In a couple years playgrounds across America will be bustling with kids named Jacob, Emily, Michael, and Isabella – the most popular choices for the approximately 4 million babies born in the United States last year. But, don't be surprised if little Isabella finds herself on the teeter totter with a toddler named Miley or pushed off the swings by baby Shiloh. These familiar sounding celebrity baby names are coming in popularity for the children of Joe and Jane Public.

"When 500 parents think of the same new name, they have to get it from somewhere," says Laura Wattenberg, creator of the website, The Baby Name Wizard. "They all reflect attractive young, female celebrities." The big climber in 2007 was none other than Miley, influenced by the teen sensation Miley Cyrus, pre-Vanity Fair photograph however. "It wasn't even in the charts in 2006, and in 2007 there were three different spellings in the top 1000," says Wattenberg. Ironically, 'Miley' isn't the given name of the Disney (DIS) channel star, but a childhood nickname given because she was such a happy "smiley" tot (her legal name was Destiny Hope).  

Baby names can also reflect a reality television star's proverbial 15 minutes of fame. "Names rise and fall really fast," says Wattenberg. 'Jordin' with an 'i', a la American Idol (NWS) winner Jordin Sparks, is now replacing the traditional spelling of 'Jordan.' Some reality stars' names, however, have already lost caché . 'Trista', made popular by the television dating show The Bachelorette, and 'Talan,' of Laguna Beach (VIA.B) fame, are in the top 10 of fastest falling baby names.

Meanwhile, names that we once thought of as common and ordinary are plummeting in popularly as well. "Names like 'John' and 'George' and 'James' were ordinary for hundreds of years, but now there's been a revolution in naming boys," says Wattenberg. Today, the most dominant boy's name is actually not a name but a sound. "It's anything rhyming with 'Aiden,' says Wattenberg. There are 40 different variations in the top 1000 most popular names, including Jayden, Bradyn, Kaeden, Raiden and Zayden.

Hollywood writers have an ear for language, and will pick up on a growing naming trend. When the characters Ross and Rachel named their daughter Emma in the ninth season of the hit television show, Friends (GE), "it was the perfect choice for what an upscale urban yuppie couple would've named a baby [in 2003]," says Wattenberg. But TV writers don't always stick to an authentic choice. When Geena Davis played the first female president, on ABC's (DIS) Commander in Chief, her character was named MacKenzie Allen. "It's virtually impossible she would've been named MacKenzie considering when she was born," says Wattenberg. "In that case the writers were aiming for something different. To make this woman sound strong, they pick a name that sounds like a man's."  

While Americans favor the names of their favorite celebrities, they aren't necessarily partial to the names of celebrity babies. Of course, there are a couple of exceptions. "Angelina Jolie has such an ear for names and has started trends," says Wattenberg. "People love the names Maddox and Shiloh. They're just great sounds."

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