It’s nothing new that baby name popularity fluctuates depending on pop culture. Alia then soared on the baby girl charts game of thronesmany boys born in the ’90s were named after Tristan, played by Brad Pitt in the movie. Autumn legend. But when it comes to celebrity baby name trends, reactions tend to be hit or miss. After all, even though Gwyneth Paltrow was in the news all of 2004 for naming her baby Apple, that adorable little nickname never made it into the top 1000 baby names for girls. Neither has the Bronx since Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz’s son Bronx Mowgli was born in 2008, and Harper was already a popular baby name (it was in the top 55) when the Beckhams chose it for their daughter.
Of course, the Kardashians do things a little differently, and no one has dominated baby name trends like Kourtney Kardashian.
What can I say about the Kardashian family? You don’t have to like what they do or think you can relate to it. But Kourtney Kardashian being the first of her siblings to have a child was a big game changer. The birth of her first son, Mason Disick, not only made the reality show headlines, but also cracked open an incredibly vulnerable side of Kourtney. I’ll never forget the episode in which she begged her then-boyfriend Scott Disick to help him with his alcoholism, tearfully saying, “I love Mason more than I love you.” Watching her become a mother, where she literally pulled her newborn out of her vagina during childbirth, opened up a whole new side of her. Keep up with the Kardashians Even though I was 21 years old, I felt the weight of her feelings.
And then there are baby name trends.
Her first baby, Mason, was born in December 2009. Indeed, this name was already very popular at that time, ranking in 34th place. But once Mason Disick’s birth was forever incorporated into E!’s reality show, the baby name skyrocketed to No. 12 in 2010 (in the years before Mason was born, it had been fairly stable in the popularity rankings, ranging from the 50s to the mid-30s). And in 2011, ?Mason became the second most popular boy’s name in the United States and remained in the top 10 baby names until dropping in 2020.
Indeed, baby names become popular on their own. But 4.8 million people tune in to E! Do you want to see Mason’s baby born? We have to say credit for this name trend to Kourtney…especially when she did it again with her daughter Penelope.
Born in July 2012, Penelope is Kourtney and Scott’s second child and only daughter. The name Penelope felt truly unique when she chose it. There was a good reason for that. The popularity of this name remained in the 120s in 2012. But by 2013, Penelope was the 56th most popular girl’s name in America, and continued to grow in popularity each year. Since 2013, the baby name “Penelope” has consistently ranked in the top 30 most popular baby girl names.
Well, when Kourtney and Disick’s last child, Kourtney’s son Reign, was born in December 2014, the name didn’t really stick. popular Popular. In fact, Reign wasn’t even in the top 1,000 baby names until 2017, about three years after its birth. However, since reaching its peak, it has steadily increased and has remained at 600 units since 2020.
This brings us to Kourtney’s last baby, Rocky Barker, her son with Travis Barker. He was born in November 2023, and at that time his name was ranked 888th out of the top 1000 boy names. Since Kourtney gave birth, the name Rocky has moved up a whopping 231 places. As unique as Penelope, but not as niche-sounding as Reign, we expect this name to continue to grow in popularity. Everyone loves names that end in ‘-y’, they have a playful and punchy vibe and have recently become popular in baby names.
Can all these names and their popularity be attributed to other factors? Of course. But when Kourtney Kardashian was literally on E! With these baby names implanted in our brains almost every hour at red carpet events and Instagram, it’s hard not to see the connection. The Kardashians have always been trendsetters, but Kourtney’s role in spawning an entire generation of Penelopes, Masons, and Rockies might be my favorite.
