The Names of 2014: Names America Loved and Left

I'm as thrilled as that little girl (and that's saying something!), because the moment has come for name enthusiasts and curious people everywhere—the 2014 stats have been released by the Social Security Administration. Here's a quick summary of the names the US has loved and, well, left over the past year.

2014's Most Popular Names

The top 10 for boys and girls is a list I love. Seriously! The new top 10 is looking very tasteful and charming.

While there isn't usually much change in the top 10, I have to brag just a bit as I predicted Charlotte would continue its upward climb and reach top-10 status. Here's what life at the top looks like for boys and girls.

Boys Noah Liam Mason Jacob William Ethan Michael Alexander James Daniel

Girls Emma Olivia Sophia Isabella Ava Mia Emily Abigail Madison Charlotte

All in all, there's a lot to love in these top 20 names, which are loaded with classics and vintage charmers. The boys' traditional name James (appropriately) usurped Jayden, while Charlotte replaced Elizabeth.

For more details on names that are on the rise, try my post Freshly Picked Baby Names of 2014. But for some, the more intriguing stories are the names that made strides in the span of one year.

2014's Fastest Rising Names

These are names that gained more popularity over last year. But keep in mind that none of these names are even close to the top 100 and no one is deeming these "popular"...just more popular than they used to be. They are names we may have already been drawn to, but for a lot of them, a celebrity or reality star is what put these names over the edge.

Boys Bode Axl Gannon Bodie Royal Coen Anakin Killian Reyansh Ronin

Girls Aranza Montserrat Monserrat Maisie Zendaya Karter Ariadne Daleyza Thea Remington

For boys, the number one spot is awarded to Bode Miller, who took home a bronze in the super-G event during the Sochi 2014 Olympics. Celebrity baby Axl, son of Josh and Fergie Duhamel, gets partial credit for the upswing for his rock-n-roll inspired name. Another inspiring source was the show The Middle, featuring a character named Axl. We can thank the TV show Once Upon a Time for single-handedly inspiring the momentum behind Killian (an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Cillian), where it's Captain Hook's first name. Anakin is soaring higher as Star Wars excitement brews and many are connecting with the on-trend sound of the name. Actor and dancer Kunwar Amar starred in India's teen dance drama as a character named Reyansh, while the movie 47 Ronin sparked interest in the samurai group with a super cool name.

For girls, the names Aranza and Montserrat/Monserrat were inspired by characters on telenovelas, while Ariadne is the star actress on the telenovela hit La Malquerida. The no-surname-required teen actress and dancer Zendaya piqued interest in her name as she starred in a Disney original movie. English teen actress Maisie Williams has brought her sweet name across the pond, and Thea gained some attention via a character on Arrow.

Overall, I'm most excited about: Maisie and Thea.

2014's Fastest Falling Names

The names that aren't doing so hot are often a great reflection of what and who has received negative press over the past year. They have to be a bit distinct, perhaps with a unique spelling, making it extra tough to get on board with these names in the face of a bad celebrity reputation.

Boys Bently Damion Amare Isiah Xavi Sidney Deegan Jair Juelz Corban

Girls Miley Karly Britney Kaya Nahla Rihanna Kaylyn Makena Karissa Sherlyn

For the boys, alternative spellings rule the fast fallers. I'm looking at you, Bently (Bentley), Damion (Damian), and Corban (Corbin). Other fallers include a few fizzled celebrities. Amare (spelled Amar'e) is the name of a famed NY Knicks center whose injuries led to the team's return to the bottom. Juelz Santana is a rapper whose success has faded quickly, and Isiah Thomas is a retired basketball player who lost a sexual harassment case and went on to become the president of the WNBA's New York Liberty.

On the girls' side, the demise of Miley is in the obvious wake of Miley Cyrus' fall from grace sanity over the last year and a half. Rihanna and Britney can be added to the less-than-wholesome group of pop singers who aren't inspiring namesakes. Nahla is the unique name of Halle Berry and model Gabriel Aubry's daughter, who is just a child, but is surrounded by the drama of her parents' court battles.

Two Names The Entire Country Was Watching

Elsa ~ Disney's Frozen came out in late 2013, making it hard to tell whether it would influence parents until 2014's stats were released. And the big news is that Frozen's reach has, as many predicted, easily extended to baby names. In 2013 the name Elsa was near the middle of the top 1,000 names, ranked at 528. But last year it jumped to 286 as parents embrace Elsa's irresistible simplicity and magical charms.

Isis ~ While the terror group known as ISIS grabbed horrific headlines in 2014, parents began to drop this girls' name as quickly as possible. In 2013 the name Isis was (ironically) in a similar position to Elsa at a rank of 575, but the SSA now reports it's at 706. I predict that 2015 will reflect the same trend, until this name disappears from the top 1,000 altogether.