Inspiration for baby names comes from all kinds of experiences, people, places -- even farm animals. Actress and model Brooklyn Decker revealed to Vanity Fair in an interview last month that she was named after a horse. "My mom's best friend had a horse named Brooke, so my dad suggested 'Brooklyn' as a more formal version, and it just stuck -- and now I live in Brooklyn part-time, so go figure," she tells them.

A few weeks ago, it was revealed that actress Katherine Heigl and her husband Josh Kelley were adopting another child. Today they announced their second daughter is named Adalaide Marie Hope Kelly. 

Adalaide is an alternate spelling of Adelaide, which itself is an English form of the old German name Adelheid, meaning "nobility." Adelaide was popular during the turn of the century and has recently had a resurgence, ranking at No. 407 in 2011, after steadily gained traction since 2005. Adelaide is also famous for being the capital of South Australia, named for Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV of England, who ruled in the 19th century. 

Of the many bizarre and interesting names on the popular HBO series Game of Thrones that premiered in 2011, Arya, and the alternate spelling Aria, is the fastest rising name. The character Arya Stark, played by the young actress Maisie Williams, may be one of the smallest characters in a extremely long list of cast members, but she is also one of the most captivating. 

Aria jumped almost 200 points from #356 last year to #157 on this years list of top baby names and just barely making the top 1000 in 2010, Arya also made a big leap from #937 to #711 in 2011. Aria means "lioness" in Hebrew and "air" in Italian and can also be considered a musical name as it is the term commonly used to describe single voice pieces in operas. According to Namipedia, Arya is a Sanskrit word meaning "noble" and used to express reverence. 

The singer Adele is sure to feature prominently in cable shows waxing nostalgic for 2011, the year her career skyrocketed and she became a household name. And the list of top baby names for 2011 proves what we predicted back in February -- Adele is on the rise in the name world, too. The list shows Adele at #627 -- and lest that number seem unimpressive, consider where it came from.

Much ado is being made out of Kourtney Kardashian's influence as a baby name trendsetter.  Mason, a name she gave her son in 2009 skyrocketed to #2 on this year's most popular baby names list. 

But Mason already had significant momentum before the Kardashian connection kicked it into overdrive.

However, there is another name stealthily skyrocketing up the charts and you can be sure that its celebrity connection is a large part of its story.  That name is Aviana, the name given by Amy Adamsto her daughter Aviana Olea LeGallo in 2010.

A few years ago Laura Wattenberg, founder of NameCandy.com and BabyNameWizard.com predicted that the long "i" sound would be the hot sound of the next generation of up and coming names (think Miles and Lilah and Isaac).

But even Laura couldn't predict the rise of Iker  which entered the top-1000 baby names in the U.S. at646 in 2010 and this year ranks at #379, making it the second-fastest rising boys' name in absolute terms and the fourth-hottest using the proprietary BabyNameWizard.com hotness formula.

This time last year, we wrote that the hottest baby names were keeping up with the Kardashians. So regular readers will not be surprised by today's news that Mason, the name bestowed by Kourtney Kardashian on her son at the end of 2009, has continued its swift ascent and has broken into America's Top 10.  (The other big news from the annual Social Security Administration release of popular baby names? Michael, a top-3 name for 60 years has fallen to #6. And Sophia toppledIsabella from her one-year reign at the top of the girls' list.)

If you're surprised by the swift and sudden ascent of Mason, here's the story. (for more details, readlast year's analysis): 

The most popular baby names  in America have been revealed.  We could go into the details, but seriously, let's just cut to the chase!  

We just got word from our friend Pregnant in Heels star Rosie Pope that she is in the hospital, ready to deliver her baby.  And guess what her husband wants to do? Talk baby names!

At 6:41 a.m. she Tweeted: 3 cm dilated, listening to heart beat, everything feeling very real...doctors and nurses buzzing around

At 6:47:Now my hubby brings up name+wants to know if I'm sure! Not good time for a decision!! What girl names do u guys love?

She is live Tweeting baby's birth @RosiePope, so Name Enthusiasts, help a mother out! Suggest some girl names for her, here or on Twitter.

Chris Hemsworth, who you might know better as Thor and his wife, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, welcomed a baby girl this week.  They have named their baby India Rose.  

India is a name that has traditionally been given to girls whose families have some kind of ties to the subcontinent. The name peaked in popularity about 10 years ago and currently sits at #844 in the U.S. But in the U.K. where baby India was born, India is the 144th most popular girl's name.