Think about the times when it's socially acceptable to scream and yell in public. There are three locations that come to mind: the playground, college (all non-lecture free time), and sporting events. While the occasions aren’t exactly the same, yelling is yelling. At the playground, it's more acceptable for kids to scream and yell, but it's not like we've never stood next to the big kid slide and screeched "Emma! Do NOT throw sand!” while in college it was more of an all-purpose “woo-hoo.” Wanton yelling aside, what else do these three things have in common? They all converge in the newest list of popular baby names. These names share an easy familiarity but are still distinctive enough that when an "Emory! Do NOT kick wood chips!" rings out through the playground only one child will turn around. (That is of course unless this list goes viral, then we cannot make any promises.)
We spoke to Laura Wattenberg of Baby Name Wizard for the latest in naming trends, and she tipped us off on these up-and-coming baby names. This next crop of names takes the trend of location-based names, such as Brooklyn and Paris, and kicks it up a notch. According to Laura, “Each is a twist on place names, with some of the same 'fresh-yet-familiar' appeal as baby names. They can also represent a special connection that's shared with a community.”
On this list, we’ve included baby names rising in popularity that have been inspired by Ivy League universities, popular colleges, sports stadiums, and combing all of the above: college sports stadiums. They are a perfect way to pay homage to an alma mater, hometown, favorite sports team, or even put a little pressure on a future baby, instilling them with Ivy League dreams as soon as the ink is dry on the birth certificate. Even if one isn't completely sure what an Aggie is, or have never heard of the Green Monster, it's still possible to touch down on a future child’s perfect name with these sports- and stadium-inspired names.
PRINCETON
Naming a baby Princeton is a perfect homage to an alma mater. It's also a great name choice for parents who have Ivy League aspirations for their babies.
EMORY
Emory is another collegiate name that works as a gender-neutral baby name choice. For a boy's name Emory has an Old English meaning of "home strength" and the meaning for the girl's name is literally the same.
BERKELEY
Berkeley is a baby name that evokes sunny California and the University of California campus situated there. Meaning "from the birch meadow" this baby name works for any gender.
DUKE
This North Carolina university name is also a great masculine baby name. It's also perfect for jazz lovers who want to name their baby after Duke Ellington.
EMERSON
Boston is a college town and where Emerson College is located. Emerson also doubles as a great gender-neutral baby name.
STANFORD
Stanford is a classic baby boy name and also a university in California. Stanford is also a name best known to Sex in the City fans via Stanford Blatch, one of Carrie's besties.
TEMPLE
Located in Philadelphia, Temple University is a school that produces some of the brightest and most clever Internet bloggers. It also makes an adorable name for a baby girl. (Full disclosure: Author is a Temple Graduate. Go owls!)
ROWAN
Irish in origin, the name Rowan means red. It also doubles as a gender-neutral baby name and a college in New Jersey.
AUBURN
Calling all families with redhead genes, especially those who went to college in Alabama! Auburn is a great girl's name that's a tribute to the Auburn College and the hair color.
BAYLOR
This Texan college gives us a gender-neutral baby name. Baylor also can adorably be shortened to Bay as a nickname!
WRIGLEY
Wrigley is trendy and trending baby name for boys. Due in part to baseball's Wrigley Field, this name had a surge in popularity after the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.
NEYLAND
Neyland Stadium is home to the college football team the Tennessee Volunteers and a girl's name that is beginning to see some popularity. For anyone hoping this name would double as a nod to Golden Girls fandom, we're sorry to inform you Rose's last name is actually spelled Nylund.
KINNICK
While our inner Marvel fan loves the name Hawkeye, a better tribute to the University of Iowa's football team would be to name your baby after their stadium, Kinnick. A perfect gender-neutral name, Kinnick can be shortened to Nicky.
SHAE
Shae is a gender-neutral name that means admirable in Gaelic. For baseball fans, Shae has another meaning. Shae Stadium was home to the New York Mets until 2008 and a great baby name for anyone who loves NY.
FENWAY
Fenway may sound a little quirky, but for any diehard Boston Red Sox fan, it makes perfect sense. Named after the Sox's stadium, it's a fun gender-neutral name option.
CAMDEN
Camden is a gender-neutral name meaning "from the winding valley." Baltimore Orioles may also love this name in part because their home stadium, Oriole Park, is at Camden Yards.
LINCOLN
Located in Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field is the name of 2018's Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and also the inspiration behind this baby name. (Well, that and a president.) The stadium is nicknamed the Linc for short, which would also be an adorable nickname. (Full disclosure: Author is from Philly. Go birds!)
KYLE
Kyle may sound like a fairly common boy's name, but if The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has taught us anything, it's that Kyle is fresh and fun as a girl's name. Texans may also love this name because of Kyle Field, the stadium for the Texas A&M Aggies football team.
ARROW
Kansas City Chiefs football fans may be familiar with Arrowhead Stadium, and expectant parents should be familiar with the baby name Arrow. Arrow is a gender-neutral baby name with popularity on the rise. (Plus, arrow-themed baby showers are just so cute.)
FORD
Ford Field is the home of the Detroit Lions and like a lot of things in Detroit, is named after Henry Ford. Also meaning "river crossing," Ford is a versatile baby name.
