The Hunger Games’ influence on baby names

Nameberry.com has just release its picks for 2012’s biggest baby names as influenced by pop culture.  Since The Hunger Games have been a pretty big deal so far this year, of course some of the names from the series will find themselves on real life children.  Looks like the two name most attractive to expectant parents are Rue (so cute, right?!) and Cato (I’m not going to lie, I prefer this name to both Gale and Peeta!).  So, do you agree that these are the best two names from The Hunger Games?

Here’s how Nameberry came up with the names on their list:

Baby names 2012 are already proving themselves to be very different from last year’s choices, with The Hunger Games taking over from Twilight as the primary cultural influence on names, the hottest boys’ names taking a cue from the girls, and musical names trumping Hollywood for inspiration.

In an analysis of nearly 3 million views of Nameberry’s individual name pages in the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same period last year, these names are enjoying the biggest jumps in attention.

See below to see what they have to say about Rue and Cato as name choices:

Rue – Credit The Hunger Games, which has turned the spotlight on a range of exotic botanical names for girls, from the heroine’s name Katniss to gentle Primrose to Posy and Clove.  But the hottest choice for babies, according to the Nameberry statistics, is sleek, simple, if somewhat mournful Rue, the name of the agile young girl who meets a tragic end in the series.  In real life, however, we see Rue as having a bright future.

Cato – Cato might be a villain in The Hunger Games, but the popular series turned attention on a name that fits into a couple of other hot trends.  It’s an ancient Roman name that, like brothers Atticus and Cassius, is being resurrected by modern parents.  It’s got the stylish O ending.  And it kind of sounds like Kate, a name in the spotlight thanks to the new future Queen of England.

Check out all the names that made the cut HERE

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