JA
Guest
https://www.thestar.com/life/parent/2016/12/19/sophia-and-liam-are-canadas-top-baby-names-of-2016.html
Sophia and Liam are Canada’s top baby names of 2016
But parents have also opted for nature-inspired names including Kale, Leaf, Plant, Forest and Animal.
By Laura Beeston
Staff Reporter
Mon., Dec. 19, 2016
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“We saw a lot of unusual options for nature-inspired names for boys and girls in Canada,” said Samson. Leaf, Plant, Kale, Rye, Sage, Forest, Animal, Bear and Hawk were all names that Canadian parents actually gave to their children this year.
“Aurora for girls also jumped quite a lot,” she added. Her natural favourite was Cedar, for a boy. “I think that is a lovely name, and very Canadian.”
BabyCenter.ca also noticed that Canadian parents have been naming children seasonally or after the weather (think Winter, Autumn, Summer, Sunshine, Breeze and Rain) or were influenced by geology (Silver, Sapphire and Stone).
Naming girls after flowers (Violet, Dahlia or Blossom) also remained a staple.
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Covenant, Divine, Maverick, Peace, Rhythm, Hero . . . it seems that modern mysticism also influenced new parents as they named their kids, perhaps choosing character qualities they hope their offspring will emulate.
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It’s the second year that Liam has taken the top boy name spot and the third year in a row that Sophia, Olivia and Emma have rotated through the top three.
Ottawa resident Natalie Bobier-Gariépy, 30, named her boy Liam after searching on the Internet for inspiration, making a list and debating the options with her partner.
“We decided on Liam because we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s kind of like a badass Liam Neeson,’ ” she laughed. While she thinks it’s “a little sad” there will be a ton of other kids with the same name, she doesn’t think about that too much.
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Samson thinks that the “girl power thing” isn’t going anywhere in the new year as far as baby naming goes. There are a few strong female lead characters coming out in movies, too. She is already seeing a rise in Diana and Prince (the alias of Wonder Woman), and “gender neutrality” is also always a big trend that she expects to continue.
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