# Top Baby Names for 2011 released **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042 "2012-05-16T00:40:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/81 "2012-05-22T12:45:45Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Another personal annoyance I have with people’s names, is those damned affected accent marks WHERE THEY DON’T NEED TO > > Also, Beyoncé Knowles. Is it supposed to be “be-yon-SAY”? No. She pronounces it “be-YON-say”. Another accent mark fail. Her mother’s maiden name was Beyincé; Beyoncé was named for her mother’s family (my 2 minutes of Googling to check my facts didn’t turn up a reason for the i/o substitution). ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/82 "2012-05-22T14:14:19Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Her mother’s maiden name was Beyincé; Beyoncé was named for her mother’s family (my 2 minutes of Googling to check my facts didn’t turn up a reason for the i/o substitution). Why is Beyoncé an “accent mark fail”? It shows that the “e” is voiced, not that it is stressed. In other words, it’s “Be-YON-say” rather than “Be-YONCE”. I think you might be getting confused between French and Spanish diacritics. I take your point about the others, though. I don’t know how Khloé Kardashian pronounces her name, but I assume it is “CLO-ee” rather than “CLO-ay”, so the accent should be a diaeresis, to separate out the vowel sounds. The usual accented spelling is Chloë. On a related note, Janelle Monáe’s faux-cent has always bugged me. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/83 "2012-05-22T14:45:56Z")
> [@Craz3d117](#): > > Those are some pretty strange boys names, Mason in particular. Never heard that as a first name. I find Noah, Jayden and Aiden to be some pretty weak names also. We had two Masons in my very small hometown. They would have been born in the 30’s, probably. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/84 "2012-05-22T15:32:55Z")
I’m partially guilty for the popularity of Abigail last year, but we picked it because of its meaning. Her middle name isn’t in the top 1000. As far as our son, we picked his name a decade before he was born. It’s a combination of naming traditions on both sides of our families and popularity had nothing to do with it. My wife is a teacher and sees all kinds of fun names like Rajemon, Shanique/Shanickqua/Shaneekwa, and Jesus/Gesus. Yep, Gesus. ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/85 "2012-05-22T16:04:07Z")
I work in a children’s hospital, and it’s common knowlege that the the Nevaehs and Miracles do poorly. They generally are the ones fighting the biggest odds (extreme prematurity, for example) and so have worse prognoses than other kids. Can’t believe Nevaeh has been Top 50 for past 6-7 years (including a Top 25 in 2010). It’s not unique anymore… ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/86 "2012-05-22T16:06:21Z")
There apparently was a “La-a” around the hospital a few years ago. I thought it had to be an urban myth, but more than one reliable person has commented to me about taking care of that baby. La-a is pronounced “ladasha” because the dash isn’t silent. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/87 "2012-05-22T16:15:57Z")
> [@SprungFromCages](#): > > I work in a children’s hospital, and it’s common knowlege that the the Nevaehs and Miracles do poorly. They generally are the ones fighting the biggest odds (extreme prematurity, for example) and so have worse prognoses than other kids. But that has to do with the parents who give their kids those names, not the names themselves. Those same parents would have kids fighting the same odds, even if they chose more mainstream names. Extreme prematurity is not caused by bad baby names. (But I’m taking no chances- no Nevaeh or Miracle as a name for my baby.) ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/88 "2012-05-22T16:17:09Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > I liked the name Chloe up until Khloe Kardashian with her wacky misspelled name started getting popular. Ugh, every time I see that name in print, I wince. It just grates. I also think it’s slightly goofy to see Chloë spelled with the umlaut. > > Another personal annoyance I have with people’s names, is those damned affected accent marks WHERE THEY DON’T NEED TO BE. > > Example: the actress [Raven-Symoné.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven-Symon%C3%A9) Does she pronounce her name Raven Si-mon-AY? No. She does not. That accent mark is unnecessary, and in fact, makes her parents look like idiots for sticking it there. > > Actually, the aforementioned Khloé Kardashian has an unnecessary accent also. I don’t think it’s supposed to be pronounced “clo-EE”, is it? Doubtful. Double Moron Points awarded to her parents. Were they aiming for the umlaut spelling and missed? > > Also, Beyoncé Knowles. Is it supposed to be “be-yon-SAY”? No. She pronounces it “be-YON-say”. Another accent mark fail. We have a Chloë. The two dots do not make an umlaut; rather, it is a dieresis. It tells you the second of two consecutive vowels should also be pronounced. So it’s “Chlo-ee” rather than “Klowe”. Same deal with “cooperate” in the New Yorker always used to have the dots above the second “o”. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/89 "2012-05-22T16:17:36Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Why is Beyoncé an “accent mark fail”? It shows that the “e” is voiced, not that it is stressed. In other words, it’s “Be-YON-say” rather than “Be-YONCE”. I think you might be getting confused between French and Spanish diacritics. > > I take your point about the others, though. I don’t know how Khloé Kardashian pronounces her name, but I assume it is “CLO-ee” rather than “CLO-ay”, so the accent should be a diaeresis, to separate out the vowel sounds. The usual accented spelling is Chloë. > > On a related note, Janelle Monáe’s faux-cent has always bugged me. I don’t think you meant to quote me. I was pointing out that Beyoncé has an accent because Beyincé has the accent. I agree that it’s not an accent mark fail. > [@SprungFromCages](#): > > There apparently was a “La-a” around the hospital a few years ago. I thought it had to be an urban myth, but more than one reliable person has commented to me about taking care of that baby. > La-a is pronounced “ladasha” because the dash isn’t silent. Don’t you mean “the dash \* don’t be \* silent”? That’s how the story is usually relayed. Perhaps by now it’s widespread enough that someone’s decided to use it for real, or perhaps your reliable sources aren’t as reliable as you think. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/90 "2012-05-22T16:44:50Z")
