The popularity of social networks has spilled over to the mainstream in an unpredictable way. Millennials, as they start their own families, are looking to Instagram for their baby names. BabyCenter noted that Instagram filters have jumped double digits to claim top spots as the preferred names of today's babies.
The unofficial list by the parenting site precedes the official tally which is released by the U.S. Social Security Administration. The SSA is due to release the official list in 2016. The BabyCenter survey covered 340,000 parents in the world and their findings include the massive rise of Lux as a popular boy's name. It enjoyed a 75% increase in use since 2014, Digital Trends noted.
Other names also made the list. Ludwig (up 42%), Amaro (up 26%), Reyes (up 10%), Hudson (up 4%), and Kelvin (up 3%) represent Instagram's filter names used as boys' names. As for girls' names, Valencia (up 26%), Juno (up 30%), and Willow (up 13%) were recorded by BabyCenter as top picks inspired by Instagram filter names.
Linda Murray, BabyCenter's global editor-in-chief, shared her thoughts on their website. She said, “This is the first time we’ve seen technology break through as a source of name inspiration.” She added, “Photo-sharing is a daily and emotional part of Millennials’ lives, and those two ingredients can trigger love for a name.”
Other sources of inspiration have also made an impact on the names of Millennials' babies. Royalty, a classic source of baby names, have once again influenced parents' baby naming. George and Charlotte seem to be a bit too subtle but royal titles are on the rise. Royalty (up 88%), Duchess (up 75%), Reign (up 54%), Sultan (up 26%), Princess (up 22%), Tiara (up 20%), and King (up 10%) were all recorded by BabyCenter, according to the Time report.
TV favorite Empire has also made an obvious impact on baby names. Character names like Dre (up 77%), Lyon (up 61%), and Hakeem (up 55%) soared in popularity. Lastly, for the first time in three years, Lucious was recorded in the BabyCenter database.
