It’s easy to confuse popularity with stylishness.  Many baby names feel “popular” when they’re merely stylish: We’re hearing them a lot, they’re in step with the baby name fashions, and we worry that if we choose them, our little Matilda is going to be one of many.

　　And perhaps if you live in some edgy, baby-centric enclave – Park Slope, Brooklyn, say, or Bernal Heights in San Francisco – that will be true.  But for the most part, the numbers tell a different story, with many of the most stylish names used by very few parents.

　　One note: Names can be popular and stylish, so many of those in the popular column also qualify as stylish.

　　Looking just at girls’ names today, here’s a statistics-based reality check on what’s stylish vs. what’s truly popular.  (Numbers in parentheses represent how many babies were given that name in the most recent U.S. count.)

　　Allegra (114) is stylish, though Arianna (4,797) is popular

　　Aurelia (209) is stylish, but Amelia (5,417) is popular

　　Azalea (164) is stylish while Violet (2,531) is popular

　　Beatrix (123) is stylish while Alexa (5,012) is popular

　　Blake (240) is stylish, while Payton (3,561) is popular

　　Carter (158) is stylish while Kennedy (2,803) is popular

　　Cecily (96) is stylish but Cecilia (1,186) is popular

　　Clementine (132) is stylish and Charlotte (5,313) is popular

　　Devon (110) is stylish, while London (2,847) is popular

　　Esme (279), merely stylish;  Eliza (1,296), popular

　　Everly (159), stylish, compared with Ellie (2,886), which is popular

　　Felicity (355) is stylish, while Lydia (2,802) is popular

　　Flora (113) is stylish, though Cora (1,188) is getting popular

　　Harlow (349) is stylish, and Lola (1,454) is popular

　　Honor (83) is stylish while Hazel (1,232) is getting popular

　　Ida (99) is stylish, while Eva (3,247) is popular

　　Imogen (100), just stylish, while Evelyn (5,802) is popular

　　Isadora (122) is stylish, while we all know that Isabella (22,731) is super-popular

　　Maisie (123) is stylish, but Molly (3,338) is popular

　　Matilda (339) is stylish, while Madelyn and Madeline (over 7,000 combined) are popular

　　May (106), stylish, but Maya (3,921) is popular

　　Mercy (202) is stylish, while Faith (3,633) is popular

　　Millie (305) is stylish; Lily (7,900), popular

　　Pearl (263) is stylish, while Ruby (2,764) is popular

　　Persephone (110) is stylish, while Penelope (1,535) is popular

　　Poppy (118) is stylish, though Piper (2,119) is popular

　　Rory (242) is stylish,  Aurora (1,517), more popular

　　Sawyer (348), stylish;  Sydney (4,301), popular

　　Scout (148) is stylish but Harper (2,601) is popular

　　Seraphina (107) is stylish, while Serenity (3,437) is popular

　　Susannah (72) is stylish while Savannah (5,311) is popular

　　Tess (334) is stylish, while Tessa (1,413) is popular

　　Willa (262) stylish, with Willow (1,105) more popular

　　Winter (217) is stylish, while Autumn (3,476) is popular

　　Wren (184) is stylish but Quinn (1,267) is getting popular

　　Tune in for the boys’ rundown tomorrow!