Baby name searches for Taylor and Travis ‘soar” amid the Swift/Kelce frenzy

All the attention on Swift, Kelce and their supposed romance has made expectant parents think of naming their babies after them, according to San Francisco-based BabyCenter.com

According to one theory, the rumored romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will quietly fizzle after her Era’s world tour concert movie debuts on Oct. 13. But this shining moment in the history of celebrity couplings could live on forever in the number of newborns possibly being named Taylor and Travis in the coming weeks and months.

There’s definitely been a “Swift Effect” when it comes to the booming popularity of Taylor and other Swift-related names on BabyCenter.com, the San Francisco-based online parenting resource site. That includes the name Travis, after the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.

Since Swift was photographed cheering Kelce on at his two recent Chiefs games, expectant parents appear to be especially interested in both her and Kelce’s names for their children, according to a BabyCenter news release. The entertainment and sports media worlds have been in a frenzy since rumors began simmering in September that the two are dating. Taylor’s name is currently ranked as the 239th most popular name for girls among BabyCenter parents, and Travis is ranked at 383 for boys.

Within three days after Swift attended Kelce’s game against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 24, searches on BabyCenter.com for Travis’ name increased 71%, while Taylor’s increased 64%, the release said. Within 24 hours after Swift attended Sunday’s Chiefs’ game against the New York Jets — bringing along a celebrity entourage that included friends Sophie Turner, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman — searches for Travis increased 63% and searches for Taylor jumped 89%.

BabyCenter had earlier checked into the popularity of the 13 names of people who have been linked to Swift over the years, romantically or otherwise, the release said. Popularity is based on how popular the name is among babies born in 2023. Since the 1990s, BabyCenter has invited parents to register their babies names on its app, allowing the site to gain up-to-date insight into baby name trends.

Probably for a number of reasons, the name Matty is the least popular name among BabyCenter parents — ranking no. 1,989, the release said. Swift briefly dated the 1975 frontman Matty Healy briefly this year, and many Swifties were not happy about her associating with a singer who has done and said a number of controversial things recently. As it turns out, Matty is short for Matthew, which is a name of enduring popularity and currently ranked 47th among BabyCenter parents.

It also turns out that Karlie, the name of Swift’s one-time BFF Karlie Kloss, isn’t as popular as it once was with BabyCenter.com parents. While the two women once called each other sisters, their relationship apparently soured, and the supermodel has faced blowback for her marriage into the Kushner family and her failure to publicly criticize her controversial in-laws, former senior White House advisers Joshua Kushner and Ivanka Trump, after Ivanka’s father, Donald Trump, tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. BabyCenter said Karlie now sits at 1,867, down 339 spots from last year.

The name Harry — for Harry Styles — is somewhat more popular among BabyCenter parents than Matty or Karlie. Styles and Swift dated from late 2012 until early 2013 and fans believe that a few of Swift’s songs are about the singer, including “Style” and “Out of the Woods” from her 1989 album. Right now, the name Harry currently ranks at no. 612. It is a variant of Henry, which is far more popular among BabyCenter parents, ranked at 14.

Swift has had two Joes in her life: singer Joe Jonas and actor Joe Alwyn. Their name ranks no. 50 among BabyCenter parents. Swift dated Jonas for a few months in 2008, and their breakup was public and messy and she supposedly labeled Jonas her “casually cruel” boyfriend in Swift’s track, “Mr. Perfectly fine.

Swift has taken sides against Jonas in his very public and nasty breakup from Sophie Turner. As for Alwyn, he and Swift quietly dated from 2017 until this year, when he quietly faded from her life.

Finally, Swift briefly dated actor Lucas Till in 2009, after he starred in her music video for “You Belong to Me.” He may not be the most well-remembered of Swift’s exes, but his name is the most popular among BabyCenter parents, ranking no. 6 for boys’ names.