2012 Top Ten Name Searches: Why Are So Many of Them Nicknames?

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Okay, here goes nothing! Here are the top 10 names searched for in 2012:

Girls:

1. Isabella
2. Millie
3. Sookie
4. Ann
5. Ella
6. Betty
7. Ellie
8. Emma
9. Eithne
10. Charlotte


Boys:


1. Jacob
2. Max
3. Liam
4. Ted
5. Mo
6. Aiden
7. Andy
8. Bertie
9. Ned
10. Gus

The main trend I see here is that there are a lot of shortened names or nicknames. Millie is short for Millicent, Ellie is short for Eleanor, and Betty is often a shortened version of Elizabeth. Ted is a nickname for Edward or Theodore, Andy is short for Andrew, Bertie is short for Albert, and Gus is short for Gustav. Why not give your child the full name, and then let them choose what to go by when they get older? That's what my husband and I did for our twins. We will call them by their shortened names, but if they want to go by their full names, I will gladly call them whatever they want to be called.

On that topic, I am always asked if I go by Star. Ummmm...what do you think? The answer is no. While I've had a hell of a time explaining my name over the years, I do think it's pretty awesome. Plus, if you were ever to meet me, I doubt that you would see me as someone whose name is Star.