Blade

There's Blaine if you want an 80's preppy feel; Blake if you want a masculine, soap opera-esque feel. But if you want edgy and uber-macho, then Blade is the choice for you.

Blade first appeared on the U.S charts the year that Ridley Scott's cult sci-fi thriller 'Blade Runner' was released. It must have been a sound that people found very appealing, as a Blade Runner is a type of law enforcement role, not the name of a main character. Apart from 1984, Blade has charted every year since.

The movie had a dark, apocalyptic feel, which is a good fit with the menacing and almost threatening nature of the name Blade. This isn't overly surprising for a name the comes from the Old English word for a knife or sword.

Blade took on even more horror-cool cred when it became the name of the main character in the 'Blade' movies. Played by Wesley Snipes, Blade is a half-vampire-half-human vampire killer, determined to take revenge on all vampires for killing his mother. This was back when vampires were still vicious, dramatic and sexy, rather than sparkly, broody and introspective. Blade in particular exuded cool; treading the thin line between monster and good guy. This struggle made him all the more engaging and Blade remains an iconic movie character for many.

The three movies in this trilogy were released in 1998 ('Blade'), 2002 ('Blade II') and 2004 ('Blade: Trinity'). Although they helped increase the popularity of the name - and are credited for inspiring UK parents - it was not enough to push Blade into the top 1000, and it has been slowly decreasing in popularity since.

With vampire, sci-fi and sword/knife connections, it's easy to see why Blade would make for a suitably Halloween inspired name. Although one could always argue that it also makes for a nature inspired name if you look at it from the perspective of a blade of grass. Almost no-one would believe that this was the intention when you choose to name your little tough boy Blade though.