Most Popular Baby Names 2012: '50 Shades of Grey,' 'X Factor,' and Jay Z Serve as Baby Name Inspiration

Culture

People name their babies some really weird stuff. Just this week beautiful baby Hashtag came into the world ... Hashtag is a girl's name, for the record. The truth of the matter is that trends in baby names can be very directly tied to what's happening in popular culture. Twitter is popular, saying the word "hashtag" in casual conversation is popular, thus a trendy lady named her trendy baby Hashtag. Looking at the trends of most popular names of 2012, these pop culture tie ins abound. 

For instance, what do the surges in the popularity of the names Demi, Simon and Mario have in common? Why, X Factor of course. And how about Blue and Ivy? We can thank Jay-Z and Beyonce for that. Anastasia and Grey? 50 Shades of Grey, naturally. Ok, one more: Siri. Just ask ... well, Siri. 

The list of the top 10 names for boys and girls can also be linked to the world around us. Take for instance, number four on the girl's list: Isabella. That might have a thing or two to do with Isabella Swan, the main character in Twilight. And Jack making a cameo on the boy's top 10, could that have anything to do with the hit TV show Revenge? Liam, which is number four on the boy's list, be a nod to either the band One Direction or Miley Cyrus' beau Liam Hemsworth. 

It all comes back to pop culture, ladies and gentleman. Check out the top 10 boys and girls names of 2012 below: 

Girls

Boys