Just when you thought Twilight fever couldn’t get any bigger, the fictional characters have now made their mark on the baby naming circuit. Isabella, Edward, Emmett and Jasper are rapidly rising up the name charts, with Isabella being the second most popular girls’ name in the US.
According to the US Social Security Administration, the name Isabella (which is the name of the main character in the Twilight Saga) has risen five places up the charts since the vampire novels by Stephanie Meyer were published.
Twi-hard parents are also getting inspiration from the other lead characters, including the vampire clan Edward, Alice and Emmett, which have all reached the top 100 on popular baby naming sites. Bella’s undead beau, Edward, has given this traditional name a 21st century edge, and Rosalie, another vampire character, is set to crack the top 1000 in 2010. Esme, the mother of the vampires, is predicted to reach the charts for the first time ever.
Many of the names of the characters in the popular Twilight books hadn’t featured in popular baby names charts, with the author opting for less conventional monikers with historical references. “I’m always more into creating the fantasy than the reality. Jasper’s name I searched for roll calls for the confederate army in Texas and the name Cullen exists on 17th century English headstones,” Stephanie Meyer revealed on her website. Edward was reportedly named after Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre.
Due to the huge following of the film, including the Twilight Mums, it’s not surprising that new parents are tempted by these unusual names. But if so, why aren’t Harry Potter and his weirdly named friends on the top of the baby names charts now? “The Twilight names give parents a contemporary marker for their children without being too outrageous. They have a sense of normalcy and acceptability that say, Legolas or Hermoine do not carry,” Patrick McAleer, of the Pop Culture Association said.
Are you looking for inspiration for a baby name? Why not check out our Baby Names Finder for ideas?
