Goodkin

Gayby Boomers Top Name Picks™

What is it about most popular baby name lists that are so completely addictive when you are expecting a child? Even if you do not want to name your kid after one of the top ten most popular names, or perhaps especially if you don't, you just have to see what's going on out there in the name zeitgeist.

A parenting or family lifestyle site would not be the same if it did not have a most popular baby names list, and that's because there is something about a name that is more than just about a name; it's about the trends in society, history, pop culture and the collective and universal subconscious.

So, we started to think, if Goodkin were going to do a list, we wouldn't want to publish the same names we've been seeing on all the lists everywhere else, we'd want to do our version. And that's how we've come up with the "Gayby Boomers Top Name Picks™."

If you don't already know, a gayby is a child born to gay parents. However, understand that, until the census correctly tracks and acknowledges families that are headed up by same sex families, we will never actually have an accurate list. Our list was put together by contacting and cross referencing hundreds of names of gay people we know or have heard about who have kids. What was beautiful about this exercise was that we love how gay people seem to be always at the cutting edge of things…even the name game. Sure, there are plenty of Jacob's and Emily's born to gay parents, but for the most part, gay parents are willing to take a chance at a more unconventional name, or bring back a name that has not been popular in decades, like Esther, or Mabel. We applaud that sensibility, and would like to share our findings with you.

But first, here are the overall top baby names in the U.S.A. for 2009:

For gay parents, not surprisingly, some of these stayed the same. For families headed up by two dads and two moms, the undeniable favorite for both respectively was Ava, which sort of goes to figure…a glamorous icon whose name is both lyrical and strong.

For boys, the name Alexander, or Alex, seemed to be popular with lesbian moms and gay dads as well as remaining a favorite on the top 10.

Here are some of the more popular names over the last ten years that gay parents chose that were no where near the top ten list for straight parents. We would bet that in the next couple of years, these names will be finding their way in to the top ten lists of every parenting site you come across.

If you're a gay parent, let us know if you have a child with a name on this list, or can suggest a name that you feel we may have overlooked. What are your favorite baby names that are not on the list?