BabyCenter® Predicts: Will William and Kate Rule the Baby Name Game in 2011?

SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite all the Royal Wedding fanfare, according to BabyCenter®, the names William and Kate aren't living up to their royal stature. BabyCenter®, the #1 pregnancy and parenting destination worldwide, announces the top trending baby names at the end of each year and is already predicting that the royal couple will not make the grade in 2011.  The name William, often considered old-fashioned, peaked in 2008 but has been trending down ever since, and it's off to a slower start in 2011 than in past years. The name Kate reached the height of its popularity before William, in 2005, but it hasn't been able to maintain the level of admiration worthy of a princess.  

"Thirty-six percent of BabyCenter moms say they find name inspiration in famous people and characters," says Linda Murray, BabyCenter SVP and Global Editor in Chief.  "But often, when a name becomes associated with one specific celebrity, or in this case, with royalty, we see it decline or remain unpopular. Take Britney, Madonna, Oprah, or Barack, for example. This could be part of the story for William and Kate. When parents feel a name is owned by one person, they shy away from it for their own child. I don't believe we'll see a huge rise in William and Kate as a result of wedding fever, but the world will be eagerly watching to see what they name their children. Those will be the names that start a trend!"

The Royal Name Game

BabyCenter tracked the names William and Kate as well as Harry and Pippa (Kate's sister) from 2005 through the first three months of 2011.  Here you can see their rise in and fall from popularity, comparing the first quarter of 2011 with the first quarter of 2010:

William – down 66%

Kate – down 60%

Harry – up 24%

Pippa – no change

In 2010, William was #23 on the year's most popular baby names list, Kate was #93, Harry was #398, and Pippa was #2,345.

BabyCenter conducts its annual Baby Names Survey to give parents-to-be a detailed look at the psychology and trends surrounding baby naming. For more information on BabyCenter's 2010 baby name insights, trends, and online tools for finding your ideal baby name, please visit http://www.babycenter.com/special-report-baby-names. The full Baby Names 2011 Survey results will be available in late 2011/early 2012.

About BabyCenter® LLC

BabyCenter® is the voice of the 21st Century Mom® and modern motherhood. It's the #1 pregnancy and parenting destination worldwide, reaching more than 10 million moms monthly in the U.S. and more than 25 million moms monthly in 22 markets from Australia to India to China. In the United States, 7 in 10 babies born last year were BabyCenter babies. BabyCenter is the world's partner in parenting, providing moms everywhere with trusted advice from hundreds of experts around the globe, friendship with other moms like them, and support that's remarkably right at every stage of their child's development. BabyCenter also works with some of the world's most prominent brands and institutions to provide life-stage marketing solutions and a direct line to highly engaged moms. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

SOURCE BabyCenter(R) LLC