This year celebrities named their babies WHAT?!

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As any anthropologist will tell you, celebrities are exactly like normal people, but prettier, and better. Stars may procreate by the same means as regular humans—after all, we’re still technically considered a single species—but do they name their babies any differently?

To find out, we turned to an expert source: People’s Celebrity Baby Blog chronicles the births of the offspring of the rich and famous, with stars of every stripe falling within their purview. Alongside undebatable A-listers like Kim and Kanye and elite athletes like Stephen Curry are featured less expected public figures like activist and kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart and—no judgment, but—what seems like a wildly disproportionate number of former Survivor contestants.

Since January 1, 2015, the Celebrity Baby Blog has covered 155 births and three adoptions, in which a total of 162 children were welcomed into famous families. Here’s everything we’ve learned about them.

What names are the most popular with celebrities?

While unusual monikers like Saint are certainly memorable (and make great headlines), the most popular celebrity baby name is actually a surprisingly familiar choice.

James [3]
Jeff Dunham: James Jeffrey
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively: James
David and Lauren Bush Lauren: James

August [2]
Charlize Theron: August
Kim Spradlin Wolfe: August Jane

Bodhi [2]
Bobby Brown and Alicia Etheredge: Bodhi Jameson Rein
Ryan Miller and Noreen DeWulf: Bodhi Ryan

Charlie [2]
Dave and Odette Annable: Charlie Mae
Jeff Goldblum: Charlie Ocean

Christopher [2]
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter: Christopher Carlton
Alexandra Reeve Givens: Christopher Russel Reeve

Logan [2]
Jason Mewes: Logan Lee
Jennifer Hoffman Fowler: Logan Ryan

Poppy [2]
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent: Poppy
Jenna Bush Hager: Poppy Louise

Rocket [2]
Rachael Krueger: Rocket Jade
Sam Worthington and Lara Bingle: Rocket Zot

Ryan [2]
Haylie Duff: Ryan Ava
Stephen Curry: Ryan Carson

Honorable mentions: Dashiel (Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich) and Dashiell (Bryan Singer), Jax (Renee Oteri Maynard) and Jaxson (Kris Versteeg), and Max (David Caspe and Casey Wilson) and “Max,” short for Maxima (Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan).

As it turns out, James is the most common first and middle name for celebrity babies this year—it appears in the names of 10 babies, four of whom are girls. Here’s how the most popular middle names stack up:

James [7]: Saylor James (Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari), Brayden James (Tarek and Christina El Moussa), Ozzie James (Max Greenfield), Eva James (Brandon and Leah Jenner), Atticus James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Jaxson James (Kris Versteeg), Ioni James (Coco Rocha)

Lee/Leigh [6]: Noah Lee (Karolína Kurková), Grayson Lee Bazyl (Marisa Miller), McCoy Lee (Scott Porter), Wolfe Lee (Scott Porter), Logan Lee (Jason Mewes), Beatrix Leigh (John and Candice Cody)

Mae/May [4]: Charlie Mae (Dave and Odette Annable), Olive Mae (Marla Sokoloff), Luna Mae (Leonor Varela), Scarlett May (Molly Sims)

Honorable mentions: Thomas [3], Rose [3], Belle [3] and a Reign/Rein/Reyn trio.

What names are only popular with celebrities?

Nine of 2015’s celebrity babies have names that are extremely rare in the general U.S. population. Fewer than five American babies (of the same sex) were given these first names in 2014.

It’s actually a matter of fact that celebrities favor weirder—which is to say, more uncommon—names than the rest of us. According to the Social Security Administration, the top 1000 most popular names account for 74% of all baby names nationwide. The first names of just 85 of 149 named celebrity babies, 57%, appear in the top 1000.

What letters do most celebrity baby names start with?

A is for… Aaliyah, Alaska, Amélie, Amory, Anders, Andy, Anthony, Ariah, Ariya, Arlo, Armie, Art, Athena, Atticus, August (times two), and Ava.

Eight babies—5.4%—have an x in their first names. Looking at you, Beatrix, Brexton, Jax, Jaxson, Knox, Max, Maxima and Phoenix.

What are the baby name trends of the future?

If you subscribe to the trickle-down theory of baby names, you can expect to see names inspired by these celebrity-approved themes on the preschool rosters of America over the next few years.

Traditionally male names for girls – 14 (18.4% of girls)

The unisex popularity of James isn’t an isolated incident—nearly a fifth of female celebrity babies were given first names which are (or at least were once) used primarily for boys.

Andy Rose, Arlo Day, Armie Heartly, August, August Jane, Bodhi Jameson Rein, Charlie Mae, Kingsley Rainbow, Dashiel Edan, Jagger Snow, James, Maxima “Max” Chan, Ryan Ava, Ryan Carson

Nicknames as names – 12 (8.1%)

Andy Rose, Armie Heartly, Art, Charlie Mae, Charlie Ocean, Coco, Cy Aridio, Edie, Hank, Josey Hollis, Max Red, Ozzie James

Pop culture names – 15 (10.1%)

In most cases, it’s unclear whether these homages were intentional on the parents’ part or not, but the association still stands.

  • Aaliyah Reign (Katherine Jenkins) – Late R&B singer Aaliyah
  • Amélie Moon (Kevin Durand) – Audrey Tautou-starring French romantic comedy Amélie
  • Arlo Day (Adam Brody and Leighton Meester) – Folk singer Arlo Guthrie
  • Atticus James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) – To Kill a Mockingbird character Atticus Finch
  • Blues Anthony Paré (Jessica Paré) – Musical genre
  • Chanel Nicole (Ice-T and Coco) – Fashion designer Coco and namesake label
  • Bowie Ezio (Zoë Saldana) – Musician David Bowie
  • Dashiel Edan (Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich) – The Maltese Falcon author Dashiell Hammett
  • Dashiell Julius William (Bryan Singer) – The Maltese Falcon author Dashiell Hammett
  • Eloise Ann (John Popper) – Children’s book character and Plaza Hotel resident Eloise
  • Jagger Snow (Evan Ross and Ashlee Simpson) – Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger
  • Ozzie James (Max Greenfield) – Heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne
  • Ripley Dorothy (Robyn Lawley) – Alien franchise character played by Sigourney Weaver
  • Scarlett May (Molly Sims) – Gone With the Wind heroine Scarlett O’Hara
  • Sistine Sabella (Kevin James) – The Sistine Chapel, site of papal elections and home to Michelangelo frescoes like The Creation of Adam

Nature names – 15 (10.1%)

Amélie Moon, Andy Rose, Kingsley Rainbow, Della Rose, Elsie Otter, Jagger Snow, Luna Mae, Olive Mae, Phoenix Sky, Poppy, Poppy Louise, Quinn Lily, Sparrow Rose, Violet Moon, Wolfe Lee

Color names – 14 (9.4%)

Cooper Blue, Kingsley Rainbow, Violet Moon, Knox Blue, Andy Rose, Blues Anthony Paré, Della Rose, Grayson Lee Bazyl, Indigo Baretto, Max Red, Olive Mae, Rocket Jade, Scarlett May, Sparrow Rose

State and other place names – 7 (4.7%)

Alaska, Brooklyn Elisabeth, Georgia Jane, Leo Thames, Montgomery Moses Brian, Phoenix Sky, Tennessee Hawkins

If you’re interested—and you’ve got a lot of free time on your hands—here’s the full list of People’s Celebrity Baby Blog coverage from 2015.


Molly Fitzpatrick is senior editor of Fusion’s Pop & Culture section. Her interests include movies about movies, TV shows about TV shows, and movies about TV shows, but not so much TV shows about movies.

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