I knew Michael was the most popular name for boys in 1977 before I confirmed it statistically. I was one of 7 Michaels in my middle school class!

So when I see list after list of ‘the most popular baby names of 2012,’ I wonder whether that is, in fact, the best place to start a baby name search? Shouldn’t baby names come from your life experiences, whether family names, friends or even characters in books you read?

Evidently, I’m not alone in thinking this. Last year, the most popular female name search on nameberry.com was ‘Katniss.’

Now, I’m not advocating a gaggle of ‘Katni’ sitting in a third grade class 8 years from now. (Can you imagine the confusion that would be caused by a classroom with a Katniss H. and a Katniss M.?)

Books do, however, offer loads of options for names!

I’m not completely convinced that Hermione, Albus or Severus will ever take off in the US but Harry and any of the Weasley names certainly are possibilities. Katniss may have been a popular search this past year but I feel like Rue or Prim might be used more often. Maybe even Gale? One of our newest releases, The False Prince, also offers some interesting options – Sage, Rodin, Imogen and Conner.

Of course, there are tons more…Atticus, Dorian, Juliet, Wendy, Max or even Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne and Stacey for a group of quadruplets!

Has anyone named (or considered naming) their child after a character in a book?