Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, ‘Hamilton’ inspire baby names
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are influencing baby names, according to BabyCenter. Credit: Fotolia
Pop culture often plays a role in baby name trends, and this year is no different. In 2016, politics and a hit Broadway show are influencing parents around the country.
BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting digital resource, tracked the impact of the election on baby names. After analyzing more than 115,000 baby names registered on BabyCenter, the names Hillary and Donald are becoming more popular.
The biggest source of inspiration is Hillary Clinton and her family. The name Hillary rose 142 percent since this time last year, the name Bill increased 113 percent, Chelsea jumped 18 percent and Charlotte is up 17 percent.
The Trump family names also increased in popularity: Donald rose nearly 8 percent, Melania is up 36 percent and Ivanka increased by 4 percent.
“A presidential election is a big deal, and new parents who choose names like Hillary and Donald are placing a bet that their new baby will share the name of the next American president,” said Linda Murray, BabyCenter global editor-in-chief. “In a sense, they’re already voting for their favorite candidate. Time will tell whether they picked a winner or the next John Kerry or Mitt Romney.”
What’s more, the Broadway smash, “Hamilton” is also making an impact. The name Hamilton increased nearly 60 percent since this time last year. Other names from the show have also jumped on BabyCenter’s list: Jefferson (up 171 percent), James (up 25 percent for boys), Maria (up about 22 percent) and George (up nearly 21 percent).
