“Revealed: The Best and Worst Celebrity Baby Names of 2009 - Earthtimes (press release)”

Revealed: The Best and Worst Celebrity Baby Names of 2009 - Earthtimes (press release)

Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:07 AM PST

BabyNames.co.uk has polled the UK public to find out which celebrity baby names were fab, and which were drab, in 2009.

London, England (PRWEB) November 30, 2009 -- A recent poll carried out by BabyNames.co.uk has revealed that Britain's most despised celebrity baby name this year is "Bandit Lee", as chosen by the singer of rock band My Chemical Romance for his baby girl.

The nation's favourite celebrity baby name of 2009 was "Ava Madelyn", daughter to Swedish golfing superstar Annika Sörenstam.

Also popular were "Sophia", the name of Jude Law's baby daughter, and "Lucia", as chosen by Mel Gibson.

It appears that celebrities did a better job of naming their daughters than their sons – 4 out of 5 of top names were girls', and 3 out of 5 of the least favourite names were boys'.

"The top four celebrity baby names are girls' names ending with the same sound – Ava, Sophia, Myla and Lucia", said Luke Eales from BabyNames.co.uk. "This is a trend we expect to see proliferating through the world of new born baby names next year".

Tennis ace Roger Federer's twin daughters received a mixed reception – "Myla Rose" came in as 3rd favourite of all celebrity baby names, while her sister, "Charlene Riva", was almost ten times less liked by survey participants.

Actor Charlie Sheen's twin boys also caused controversy, with "Max" making the top 5 yet "Bob" featuring in the bottom 5.

When asked whether they would consider naming their baby after a celebrity, most respondents said "maybe". Only 5% of those surveyed said they would definitely think about using a celebrity name for their new born.

When asked which factors are most important when choosing a baby name, respondents said they were most concerned with simply how the name sounds. This was closely followed by making sure that the name holds no negative connotations – not many would name their child after somebody they didn't like!

Interestingly, the least important factor is name popularity, with just 2% of participants giving it any consideration. More important was choosing a name that isn't too common, a point considered by over half of our audience. Other keythings to consider were the name's original meaning, and whether the name fits well with siblings' names.

BabyNames.co.uk also reports that following an initial spike at his birth, internet searches for Wayne Rooney's baby boy's name have settled at a level 20% higher than previously seen. This suggests that more expectant parents are considering the name Kai during their search for the perfect baby name, and that celebrities indeed do have an effect on naming patterns in the UK.

TOP 5 CELEBRITY BABY NAMES

1. Ava Madelyn (daughter to Annika Sörenstam) 2. Sophia (daughter to Jude Law) 3. Myla Rose (daughter to Roger Federer) 4. Lucia (daughter to Mel Gibson) 5. Max (son to Charlie Sheen)

WORST 5 CELEBRITY BABY NAMES

1. Bandit Lee (daughter to Gerard Way, My Chemical Romance) 2. Sparrow James Midnight (son to Nicole Richie) 3. Petal Blossom Rainbow (daughter to Jamie Oliver) 4. Bob (son to Charlie Sheen) 5. Dexter Lloyd (son to Charlotte Church)

MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN NAMING YOUR BABY

1. The name sounds nice 2. The name doesn't remind you of unpleasant people/experiences 3. The name is not too common 4. The name itself has a positive meaning 5. The name goes well with siblings' names

About BabyNames.co.uk

BabyNames.co.uk is the UK's most visited website dedicated to baby names. Established in early 2007, the site has been designed to help expectant parents uncover the perfect name for their new arrival. We feature the latest UK data on the top 100 boys and girls names, plus hundreds of name meanings, origins and additional information. Other tools available for users include discussion forums, a name generator, and favourite baby name lists.

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