Willow

We were surprised to see Willow only appear on the U.S. naming charts for the first time in 1998. We would have bet our bottom-dollar that Willow would have emerged in the 1960s when hippie children were receiving names of flowers, plants and trees across the nation. Or even at the turn of the 20th century when tree names were all the rage (Hazel, Myrtle and Olive for instance). Nope, Willow has only just come into fashion this century, and only moderately so. Initial influence for the name's usage came from the popular TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997-2003) in which actress Alyson Hannigan portrayed a central character named Willow Rosenberg. The name later received some currency after the famous celebrity couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith named their daughter Willow (2000). Then Sarah Palin came into the national public eye (2007) with her unusually-named children, one of which is Willow. This easy, breezy name feels as pliable as the tree itself. It’s gentle yet strong. Delicate yet unbreakable. Familiar yet unusual. Happy yet wistful. Willow, like the tree, does evoke a certain sense of intuition and imagination. It's no wonder this lovely name is showing upwards momentum on the charts.