Ready for summer fun, baby names style? Welcome to the New Names Showdown 2017 girls opening round!
Our goal: to choose the name most likely to climb dramatically when the new numbers come out in May 2018. This is the girls’ contest; the boys’ opening round will post tomorrow.
Where did the names come from, you ask?
I went through the list of all the names new to the US Top 1000 this year, and picked eight. Eight names that weren’t clearly spelling variations of existing names. (Sorry, Aubri and Blaire!) Dropping some names felt painful, as if I was omitting a future Top 100 name.
And yet, I couldn’t think of any practical way to put all forty-five names in the mix!
So here are eight names that debuted in – or returned to – the US Top 1000, based on the May 2017 data. Over the next few weeks, we’ll narrow down our favorites, until we have the Appellation Mountain community’s top pick. And then, next May 2018, we’ll see how well our favorite name fares in the names data.
Make sense? Ready, set, vote!
New Names Showdown 2017 Girls Opening Round:Â Poppy v. Maren
A floral favorite in the UK, Poppy faces the tailored, globe-spanning Maren.
New Names Showdown 2017 Girls Opening Round:Â Antonella v. Calliope
Isabella/Annabelle substitute Antonella takes on Penelope/Chloe stand-in Calliope.
New Names Showdown 2017 Girls Opening Round:Â Louise v. Sylvie
Two sweet, sophisticated, and gently French names match up in this contest: Louise or Sylvie?
New Names Showdown 2017 Girls Opening Round:Â Belle v. Davina
Our final contest sets the tailored, fairytale Belle against the elaborate Davina. Both have much in common with current chart-toppers, making this match a tough one to call!
Thanks for voting! Check back next Friday to see which of your favorite names won the New Names Showdown 2017 Opening Round!
Louise is a serious contender if my current pregnancy results in a girl. I think it would go quite nicely with big brother Arthur! Maren is also lovely.
Arthur and Louise are perfect together!
Antonella is popular in Latin America. Given the number of Hispanic Americans, my guess is that this name will rise.
Ah – I didn’t realize, but it makes sense. Thanks, Andrea!
It’s so fun to be able to do this without having to wait until March!
Thanks, Abby!
I personally like Maren over Poppy, but I think Poppy is most likely to take off as it is already in the top ten in the UK. Plus, with Lily, Daisy, and Iris fairly popular in the US, it feels like a good fit.
I love Antonella, Sylvie, and Belle. All three are such gorgeous names!