Which Hunger Games Character Topped A 2012 List Of Popular Baby Names?

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It’s not a new trend to name your child after a favorite character from pop-culture but the last few years have lent themselves to trendy names from film making their way to the top of the list. For the last few years, Twilight’s Bella has been a popular name but this year it’s another young adult franchise that’s getting everyones’ attention – The Hunger Games. One of the characters took the number one spot on a preview list of what’s going to be hot this year, while a second name from the series also made it onto their radar. I think you’ll be surprised at the results. 

NameBerry has culled this year’s tributes, er, candidates, for the most influential entertainment sources when it comes to naming babies. The site says The Hunger Games has taken 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.” So which Hunger Games character is getting the most attention? It’s not Katniss…it’s Rue!

“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,” they wrote.  The other Hunger Games character on the list is one that might surprise you. It’s Cato, the tribute from District 2.

“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,” they write. “It’s an ancient Roman name that, like brothers Atticus and Cassius, is being resurrected by modern parents.”

I also must point out that the name Aria has landed on the list. They attribute that to musical influences but I like to think it’s fans of Game of Thrones who spelled Arya wrong and just really want their daughter to grow up as tough as her.

(via Blastr)


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Jill Pantozzi
Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."