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Here's why parents-to-be aren't naming their babies after Ivanka Trump

The name Ivanka has tumbled down the popular baby names list [Photo: PA Images]
The name Ivanka has tumbled down the popular baby names list [Photo: PA Images]

When it comes to baby names new parents often turn to popular culture for inspo. But despite being the moniker of the President’s first daughter, Ivanka Trump is unlikely to inspire a generation of mini Ivankas as the name has plummeted in popularity of late.

Ivanka, meaning God is gracious, first registered on the popular baby names list back in 2007 when it charted at #4122. Last year, however, the name saw a spike in interest. In an article about the hottest baby-name trends of the year, Babycenter reported that Ivanka had seen a 39% surge in popularity among female names in 2016. The rise could possibly be attributed to parents hoping to give their babies the same power moniker as the soon-to-be first daughter.

But the name’s popularity has been shortlived and since then has plummeted nearly 1,800 spots, now sitting at No. 3,818 in the BabyCenter popularity ranking.

While it should be noted that a BabyCenter ranking is not a wholly reliable indicator of name popularity as it measures interest in names rather than actual names on birth certificates, the data suggests that the moniker has joined the do-not-name list. But why?

According to LiveScience one reason could be attributed to the way the consonants in the name Ivanka sound together.

“That N-K is just a nonstarter,” explains Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Name Wizard (Three Rivers Press, 2005).

“There is literally no fashionable name with the letters N-K [in succession] for either sex at this point — like ‘Frank’ is at an all-time low.”

Another reason for the drop in Ivanka name interest could be down to the fact that the popularity of the first daughter has been somewhat on the wane of late. A new poll, conducted by SurveyMonkey, shows that, although she still remains slightly more popular than her father, young women have a particularly negative view of the first daughter.

According to the survey, while 39% of Americans overall have a favourable view of Ivanka Trump, 37% have an unfavourable view, and 22% say they don’t know enough to say. Hardly a glowing endorsement.

Add to that the fact that more and more women have been boycotting Ivanka’s clothing range out of protest for her father’s politics and it’s not a complete surprise that the name has fallen out of favour with parents-to-be.

Ivanka has been crossed off the must-name list [Photo: Flash Bros via Pexels]
Ivanka has been crossed off the must-name list [Photo: Flash Bros via Pexels]

But Ivanka shouldn’t feel too bad about her name slipping down the popularity list as according to BabyCentre’s Managing Editor Sarah Redshaw, baby monikers becoming more and less popular over time is a pretty common occurrence.

“It’s inevitable that as some names rise in popularity, others fall out of fashion. The question is will they die out completely, or experience a revival in the future,” she explained to Daily Mail.

And despite having an unpopular moniker and calls to boycott her label, it seems her fashion range has been witnessing record sales of late. And I’m sure if you asked the first daughter if she’d rather a popular name or a popular brand, we can likely guess what the outcome might be.

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