You've made your guesses of the hottest and coldest names in America in the
Baby Name Pool. Now it's time to learn from your collective wisdom. When dozens of name lovers pick the same name as a best bet for popularity, you know that name has something going on: the zeitgeist is with it. This year, the winds of change seem to be blowing for these names...
Most popular "Rising" choices 1. Miley
2. Max
3. Addison
4. Ava
5. Lila
Most popular "Falling" choices 1. Madison
2. Britney
3. Ashley
4. Emma
5. Emily
Let's take a closer look.
Rising 1. Miley - No mystery here. 2007 was the year of Hannah Montana, and star Miley Cyrus appears to have a hit name in the making. In fact, Cyrus herself has filed to legally change her name to Miley from her birth name, Destiny.
2. Max - The only boy's name on either list, Max is also the most surprising. This name has been perfectly steady for years: ranked from #161-165 every year since 1999. But maybe you know something that I don't?
3. Addison
4. Ava - These two look like smart bets as two of the hottest rising names of the previous year.
5. Lila - Nice one, name watchers! I think Lila's going to soar in the next few years (and special kudos to the handful of entrants who picked the variant spelling Lilah).
Falling 1. Madison - This was the runaway winner, named on almost a fifth of all ballots...
for the second year in a row! Madison has always been a stylistically polarizing name, and I suspect that a certain number of entrants are simply trying to will it away.
2. Britney - Remember that awesome, world-beating year that Miley Cyrus had? Take the opposite and you have Britney Spears in 2007. The name Brittany was #7 in falling votes, based on guilt by association.
3. Ashley - A practical choice, Ashley has already begun its inevitable decline after a long run as baby name royalty.
4. Emma
5. Emily - These have been the top two names in America for several years running, so I guess the thinking is that there's nowhere to go but down.