BABY NAMES

WOULD YOU NAME YOUR BABY BOY "ZAYDEN"?

Parents . . . when you name your kids, do you prefer to give them "popular" names, or names that are a little less traditional?

The reason I ask is because, according to a new study by San Diego State University and the University of Georgia, more and more parents are trying to give their kids names that will help them stand out.

According to the study, just 9% of boys born in 2007 were given one of the ten most popular boy names. That's down from 32% in 1955. And only 8% of girls were given a top ten name in 2007, down from 22% in 1955.

Laura Wattenberg founded a website called BabyNameWizard.com. She says, quote:--"You might think we're all individualists now, but our tastes haven't changed that much. Yes, there are more eye-popping names. But what you're really seeing are little variations on the same themes."--For example, the fastest-growing boy names all rhyme with the name "Aiden", including:

--Brayden--Hayden--Caden --And Zayden (???)

--Just so you have it handy, the ten most popular GIRL names last year were:

#10.) Chloe#9.) Elizabeth#8.) Abigail#7.) Sophia#6.) Olivia#5.) Ava#4.) Madison#3.) Emily#2.) Isabella#1.) Emma

--And the ten most popular BOY names last year were:

#10.) Matthew#9.) Christopher#8.) William#7.) Anthony#6.) Alexander#5.) Daniel#4.) Joshua#3.) Ethan#2.) Michael#1.) Jacob (Vancouver Sun / ssa.gov)