Nameberry just released its list of the top baby names of 2015.
According to Nameberry creator Pamela Satran, some of the hottest baby names in 2015 were based on literary characters. Esme and Kai are examples of this trend.
"Esme and Kai are both names we've seen quietly gathering steam over the past few years," said Satran. "Esme has the classic literary credibility of other girls' names that are newly stylish...this is from the J.D. Salinger story, 'For Esme, With Love and Squalor.' It's also got a 'Twilight' connection, via the vampire matriarch in the Twilight books."
"Kai is multi-ethnic," Satran continued. "It means sea in Hawaiian and also exists as a name in Japanese, Maori, and Navajo, and also has a connection to children's literature as the name of the little boy who is enchanted in 'The Snow Queen.'"
Here are the top 10 hottest baby names on Nameberry:
Girls
1. Esme
2. Evelyn
3. Mia
4. Abigail
5. Luna
6. Chloe
7. Emily
8. Arabella
9. Ava
10. Anna
Boys
1. Kai
2. Austin
3. Lachlan
4. Graham
5. Everett
6. Theo
7. Elliot
8. Matthew
9. Lincoln
10. Axel
The top 10 most popular boy and girl baby names of 2015 were relatively the same as 2014, with only one new name entering the top 10 baby names for boys, and only three new names entering the top 10 baby names for girls.
"The birth of Britain’s Princess Charlotte lifted that classic name back to No. 1, though the names of her big brother George and grandfather Charles sank this year in our poll," Satran said.
Satran also revealed that many baby names derived from pop culture had fallen in interest this year.
"Atticus, the name inspired by 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' which led our mid-year popularity list, sank to No.1 3 following the publication of a new Harper Lee novel in which the Atticus Finch character is portrayed as a racist," Satran said.
Here are the most popular baby names on Nameberry for 2015:
Girls
1. Charlotte
2. Amelia
3. Ava
4. Olivia
5. Cora
6. Eleanor
7. Isla
8. Lucy
9. Evelyn
10. Penelope
Boys
1. Ezra
2. Asher
3. Atticus
4. Declan
5. Oliver
6. Silas
7. Milo
8. Jude
9. Henry
10. Jasper
