Sarah Palin is a controversial political figure, to say the least! But that hasn’t stopped rising numbers of parents from choosing her surname as their baby’s first name!

Is Sarah Palin, the public face of the Tea Party, actually influencing baby name choices in America? According to BabyCenter.com, the answer is: “You betcha!” Research shows that the name “Palin” tripled in popularity between 2008 and 2009, when the controversial Alaskan shot to fame as the Republican Party’s candidate for vice-president. And the “Palin effect” doesn’t stop there—the names Bristol, Willow and Piper are trending “up” also!

Other political names, like Barack and Biden are on the rise, too, but Palin remains more popular than both. Wow, go figure!

More than 60 percent of parents believe that the name they select for their child will affect their life, so a lot of thought goes into the final decision. But the list of the top 100 baby names for 2010 from babycenter.com shows that moms and dads are turning away from traditional names for boys and choosing strong, modern names instead. Aiden has been the hands-down favorite for the past six years! For girls, the unisex trend we’ve been seeing over the last few years is over! Parents are opting for super feminine names like Isabella and Emma. But the list has a lot of names that pop culture fans will find kinda familiar. Check out the list!

Some celeb baby names made the top 100 list, like Mason (Mason Disick), and Violet (Violet Affleck), but even more exciting is that some of our favorite TV show names are on the rise! According to BabyCenter.com, parents are looking to shows like Glee, Mad Men, and Teen Mom.

The name Quinn, from Glee, is up 60 percent this year — almost breaking into the top 100! Also on the rise are the names Finn, Jenna and Lea. As long as the series stays popular, we should see some shifts as the cast changes!

The show Mad Men is able to flawlessly make the 1960s look super chic, and we’re guessing that’s the reason why older names that would’ve been considered frumpy before (like Betty, Roger, Helen, Jane, and even Freddy) are now back in vogue.

Twilight‘s Bella and Cullen are hot new baby names!

MTV’s hit Teen Mom is having a major influence as well. The names Farrah, Maci, Ebony and Bentley are on the rise, while troubled mom Amber’s name is down 15 percent from last year.

And it seems Sarah Palin is even having an effect on baby names! Her daughters’ names Bristol, Willow and Piper are up from last year. Piper missed the top 100 by just one point! Does the Tea Party have something to do with this?

Here are the 2010 top 10 picks for boys and girls:

Boys’ Names

1. Aiden
2. Jacob
3. Jackson
4. Ethan
5. Jayden
6. Noah
7. Logan
8. Caden
9. Lucas
10. Liam

Girls’ Names

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Olivia
4. Emma
5. Chloe
6. Ava
7. Lily
8. Madison
9. Addison
10. Abigail

–Brooke Peoples

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