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The pandemic has had a huge impact on nearly every aspect of our lives, so it makes sense that not even choosing baby names has escaped the virus’ reach.
Pregnancy website The Bump released its Top 100 Most Popular Baby Names this month. And Corona made the list for the first time – in the 100th spot on the list of girls’ names.
Despite 2020 bringing a negative connotation to the word corona, the name is borrowed directly from the Latin corona, “meaning garland, wreath, crown”.
Besides the obvious nod to the virus that started spreading late last year, another huge trend appears to be astrological-inspired names, with both Aurora and Nova among the top 10 of most searched girls’ names.
Topping the list was Mila, followed by Aaliyah and then Aurora, while for boys, the top three were Braxton, Zion and Hunter.
The rest of the top 10 for girls was Aria at number four, followed by Amelia, Eliana, Nova, Kayden, Molly and Ivy.
For boys, the fourth most searched-for name was Kai, followed by Urban, Logan, Elliot, Liam, Lucas and River.
While some parents are only just considering using the deadly virus as inspiration for their kid’s names, others have already followed through. After giving birth to twins during lockdown on 27 March, a couple in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh named their babies Covid and Corona.
“When the hospital staff started calling the babies Corona and Covid, we finally decided to name them after the pandemic,” the mother, Pteeti Verma, told news agency Press Trust of India, adding that a difficult birth served as further inspiration for her choice.
“The delivery happened after facing several difficulties, and so my husband and I wanted to make the day memorable.”
In a similar vein to other virus-themed names, another Indian couple chose to call their baby boy Lockdown when he arrived in April.
“I named him after Lockdown as we all are reeling under [the] Covid-19 pandemic,” the father told NDTV at the time. “My boy will remind everyone to take precautions against Covid-19, to save themselves and the nation.”
Sources: The Bump, Dictionary, Independent, Pti News, NDTV
