“You named your kid what?”

Last time I wrote about the fad of naming babies after characters from TV shows, movies or books, I caught some serious hell from people who had indeed chosen their kids’ names that way. Specifically from the Game of Thrones faction. But as someone who was named after a movie character – albeit one with an ordinary name – my stance on this practice remains strong, in that I really suggest that people not do it, for the sake of their child’s self-esteem and such. Wedgies hurt, people.

That said, this year’s most popular names aren’t in yet, but that isn’t stopping the fine folks at Nameberry from taking on the “Most Outrageous Baby Names of 2012”, with the big winner going to “Blue”, as in Blue Ivey Carter, the daughter of Jay Z and Beyonce. Apparently colors were a big naming influence this year, and get ready to choke yourself with a tie.

Blue: The year was bookended by Blue, the name and color of 2012. January saw the much-anticipated birth of Blue Ivy, the daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z, who quickly moved to trademark their child’s singular name. And 2012 culminated in the reelection of Democratic President Obama and a political swing toward the blue. Other color names on the rise include Silver, as in political prognosticator Nate, Scarlett, Violet, and Grey, as in erotic hit “50 Shades.”

That’s right, couples are naming their newborn boys after Christian Grey from the best-selling erotic bondage novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. I really look forward to the day this conversation happens…

Boy 1: “Grey, that’s an unusual name. Where is it from?”

Boy 2: “My parents named me after a character from a book that was originally erotic Twilight fan fiction.”

Boy 1: “Okay, I’m not going to hang out with you, and later I will probably beat you up with the other kids.”

Boy 2: “Cool, par for the course.”

Coming in at No. 2 on Nameberry’s list is Katniss, otherwise known as the heroine of the best-selling Hunger Games book series and film franchise. But teachers shouldn’t worry about having too many girls named Katniss in the same class, because it’s apparently cooler to go with the other names from the series.

Katniss: The runaway hit The Hunger Games, which achieved mass popularity on the big screen this year, introduced the herbal name Katniss to the world. While Katniss attracted the most views of any name on Nameberry in 2012 – 60,000 page views, nearly 20,000 more than the next most-viewed name — we predict that actual babies will be more likely be given the names of minor characters Rue, Primrose, and Cato.

Again, you have the right to name your kid whatever you want, and my opinion shouldn’t mean anything in your decision-making process. But as someone who is made fun of for his name to this day, I simply recommend that you avoid a name that is so very close to “Cat Piss”. Kids aren’t as smart as they once were, but that’s a pretty big meatball left hanging in the strike zone.

Other entertainment-influenced names include Sabbath (as in Black), Kick (Jeremy Sisto’s son’s middle name… seriously), Beretta (Levi Johnston’s daughter’s middle name… SERIOUSLY) and, I can’t even believe I’m writing this, Vanellope, which was the name of the princess in the delightful animated film, Wreck-It Ralph.

I’m no stock broker, but if there’s a way to invest in stripper poles, start pouring your money in now.