Photo: Nicolas Genin / Teemeah
CULLEN IS HOT…REALLY HOT
Cullen was the fastest growing name of 2009. That means it’s started to gain popularity very quickly. In 2008, Cullen ranked #782 and in 2009, it had jumped 297 spots to #485. Look for it to gain more ground this year. For those of you who don’t know (are there any of you still?), Cullen is the surname of the vampire heartthrob, Edward, from the Twilight books and movie series by Stephenie Meyer.
Some people I’ve talked to assume Cullen is a made up name with no meaning, but Cullen is actually a Celtic name that means “cub.” I think that’s pretty cute. The definition got me wondering what werewolf babies are called because Edward Cullen’s a vampire and his rival for Bella’s affections (if you can really call him that) is a werewolf. After a spirited debate among my friends on Facebook (kudos to those who did some pretty thorough werewolf lore research!), the consensus was that werewolf babies were more likely called pups than cubs. Team Edward is safe for now.
IS THIS MEDIA HYPE OR DO PEOPLE REALLY LIKE TWILIGHT NAMES?
I can’t say what’s happening in the minds of everyone who chose the name Cullen or any of the other Twilight names. What I do know is that at a recent book signing someone told me that she loved all the Twilight names – especially Edward, Bella and Jacob. As she was saying that, a woman who was signing up for my newsletter jumped in and said, “Ooh…I love Cullen. That’s a great name. “
That’s a small sample size, but it’s definitely food for thought. I say the bottom line is that people do like the Twilight baby names, but they might not like them because of Twilight – some people probably like them in spite of Twilight. Then there are the folks who like these names because they adore all-things Stephenie Meyer.
IT’S YOUR TURN TO WEIGH IN
What do you think about the name Cullen? What do you think about the Twilight names overall—Bella, Jacob, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Alice?
Are people choosing the name Cullen because they love the books and decide to name their babies after the characters? Or are people hearing the name Cullen because it’s being talked about and deciding it would make a great name it sounds unique?
Happy naming,
♥ Amanda
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