It’s a well-known fact that some celebrity baby names can have a huge influence on the names that parents in general pick for their babies. The name Jaden, for example, has certainly gained popularity as a result of Will Smith’s and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s son Jaden. And we can expect to see a few Shilohs bouncing around by 2008. But probably the biggest celebrity name boost of the last year or so comes from Reese Witherspoon, reportedly now the highest-paid American actress of all time.

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe named their daughter Ava back in 1999, when the name was only  # 259 in popularity in the United States. In the years since, Ava has rocketed in popularity, and indicators show that the fast-climbing name will likely get a huge boost even from its 2005 ranking, # 9, when the 2006 rankings are published in May by the U. S. Social Security Administration.

In Oakland County, Michigan, the local records office has already counted their baby name registrations for 2006, and Ava is the number one girl’s name in their sampling. (Followed by Sophia). That’s in line with predictions from some baby name websites earlier in the year.

Has Reese Witherspoon replaced Julia Roberts as America’s sweetheart? She has passed her at the box office, and now Witherspoon seems to be setting the trend for what to name your baby girl. Of course, Julia Roberts didn’t do herself any favors in that department, naming her twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus Walter. We’ll have to wait and see.

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photo by Photorazzi 

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