Why stars are naming their sons Charlie Wolf
When choosing a name, some new parents consider how popular it is.
In Hollywood, one moniker that seems to be getting used more than any others is Charlie Wolf, or a derivation thereof.
Actress Zooey Deschanel named her son Charlie Wolf in 2017; lifestyle guru and former "Hills" star Lauren Conrad named her son Charlie Wolf last month; and People magazine reported on Tuesday that former "Bachelor in Paradise" stars Carly Waddell and Evan Bass welcomed a son they named -- what else? -- Charles Wolfe. They're calling him Charlie.
According to Pamela Redmond, CEO of Nameberry, the name's strong meaning may be one reason why so many people are using it.
"Charles of course is a classic -- a kingly -- name, but Charlie has become particularly interesting because it's used nearly equally these days for boys and girls. It's that unusual gender-neutral name that has deep roots, so you get two names with two very different images in one," said Redmond, whose site catalogs thousands of names. "We are seeing more parents using unisex names for boys, and Charlie may appeal to parents who want a name that telegraphs gender neutrality, but that is also a traditional boys' name."
"Wolf, as in the animal, is I think the form that Deschanel and Conrad both use," she continued. "Animal names in general are gaining fast in popularity, and Wolf is one of the favorites for boys, along with Fox and Bear."
The Social Security website, which documents how many times each year a name is used, reports that Charles was ranked 52nd-most popular last year; Charlie was 218th. Neither Wolf nor Wolfe cracked the top 1,000.
Deschanel, 39, has said that the popularity of "Charlie Wolf" is just a coincidence.
Calling it "a really specific name," Deschanel told Us Weekly that she didn't think Conrad realized that anybody else had used it.
"That was so weird, right? I don’t think she knew it," Deschanel said. "We have a really good mutual friend, and she was like, 'Did you know that Lauren Conrad …' I said, 'No, that’s so funny!' She’s like, 'I don’t think she knew it.'"
