hazel-Grace, the full name of the character, is the new moniker of some 22 baby girls. And Tobias, the name of the love interest of Woodley’s Divergent character, moved up about 100 places. Does that mean that we’re destined to be hearing the soft syllables of YA fiction names echo through the daycares of America? Not exactly. Overall, current trends for girls’ names hint heavily at a pre-kindergarten set posher than Downton Abbey. Elegant names like Olivia, Sophia, Isabella, and Charlotte are all in this year’s top 10 — with more sophisticated names like Victoria, Grace, and Evelyn all making the top 20. (For those who want to inspire a bit more sauciness in their junior aristocrat, Violet came in at an even 50.) On the boys’ side, classic is still the name of the game, with traditional names like Noah, Jacob, William, and Ethan taking top spots. Mason, which has the distinction of being both a delightfully classic name and a hipster design staple, came in at number three. You can check out the whole list of the top 1,000 names for boys and girls here — check out where your name falls on the list and see what other trends you can spot!