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Feb. 14, 2001--
You've had nine months to think about it.
But it's still a laborious question.
What are you going to name your baby?
Cindy Westover gathers birth certificate information from new parents at St. Mark's Hospital.
She is probably the best expert we could find for baby naming trends.
She still records old standbys like Michael, Michelle, Robert and Jennifer.
But nowadays, if you're searching for a unique name, avoid Madison for girls and Jacob for boys.
The Utah Health Department keeps track of the first names of newborns.
Last year, those two topped the list, followed by Emily and Joshua.
Next year, it could be something completely different.
Cindy Westover/St. Mark's Hospital: "RIGHT NOW, WE'RE HITTING A LOT OF JADENS AND CADENS."
Cindy Westover/St. Mark's Hospital: "TREND CAME IN FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AND IT LEFT AS SOON AS IT CAME IN, AND WE GOT SEVERAL OLIVIAS THAT MONTH."
Honoring a family member is still common.
Brenda Gowans/New mother: "ADAM WAS JUST A NAME THAT WE THOUGHT WAS REALLY KIND OF A STRONG, GOOD SENSIBLE NAME, AND THEN HE'S NAMED AFTER HIS DAD AND HIS GRANDFATHER, WHICH IS ROSS."
But sometimes parents add a special touch.
Amy Robertson/New mother: "KATHERINE WAS BOTH OF OUR GRANDMOTHERS' NAMES AND SO THAT WAS THE MIDDLE NAME AND ALYSSA WE'D ALWAYS HAD PICKED OUT. MY HUSBAND WANTS TO CALL HER ALLEY-CAT FOR HER NICKNAME."
Nurse Westover braces for a wave of unconventional names when a new children's movie hits theaters.
Cindy Westover/St. Mark's Hospital: '"WHAT'S FUNNY IS YOUR DISNEY MOVIES, WHEN THEY COME OUT, WE HAD OUR JASMINES, OUR ARIELS, WE HAD A FEW BELLES AND EVEN A COUPLE OF ANASTASIAS."
And what about those uniquely Utah names - like ones with a French sounding prefix like LaVell or Daneen, or combinations of a male and a female name - VeraDean and GlenDora.
A website lists them all.
You'll probably find your own name, and maybe gets ideas for something really unique.
Speaking of unique.
Cindy Westover/St. Mark's Hospital: "I'VE NEVER FORGETTEN THIS NAME. TO THIS DAY I CAN'T REMEMBER THE SEX OF THE BABY, BUT IT WAS A CAUCASIAN COUPLE CAME IN AND NAMED THEIR BABY RAVEN REDCLOUD JESUS MARIA, AND THAT'S NOT EVEN INCLUDING THE LAST NAME."
Links
Visit the KSL.Com Babynamer.
Also, find the Utah names site at www.geocities.com/Heartland/3450/.
