Pippa, Oliver, Weston and More

iVillage.com: The Hottest Baby Name Trends for 2012

The era of super wacky baby names may be on the wane in 2012 (hooray!) but moms and dads still want their kids to stand out from the crowd. This year, they're doing that by mixing up spellings and finding inspiration in cowboy names, androgynous picks and -- still -- the supernatural. Here's what's going to be hot in baby names:

Rhyme for a Reason
Although Aiden only cracked Social Security’s top ten baby names in 2010, parents certainly like the sound of it. “Forty-one names that rhymed with Aiden made Social Security’s top 1,000 names list, including Jayden and Braedyn,” says Laura Wattenberg, founder of babynamewizard.com. “[Rhyming] is an easy way for parents to create names that are distinctive but don’t sound odd.” Other moms and dads opt to stick with a common name but spell it in an unusual way, and again, Aiden is a great example. According to "Baby Names Made Easy" author Amanda Barden, “Aidan is the traditional spelling, but the most popular spelling on the charts right now is Aiden,” which is the spelling rocker Rod Stewart used for his latest offspring. “It also shows up a bunch of other ways, including Aaden, Aden, Ayden, Aedan, Adan and Aydan.” According to a recent article in The New York Times, some parents are so obsessed with finding a one-of-a-kind spelling for their baby’s name that they do extensive googling before they settle on the letters.

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Cowboy Craze

This year we'll see parents inspired more and more by the strong, manly names of the Wild West, picking one and two syllable dynamos like Wyatt, Carson and Cody. Celebs have also taken note -- country singer Eric Church named his son Boone McCoy, and actress Jenna Fischer named hers Weston. “Colt, Gauge and other firearm-related names are increasingly popular in some parts of the country, too,” says Wattenberg. Other names on the hot list: Colton, Hunter and Chase.

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Anglophilia Redu...

Last year we predicted the Royal Wedding would be a major influence on baby names (though no one realized that Prince Harry’s sister-in-law, Pippa, would be the one to spark a naming frenzy). This year, U.S. parents are staying put in the U.K., but are looking beyond the British monarchy for inspiration. “A lot of names that have been popular in Britain -- like Millie and Poppy for girls, and for boys, Henry, Theo and Oliver -- sound fresh to our American ears,” says Barden. Celebs who like the British vibe? Actress Sarah Lancaster, who named her son Oliver and Tori Spelling, who named her youngest daughter Hattie.

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Political Names ...

Even though we’re in a presidential election year, it’s commander in chiefs of the past -- not the future -- that are influencing baby names. “The surname of any president who is out of office for at least ten years and preferably dead is fair game,” says Wattenberg. “It’s a very dramatic trend and makes the name feel traditional and respectable.” Reagan, Carter and Jackson have all moved up Social Security’s list as has Kennedy, which is what country crooner Jason Moore named his daughter. Of course at the last big election, everyone was talking about the names of the candidates’ kids, especially Sarah Palin’s and Obama’s. But don’t expect any Bristols or Malias to come out of this crop of presidential hopefuls. “I did a whole breakdown of the names in the Republican race,” says Watternberg. “Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, they’re non-starters. And their kids don’t seem to have the kind of interesting names that spark trends.”

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New Old Testamen...

Many parents look to the good book to guide them when choosing a baby name, but this year they’re skipping standards like John and Mary and going for more offbeat religious monikers. This year’s celebrity baby names included actress Viola Davis’ son Genesis, model Kimberly Stewart’s daughter Delilah, and Sister Wives' Kody and Robyn Brown’s son Solomon. Regular folk are going for less common faith-inspired names as well, like Jeremiah, Elijah, Levi and Caleb. Nevaeh -- Heaven spelled backward -- is also still gaining in popularity. “It first showed up about ten years ago and has been quickly rising up the charts,” says Barden.

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Androgynous Name...

While some of the hottest girls’ names still end in “a,” androgynous-sounding monikers continue to climb the charts. But unlike unisex names of generations past, (see Tatum and Mackenzie), today’s are rarely used for boys. “That’s their secret weapon,” says Wattenberg. “Surname-based girls' names like Madison, Payton and Taylor were never that common as boys' names.” Harper, which is particularly popular with the celebrity set, follows that pattern, as does Hadley and Bailey.

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Supernatural Ser...

Sorry, Team Edward: "Twilight" continues to inspire, but only Jacob and Bella are on the hot list. But interestingly, names from supernatural shows long gone -- like Samantha from "Bewitched" and Piper from "Charmed" -- are coming back strong this year. “the perfect launching pad for a baby name is a story about attractive young characters with special powers,” says Wattenberg. Celebrities also seem smitten with the supernatural. "Mad Men’s" January Jones’ son Xander and singer Pink’s daughter Willow share their names with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" characters, and actress Spencer Grammer may have picked Emmett from "Twilight". Of course this trend only goes so far: Despite "True Blood’s" popularity, no one’s running out and naming their kid Sookie -- yet. “It just isn't in parents' comfort zone,” says Wattenberg.

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