When we were picking baby names, we found this site to be endlessly fascinating: [http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#ms=false&exact=false](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#ms=false&exact=false) Our daughter’s name was apparently semi-popular around 1890 before falling completely into obscurity. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/91 "2012-05-22T16:51:27Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Don’t you mean “the dash \* don’t be \* silent”? That’s how the story is usually relayed. Perhaps by now it’s widespread enough that someone’s decided to use it for real, or perhaps your reliable sources aren’t as reliable as you think. Oh my wife ran across a Ladasha on a list a few weeks ago. Alas, not La-a, but still. A real, honest to goodness Ladasha. I wonder if the “d” is capitalized. My friend, who’s a teacher, taught a kid about two years ago whose name is pronounced “Absedah” Want to guess how you spell it? Go on. You know you want to. Abcde. No, Really. I shit you not. A. B. C. D. E. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/92 "2012-05-22T17:13:26Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > We called our daughter, born last year, Isla. I was surprised to see it was down in the 200s in the US list (although up from the 600s in 2008). Here in the UK it came in at number 10 last year, which surprised me as I don’t know any others with that name. My best friends named their daughter Isla. I think the difference in popularity in the US vs. the UK (and Canada, I suppose) is most likely down to it being a so darned _Scottish._ ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/93 "2012-05-22T17:53:23Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > But that has to do with the parents who give their kids those names, not the names themselves. Those same parents would have kids fighting the same odds, even if they chose more mainstream names. Extreme prematurity is not caused by bad baby names. > > (But I’m taking no chances- no Nevaeh or Miracle as a name for my baby.) I think it has to do with the babies being born early, and the parents don’t have names picked out just yet. So, they are counting on a miracle for their extremely premature baby to survive (without neurological insult); hence the hastily-conceived names Nevaeh or Miracle. I’ve also seen the more traditional (spelling, not name) Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/94 "2012-05-22T17:57:25Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I don’t think you meant to quote me. I was pointing out that Beyoncé has an accent because Beyincé has the accent. I agree that it’s not an accent mark fail. > > Don’t you mean “the dash \* don’t be \* silent”? That’s how the story is usually relayed. Perhaps by now it’s widespread enough that someone’s decided to use it for real, or perhaps your reliable sources aren’t as reliable as you think. Perhaps. I wouldn’t put it past anyone to pass on an entertaining urban legend. The fact that it’s a fairly well-known urban myth certainly raises the suspicion that someone was yanking my chain. The two sources did seem sincere, though (one a nurse, the other a respiratory therapist). ---
**Author:** ![SprungFromCages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SprungFromCages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SprungFromCages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/95 "2012-05-22T18:01:10Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Oh my wife ran across a Ladasha on a list a few weeks ago. Alas, not La-a, but still. A real, honest to goodness Ladasha. I wonder if the “d” is capitalized. > > My friend, who’s a teacher, taught a kid about two years ago whose name is pronounced “Absedah” > > Want to guess how you spell it? > > Go on. You know you want to. > > Abcde. > No, Really. I shit you not. A. B. C. D. E. I had a co-worker a few years back who insisted he knew of a real Abcde. This guy also claimed that there were twins with the names Lemonjello and Orangello. I didn’t believe him. I have seen a first name with two apostrophes, however. It’s been a few years, but I think it was La’Qua’Niesha (??? not entirely sure, definitely a girls name and definitely two apostrophes though). ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042/96 "2012-05-22T18:24:06Z")
> [@SprungFromCages](#): > > I think it has to do with the babies being born early, and the parents don’t have names picked out just yet. So, they are counting on a miracle for their extremely premature baby to survive (without neurological insult); hence the hastily-conceived names Nevaeh or Miracle. I’ve also seen the more traditional (spelling, not name) Heaven. That would make sense, too. There’s a Jewish practice of giving a sickly baby the name Chaim (for a boy) or Chaya (for a girl). Both names mean “life”. I could imagine someone doing that for a very premature baby. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-baby-names-for-2011-released/622042.md?page=4)