BabyNameWizard.com just announced its 2010 "Name of the Year"  and Savvy Auntie has the first interview with Laura Wattenberg, founder of the site and author of the best-selling book The Baby Name Wizard. Once I heard the name of the year, I was stunned. Maybe even a little horrified.

The 2010 name of the year is: The Situation.

I had to speak with Laura to understand how the nickname of a reality show star became "the" name of the year, if this is a trend we'll be seeing for our newborn nieces and nephews and finally, what about Kate?

SA: First of all, Laura, I know you've been doing this for a long time, but frankly, I'm stunned.  I think I speak for many aunts when I say, "Are you kidding me?"  "The Situation" is your pick for the 2010 Name of the Year?

BNW: I know it's a controversial pick, but don't worry.  It doesn't mean I think this is a great name or the name I recommend for your nieces and nephews. The Name of the Year is about the name that most represents what names mean in our culture today or a name that has been most impacted by the events of the year. If you think about it more like TIME Magazine's Person of the Year -- you may not always like the person who they pick, but they always reflect something fundamental about the year -- I think you'll see that The Situation makes a lot of sense.

SA: Well, I still don't think The Situation is a name, but I buy your argument.  Tell me about the name The Situation and why you chose it.

BNW:  As you know, I take reader nominations for the Name of the Year (and this year I even received nominations from Savvy Auntie readers).  One theme became really clear: 2010 was the Year of the Un-Name. It was the year that personal names truly became brand names. The Situation is a nickname that Mike Sorrentino, one of the stars of the popular reality show Jersey Shore picked for himself and has worked to craft a brand around.  If you think about it, as a name, how different is The Situation from Lady Gaga or even Savvy Auntie or the Baby Name Wizard?

SA: So what does this mean for baby names?  Are my future nieces and nephews going to have brand names instead of baby names?

BNW: The Situation might be an extreme case, but parents all across the country are pushing the envelope with names, looking for names that make their child stand out.  They're turning Max into Maxx and Jules into Juelz the way a marketer might try to "pump up" a run of the mill word and make it distinctive. Also, I expect you'll be seeing more word and meaning names, especially ones that demand attention. Believe it or not, a name like Messiah is actually more popular in America today than familiar standbys like Craig or Todd.

SA: What about Kate? Many love Kate Middleton and I know were really pulling for Kate to be Name of the Year.

BNW: It's interesting.  Most years, I've had a harder time choosing the Name of the Year and I've published several runners-up. This year, all roads led to The Situation. But if there were a runner-up it would probably have been Kate.  Seldom does a traditional classic generate the kind of buzz it did this year. With all the buzz around a royal wedding, Ancestry.co.uk is predicting a boom in the name Kate in the year ahead.  I'm not so sure. Read my take on Kate here.

Thanks, Laura. Hey, a least it wasn't Snooki.

--Melanie Notkin, Editor in Chief

Published December 7, 2010