Daddy Clay talks with Linda Murray of BabyCenter.com to find out the top baby names for 2011. She tells us about the annual Top 10 Baby Name list and reveals what the popular names for girls and boys are. Learn what pop culture, television shows, and which of "The Royals" have influenced parents and their choice of names. Politics and sports stars also lead to trends, though the families of politicians more than than the politicians themselves. For a list of names, visit BabyCenter and check out their section on baby names with meanings. DadLabs Ep. 835 is brought to you by BabyBjorn.

Clay:  Well, the holiday season is upon us once again and you know what that means. It's that time of year when we talk to Editor in Chief of BabyCenter.com, Linda Murray, about trends in baby names. [music]
Brad:  Today's episode is brought to you by Baby Bjorn. In the design of all their products safety comes first, Baby Bjorn.
Clay:  Hey, Linda. Thanks again for being with us.
Linda Murray:  Hi, Clay. How are you?
Clay:  We're in one of those years where surrounded by political controversy. We've got universal upheaval in the Middle East and the Kardashians. What impact is this having on baby names?
Linda:  Well, the Kardashians are having the biggest effect on baby names, of the list you just gave out. Mason is Kourtney Kardashian's son and he is new to our top 10. He's jumped up and made a very strong showing at number three this year. Parents tell us they really like that name. He's the favorite Kardashian from a baby name standpoint.
Clay:  What are the other trends that you've observed from the past year, in 2011, in baby names?
Linda:  We definitely saw a royal effect this year. We expected William and Kate to rise. Everyone loves them. But Harry is on the way up and so is Pippa. People are using the name Pippa, they're not using it as a nickname. So, the royal's are very popular. We've also seen an Anderson Cooper effect this year. He's our baby name man of the year. Both his first name and his last name are rising on the list. Parents tell us they just really like him. He seems smart and strong and compassionate and that's what they want for their boys so they're picking Anderson as a name.
Clay:  So, perhaps not surprisingly, the public is heavily influenced by celebrities, newsmakers, news anchors, that sort of thing.
Linda:  Yeah. We ask parents, in a BabyCenter survey every year, to tell us what they're thinking about when they're naming their babies. Normally, they say "No. I'm not influenced by celebrities." This year they owned up to it. 50 percent said "Yes. I am influenced by celebrities, what's in the news. And I can't help it. I enjoy watching these shows and I like hearing these names."
Clay:  It is an election year. Is the political process having any impact on the baby names people are choosing?
Linda:  No. We're not seeing a spike in Herman's or Newt's or Mitt's or any of those names. People do stay away from politicians when they're in office or running, they're still a question mark. But their daughters are actually doing well, especially the Palin daughters. Bristol is way up. Several of her other kids are up. Chelsea is up, from Chelsea Clinton. And Melia and Sasha, the Obama girls, are way up. So, it's not so much the politicians themselves but their kids.
Clay:  Linda, look into your crystal ball of naming and tell us what trends you're anticipating for 2012. What are kids going to be named in the future?
Linda:  Yeah. I've got a couple of names that I think are up and coming. I just want to get them right so I'm going to take a look at them. On the girls list, I have Amelia, Charlotte, Harper, and Bella. Harper is related to the Beckham's and doing really well on our list. David and Victoria are up, also. They had a daughter this year, their first girl. People just love the name Harper. On the boys list we have Henry, Ian, Levi, and Elijah. Levi also, Matthew McConaughey's son is named Levi. The others are just good British sounding names. I think the whole royal effect is getting to the rest of the list.
Clay:  The celebrities are also notorious for picking, let's say, quirky names for their own children. Are folks following their lead or, in these tough economic times, are they sticking to more conservative names?
Linda:  The really crazy celebrity names like Apple,is a classic, Surrey. They don't catch fire as much as you would think. But there are still a fair number of parents out there who want an unusual name. I've got a couple for you from our list. These are people, we found more than one baby with these names. For girls, Air is on the list and Couture, Daytona, and Favor. For boys, I have Arrow, Battle, Banjo, Flash, and Havoc.
Clay:  Those are certainly weird. But really, is it OK to have a sense of humor when you're naming your child? Isn't this an awesome responsibility that parents have, one that they should take seriously, particularly keeping in mind middle school?
Linda:  You are. But for the most part, parents do see this as a very serious decision, especially in hard economic times like we're in now. Parents want a name that's going to look good on a resume, really help their child be successful in life. That's why you see the top names are more conservative. But there are a fair number of parents, 20 percent, who say they want something very unusual, to the point that they'll make something up on their own. Their kid is one of a kind and they want the name to be one of a kind.
Clay:  Linda, if parents were really serious about making sure their child stays safe and secure they might want to consider the name Bjorn. After all, today's show is brought to you by BabyBjorn. They're designed to be the safest on the market, BabyBjorn. We want to thank Linda Murray, editor of BabyCenter.com, for joining us today. We'll see you next time here on "The Lab."