This weekend, Great Gatsby ruled the box office—and F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic love triangle, set against the roaring 20s backdrop, is once again in the limelight. While some daring folks may decide to choose Gatsby as an offbeat first name in homage to the tale, Daisy seems to be the more popular choice for fans of the book—or the movie.
This garden flower has been steadily in the top 200 names since the 1990s, a fresh choice like Violet, Lily and Rose. Daisy is considered a nickname for Margaret, which makes it a nice choice in homage to a relative who bears the name. Daisy has a few other pop culture associations, beyond the Gatsby heroine. There's Daisy Duke (of Dukes of Hazzard fame), Daisy Duck (Donald's girlfriend), and Daisy Miller, from Henry James' novel.
The name's been relatively popular with celebrities—actors Jon Cryer, Lucy Lawless and Anthony Stewart Head all picked it for their daughters. Often, it's paired with wordy middle names: Meg Ryan's daughter is Daisy True, and chef Jamie Oliver named his daughter Daisy Boo. I like it with Bell, Claire, Kate and June.
And it's a perfect choice for a baby born this time of year, when gardens begin to bloom. What do you think of Daisy? Is it a name you'd want to use for your daughter?
Check back later this week for more analysis of the top baby names of the year!
Photo: Pregnant woman via Ronald Summers/Shutterstock.com
