A Canadian couple is vowing to name their baby—due in three weeks—after the person who returns their dog. She was possibly snatched from the couple's backyard. Let's hope they keep a better eye on the baby.

We all know that celebrities only want to name their children things like Apple, Kal-El, and Echinacea (I made that one up). But what were the worst offenses of celebrity baby naming horror in 2010?

The Oregonian formerly known as Douglas Allen Smith Jr. finally got permission to legally change his name to Captain Awesome. It was inspired by a character on NBC's Chuck, which furthers the trend of Americans taking stupid names from TV.

The website BabyCenter released its annual list of the most popular baby names in America. This year, it was Aiden for boys and Sophia for girls. What's really disturbing, though, are some of the other names gaining in popularity.

Katie Couric picked on Sarah Palin's kids' names, but maybe she would have been more understanding if she'd been familiar with Sarah's naming strategy? One commenter explains.

It's not just fear of them being teased that should deter you from giving your child a trendy name. You, as a parent, might live to regret it. Well, one and five of you anyway, according to a British study.

Only when you see the list of most popular baby names do you realize that America is not just a bunch of chik'n-consuming Wal-Mart zombies, but rather one big elegant catalogue of Victorian Body Shop models.

According to data released today by the New York City Department of Health, Olivia—yes, Olivia—was the most popular girls name with white women in 2008. It's time for a recount! [NYDN]

Nicole Richie just had a baby boy. His name is Sparrow James Midnight Madden. We love that celebrities don't give their spawn normal people names.

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz named their newborn son "Bronx" last week, as you probably know. In case you're wondering, "Bronx" isn't one of the 1,000 most popular names in the U.S., according to the Social Security Administration. ("Manhattan," "Queens," and "Staten Island" don't make the cut either.) But, believe it or not, "Brooklyn" is now ranked 57th. [City Room]

So much for Daniel and Isabella. "Barack" is poised to become a big baby name thanks to his victory on Tuesday. A number of new moms in Kenya have reportedly named their newborns after the President-elect in recent days, and it isn't just limited to Barack's first name. "Michelle" is expected to grow in popularity, too, and one South Florida couple even named their son "Obama" on Wednesday. [Reuters]

Daniel and Isabella were the most popular baby names in New York City in 2007, according to an insanely exhaustive, 81-page report issued today by the city's Department of Health. (So that's what they do when they're not checking restaurants for mice and roaches.) More interesting is the second most-popular name for boys: It's Jayden, which one baby name "expert" attributes to—you guessed it—the "Britney effect." She also adds that the "entire '-aiden' phenomenon has been a huge naming force" over the past year, and she's been seeing an increasing number of parents name their kids Hayden, Caiden, Raiden, and Zaydon. "I'm even hearing Graydon," she says. Consider yourself warned, Mr. Carter! [City Room]