Thaindian News

May 10, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): The smash hit vampirish series of films, ‘Twilight’, has been amongst the highest earners at the box office. But the names of the characters of Twilight have also been amongst the yearly catalog of well-liked baby names. These films have not only supplied to the world a fresh assortment of stars but have also bequeathed encouragement to the parents in naming their newly born kids.

In a yearly catalog of the most fashionable baby names released by the American Social Security Administration, Isabella and Jacob, both of which are names of characters in the ‘Twilight’ franchise, emerged as the winners. However, it must be mentioned that Jacob has been the top baby boy name for the last 11 years, way before Stephanie Meyer inscribed the series.

Cullen, the surname of the vampirical family in the book, is the biggest climber on the catalog, jumping almost 300 places since 2008 from 782 to 485.

A little over 22,000 girls born in 2009 were named Isabella, followed by Emma, Olivia, Sophia and Ava. Nearly 21,000 boys were named Jacob, followed by Ethan, Michael, Alexander and William.

Not just Twilight, parents have also gazed at the White House for motivation. Maliyah, a variant of President Obama’s daughter, Malia, has become a rapidly rising name for American girls, moving up 342 spots to 296th place.