While naming your kids something different is definitely not new, naming them after Instagram filters, is. According to BabyCentre’s report on the hottest name trends for 2015, names like Lux, Juno, Reyes, Ludwig, Amaro, Valencia, and Willow were rapidly gaining popularity amongst parents. It makes sense when you consider that the first thing people do when they take a picture these days is slap on an Instagram filter on it before sharing it on social media. So it’s pretty convenient for parents to choose a name based on the filter that's best suited for their baby’s first ever photograph.
Lux was the name that gained the most popularity in BabyCenter list of names for boys, although it also gained traction on the list of baby girl names. Other popular male names based on Instagram filters included, Ludwig, Amaro, Reyes, Hudson, and Kelvin. In the list of baby girl names, Juno was the most popular Instagram-based name followed by Valencia and Willow. Considering that many smartphones now have excellent cameras, there is a possibility that ‘#nofilter’ may become the most popular baby name by 2017.
BabyCenter also noted that names based on video game characters were also becoming quite popular. Many parents were choosing to name their baby girls after female characters from their favourite games. Joule from ReCore and Metal Gear Solid’s Meryl were very popular this year. Others which gained popularity included a number of names starting with the letter ‘J’ like Jade, Joanna, and Jill from Beyond Good and Evil, Perfect Dark, and Resident Evil respectively. Iconic characters from classic video games like Zelda also saw an increase in popularity as well.
However, despite the popularity of naming babies after Instagram filters or game characters, traditional names still ruled the roost. Sophia was the most popular name for baby girls in 2015 according to the BabyCenter followed by Emma and Olivia. For Boys, Jackson was the most preferred name followed by Aiden and Liam.
Source: BabyCenter