March Madness Baby Names 2023 continues with the SemiFinals!
And this? This is where the contests get HARD.
Let’s look back at last week’s QuarterFinal match-ups.
No upsets and – in the end – no close calls. Just lots of decisive wins from some lovely names. (Though the names they took out of the competition were some of my favorites, too!)
MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2023: GIRLS QUARTERFINALS RESULTS
Gemma sailed past Faye with just over 65% of the total. Gemma combines so many appealing qualities – the best of Julia and Gianna with chart-topper Emma, too.
Casual-cool Maisie took nearly 65% of the total against casual-cool Polly. Yup, both names share a winning style, but no question that Maisie is having a moment.
With nearly 69% of the tally, Lila swept past Betty. Betty’s day is coming, but it’s not here yet. And Lila is actually wildly popular, it’s just hard to tell because we also spell it Lyla, Lilah, and so on.
Popular Poppy took over 62% of the votes to defeat stylish rarity Zella. While it’s not always true, March Madness results often reflect broader popularity trends, and that gave fast-rising Poppy an edge.
That brings us to the SemiFinals!
When March Madness Baby Names first begins, lots of the sweet sixteen names are curiosities – the names everyone reads about, but we probably wouldn’t actually name our daughters. (At least not yet. I think Bernadette and Rue are going to catch on. )
But by this round? We are down to names that appear on many of our shortlists. Or names of our daughters, our loved ones’ children, our kids’ friends!
It makes it that much harder.
But that’s why we play the game!
MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2023: GIRLS SEMIFINALS
GEMMA v POPPY
MAISIE v LILA
Thank you so much for voting!
Polls remain open through Tuesday, March 28th. Come back on Thursday, March 30th to see if your favorites advanced – and, of course, to vote in the big final round!
