Today's baby names nothing like the popular 50s and 60s' ones

Washington, July 9 : Popular 50s and 60s' baby names for boys and girls such as James and Linda are now taking a backseat to more distinctive ones.

An increasing number of celebs are looking out for a unique name for their kids with Jessica Alba naming her daughter Honour, Gwyneth Paltrow naming her daughter Honor, and the latest to join the bandwagon is actress Nicole Kidman naming her daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.

While many parents still prefer traditional names, American babies now are tagged with an ever-increasing diversity of names for which the inspirations range from the calendar to languages from afar, reports Live Science.

The name Mary remained the no. 1 choice for parents for their baby girl from the 1880s through the 1950s, while John was one of the top five boy names during that same period.

The name Michael gained popularity in the 1950s, holding strong to this day,

In recent times, the top 10 names account for only one tenth of all baby names, Laura Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard" (Broadway, 2005) writes. Her blog has an interactive tool that displays the historical popularity of thousands of names from the 1880s till present.

Most popular boy/girl baby names in 1950:

1. James / Linda

2. Robert / Mary

3. John / Patricia

4. Michael / Barbara

5. David / Susan

6. William / Nancy

7. Richard / Deborah

8. Thomas / Sandra

9. Charles / Carol

10. Gary / Kathleen

Here's the list from last year:

1. Jacob / Emily

2. Michael / Isabella

3. Ethan / Emma

4. Joshua / Ava

5. Daniel / Madison

6. Christopher / Sophia

7. Anthony / Olivia

8. William / Abigail

9. Matthew / Hannah

10. Andrew / Elizabeth

For contemporary inspiration parents still favour the days of the week for new baby names.

Movies have also played a major role in changing the trends of baby names.

For instance, name Madison was preferred for boys than girls, the feminine usage took off in the 1980s and became ranked 29th as a female baby name in the 1990s, according to the Social Security Administration.

ANI