Baby Center has combed through the official Social Security Administration list of 2015 baby names to uncover what trends the year has given us, revealing sources of inspiration that are equal parts questionable and ingenious.

 2015 Most Popular Baby Names

In a trend the site has labeled #Instagrambabies, names inspired by Instagram filters featured quite heavily on the list. Lux, Juno, Reyes, Ludwig, Amaro, Valencia, Willow seem like perfectly acceptable baby names but being named after a filter on a picture sharing app is hardly knowledge you’d want to pass down through the generations.

Royalty also served as major inspiration for the new parents of 2015. The name “Royalty” leaped up 88% for girls, while “Duchess,” “Princess” and “Regina” (Italian and Latin for queen) also made serious gains on the chart.

YA novel character names also featured quite heavily, Katniss and Hermione doing well with girls and Augustus (The Fault in Our Stars), Thomas (The Maze Runner) and Adam (If I Stay) popular with the boys.

Many 2015 tot’s names were inspired by planets and space, while gender neutral names like Carson, River, Rory, Phoenix, Sawyer and Wyatt proved popular for girls and boys.

The most popular of 2015 for girls was “Sophia.” Linda Murray, BabyCenter’s editor in chief, had high praise for the name. “Sophia has been a powerhouse for six years, thanks to the variety of spelling options and the multi-ethnic, multi-language appeal of the name,” she said in a statement.

The top name for boys was “Jackson” which Murray believed would have less staying power through 2016.

Top 10 2015 names for girls:

1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Ava
5. Mia
6. Isabella
7. Zoe
8. Lily
9. Emily
10. Madison

Top 10 2015 names for boys:

1. Jackson
2. Aiden
3. Liam
4. Lucas
5. Noah
6. Mason
7. Ethan
8. Caden
9. Logan
10. Jacob

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Patrick Culhane

Article by Patrick Culhane

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