Family names are a point of pride for many Americans. Often someone has a name that goes back generations—a special symbol that links the present to the past. But there are some parents who would rather make their own traditions instead of recycling old ones.
These are the parents that really came out of the woodwork at the turn of the millennium, when it was thought to be the dawn of a new era. Time to throw away those baby name books and get creative. We wanted to know what they came up with.
Using our first and last names data from the Social Security Administration , MooseRoots crunched the numbers to find the popular names that basically* didn’t exist before 2000. We then ranked them by their popularity (the number of newborns with that name) in 2013.
To learn more about how we got our data, click here .
* Meaning that fewer than 100 newborns were given the name before 2000.
Vivienne
Newborns Named Vivienne | MooseRoots
Female
It seems that parents (including Angelina Jolie ) are copying more than French women’s fashion, but their names, as well.
Arya
Newborns Named Arya | MooseRoots
Female
People name their children after musicians all the time—why not Game of Thrones characters?
Karter
Newborns Named Karter | MooseRoots
Male
You’ll notice that replacing cs with ks has been a common theme in the 21st century.
Brynlee
Newborns Named Brynlee | MooseRoots
Female
The Britney of the future?
Beckett
Newborns Named Beckett | MooseRoots
Male
Giving your sons first names that sound like the last names of old English soldiers is all the rage.
Jaylah
Newborns Named Jaylah | MooseRoots
Female
In the new millennium, names have been featuring the consonants that were used sparingly in the past.
Cash
Newborns Named Cash | MooseRoots
Male
It used to be in style to name your children Kurt, Jimi and Janis after your favorite musicians, but why not go a step further and give them their last names? Thus came the Cashes and Lennons of the world.
Arabella
Newborns Named Arabella | MooseRoots
Female
A name so new age that it became the inspiration for a popular song .
Jax
Newborns Named Jax | MooseRoots
Male
Jax is the new Max.
Norah
Newborns Named Norah | MooseRoots
Female
An ode to sultry oughts singer Norah Jones, perhaps?
Adalyn
Newborns Named Adalyn | MooseRoots
Female
Another 21st century trend: adding “lyn” to every name.
Isla
Newborns Named Isla | MooseRoots
Female
This name not only has become popular in the United States, but also in England and Wales, where it was ranked 4th most popular in 2012.
Londyn
Newborns Named Londyn | MooseRoots
Female
Will we be seeing some Paryses and Mylans, too?
Lyla
Newborns Named Lyla | MooseRoots
Female
Adding ys to every name seems to also be a 21st century fad.
King
Newborns Named King | MooseRoots
Male
These boys will have a constant reminder about how their parents feel about them.
Zayden
Newborns Named Zayden | MooseRoots
Male
Oddly enough, “Zayden” is most popular in New Mexico (was ranked No. 71 in 2013).
Kingston
Newborns Named Kingston | MooseRoots
Male
This name was a hit with ska queen Gwen Stefani, as she named her son Kingston.
Gael
Newborns Named Gael | MooseRoots
Male
The name became popular starting in 2000, but especially was a hit in Spain, where it ranked No. 97.
Maddox
Newborns Named Maddox | MooseRoots
Male
Another one for the Jolie-Pitts who named one of their adopted sons Maddox.
Ryker
Newborns Named Ryker | MooseRoots
Male
With the rise in popularity of superhero movies came the rise of the name Ryker, which is one of the Hulk’s enemies . The spelling of Ryker with an i, Riker, is a Star Trek character—and there has been no shortage of Trekkies in the 21st century.
Brantley
Newborns Named Brantley | MooseRoots
Male
Brantley is an Old Norse and English name meaning “sword; fiery torch, beacon” and has been mainly popular in the South. It’s the 16th most popular name in West Virginia.
Paisley
Newborns Named Paisley | MooseRoots
Female
Another Southern trend is Paisley, which is both a bandana pattern and an increasingly popular women’s name.
Khloe
Newborns Named Khloe | MooseRoots
Female
The name Khloe is probably most recognized as the uniquely-spelled name of one of the Kardashian sisters, but now is on route to become a common name for many women in the near future.
Mila
Newborns Named Mila | MooseRoots
Female
Though the current relationship between Russia and America is a bit strained, American parents have had no problem giving their girls the Slavic name Mila, which is the 78th most popular name in the country as of 2013.
Nevaeh
Newborns Named Nevaeh | MooseRoots
Female
Though around five newborns were given this English name before the turn of the millennium, thousands of girls have been given the name since—in America and in the UK.
Bentley
Newborns Named Bentley | MooseRoots
Male
Bentley is the most 21st century name out there. What started as simply the name of a car model before 2000 is now the 81st most popular male name in the country.