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'Fifty Shades of Grey' inspires – baby names?

The website BabyCenter is reporting spikes in the popularity of names Anastasia and Grey.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' author E L James was recently named Publishers Weekly's Publishing Person of the Year.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Okay, we get naming your children after favorite characters in a book, but after the protagonists of “Fifty Shades of Grey” – really?

But that’s what parents did in 2012, according to the annual list released by the website BabyCenter. The name Anastasia, for “Fifty Shades of Grey” protagonist Anastasia Steele, rose 10 percent this year, while Ana rose 15 percent. And while Christian, the first name of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” male protagonist, dropped 30 percent from last year – “It seems moms don't want to make the 50 Shades connection too obvious or draw a direct link to the messed-up protagonist,” BabyCenter notes – Grey, the character’s last name, rose 18 percent.

Isabella and Jacob, two baby names that shot to popularity after the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer became popular, held steady on the BabyCenter list in 2012. Isabella, the full name of “Twilight” heroine Bella Swan (and the inspiration for Anastasia Steele), came in at No. 4 and Jacob, the name of the devoted werewolf of the “Twilight” books, took No. 8 on the boys’ list. Other popular literary-inspired names? Scarlett, the famous first name of the “Gone with the Wind” heroine, is currently No. 55.

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