Finally! Yesterday, Zooey Deschanel revealed the name of her three-month-old baby girl.
Drumroll please! Introducing Elsie Otter…yes, like a sea otter.
Zooey is known for being a trendsetter—who didn’t get bangs after seeing the first episode of New Girl? And now she’s helping start a baby name trend. No, not naming your baby after animals (that would be weird), but giving your baby girl a name that starts with E.
Baby Elsie joins other Hollywood babies with E monikers, including newborn Evelyn (daughter of Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford) and Edie (Keira Knightley‘s five-month old).
Now, E girl names are nothing new. In 2014, both “Emma” and “Emily” made the top ten most popular baby names in Canada—they’ve been super popular for the last decade or so. But “Edie,” “Elsie” and “Evelyn” are classic names that have fallen out of fashion. “Edie” and “Elsie” traditionally aren’t full names, but nicknames for “Edith” and “Elizabeth.”
But thanks to these Hollywood stars, old-fashioned E names are coming back in vogue. Actually, I would argue it was a certain princess who started this trend—Elsa! I expect we will be seeing lots more baby girls with E names. Bring on the Eves, Elles, Elloises and Estelles.
Read more:
Who’s pregnant in Hollywood>
Baby name trends for 2015>
How to choose a baby name>