This Year’s Top Baby Names Inspired By ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Characters
Shonda Rhimes already has her own night on broadcast television, dubbed #TGIT or Thank God its Thursday on ABC, but now, she may also be influencing the names of the next generation. BabyCenter, which is an online parenting resource, has released its list of the top baby names for 2014, and there has been an increase in babies named after Grey’s Anatomy characters.
While the names that were chosen didn’t make the top 100 list for boys or girls’ names, Jackson, as in Jackson Avery, has been the top boy’s name selected for two years in a row. Sophia is the top girl’s name for the fifth year in a row, but it is doubtful that the name was influenced by Calzona’s daughter, Sofia.
The Washington Post reported television inspired 20 percent of the baby names chosen this year, with a big upsurge of names from shows produced by Rhimes. One of Grey’s Anatomy’s most popular couples, Arizona and Callie, inspired the names chosen by parents for their baby girls. The name Arizona saw a 35 percent increase over 2013, while Callie increased by 30 percent. The men of Scandal seemed to inspire boy’s names, as Huck saw an increase of 44 percent, but the biggest increase was the name Fitzgerald, which increased by 56 percent.
Baby names were also inspired by sports figures and the most people children’s movie of the year, Frozen. Derek Jeter, who retired from the New York Yankees this year, inspired parents to choose the name Jeter 82 percent more than 2013, and many little girls were named Idina, after Idina Menzel, who sang the opening score for Frozen. Idina didn’t make the list of selected baby names last year.
Along with Jackson and Sophia, Olivia is a perennial favorite among new parents of baby girls and it also the name of a Rhimes’ character, Olivia Pope from Scandal. As the Chicago Tribune reported, the top baby boy names for 2014 are:
- Jackson
- Aiden
- Liam
- Lucas
- Noah
- Mason
- Ethan
- Caden
- Jacob
- Logan
The top 10 names for baby girls in 2014 are:
- Sophia
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Mia
- Zoe
- Lily
- Emily
- Madelyn
Even though her shows may have influenced parents to name their children after characters on her shows, the name Shonda did not show up on the top baby names list.
As the Inquisitr reported, Grey’s is on its winter break, so television viewers will have to wait a few more weeks to discover other names to select for their babies. What Rhimes’ character would you pick for your baby? Let us know in the comments section.
