Cedar Rapids native may be behind popular name of ’03

The Hollywood success of an Iowa native might be measured with the number of birth certificates in the U.S. bearing his name. Born in Cedar Rapids in 1978, Ashton Kutcher has gone from playing Daddy Warbucks in his high school’s production of “Annie” to a successful career in TV and film. That prominence led to Ashton breaking into the top 20 baby boy names in 2003 according to babynames.com. Communications and name researcher Ed Schiappa says parents walk a fine line in choosing their child’s name.Schiappa says he’s seen similar instances in the past, where parents name their newborns after a rising star. Actress Darryl Hannah’s character in the movie “Splash” was named Madison, based on a street sign, and it wasn’t long after a very popular girl’s name. Parents have been creative in naming their baby girls for decades and he says it appears boy’s names are also changing, with the likes of Ashton, Logan and Morgan gaining popularity.In the case of Kutcher, it should be noted that his real first name is Christopher, but he started using his middle name Ashton after his modeling agency suggested it. According to babynames.com, among the top boys names for 2003 were Caleb, Jacob, Joshua and Matthew. For the girls, Abigail, Emily, Hannah and Madison were among the most popular.