娱乐英语新闻:"Twilight" characters top list of baby names

BEIJING, May 11(Xinhuanet) -- American parents seem to prefer to look up for names for their babies in the popular vampire romances instead of traditional baby name book, a survey by the Social Security Administration showed as quoted by AP reports.

Isabella is now the top baby name for girls, Jacob for boys, the Social Security Administration said Friday. Both of them match the hot "Twilight" series of books and movies about vampires.

"Anything can influence baby names, from pop culture to literature to music and celebrities," said Jennifer Moss, author of "The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book" and founder of Babynames.com.

As one of the lead characters in "Twilight," Edward Cullen also becomes more favored. Edward moved up 11 spots, to No. 137 on the list, and Cullen was the biggest riser among boys' names, up 297 spots to No. 485.

A little more than 22,000 girls born in 2009 were named Isabella, followed by Emma, Olivia, Sophia and Ava. Nearly 21,000 boys were named Jacob, followed by Ethan, Michael, Alexander and William.

"Make sure the name can grow with your child and make sure they can live with it," Moss said. "Don't make it too cutesy because think, can it work in the board room? Can they be a CEO?"

"Don't make the name a burden on your child," she added.

The Social Security Administration started compiling name lists in 1997. It has offered lists of baby names since 1880.