2011 was another year of wacky celebrity baby names - but what 'outrageous' choices will stars make for 2012's new arrivals?

By Daisy Dumas

Last updated at 10:24 PM on 12th December 2011

While 2011 has been yet another year of kooky celebrity monikers, it's 2012's most highly anticipated new year babies that are already getting name commentators excited.

Perhaps most famous is Beyonce's and Jay-Z's progeny - and, though not due until February, the baby's name is the speculation of experts at Nameberry.com.

Expectations are high - with the invented Jay-Z and highly unusual Beyonce for parents' names, both of which are identifiers enough without surnames attached, Pamela Satran of Nameberry says she thinks 'it'll be something really outrageous.'

It's all in an name: Beyonce, due in February, has name exerts guessing as to what she and husband Jay-Z may choose for their celebaby

Ms Satran told MailOnline: 'I'm curious to see whether they'll invent a new name for their baby. I'm really excited to see what it is.'

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's son, due in January, is another baby in utero whose name already has those in the know guessing.

Choosing Violet and Seraphina for their two girls, his parents, according to to Ms Satran, 'have proved themselves to be baby naming masters.

'They picked obscure, unknown, old names and we've seen them zoom up the charts over the last five years.'

She says she and colleagues are excited to see what their next choice will be, her best guess for the baby boy something in the same vein: 'I think they'll choose an old name, something surprising, cool and right.'

Whatever it may be, the name is sure to be imitated over and over, she says.

Not long now: A heartily pregnant Jennifer Garner spotted Christmas shopping last week. Experts expect her son's name, like her past name choices, will spark a new trend

An overview of the year's celebrity baby names reveals a motley selection of unusual, often attention-grabbing choices.

Intentional or not, some name combinations have saluted bygone stars. As Ms Satran and colleague Linda Rosenkrantz say: 'Celine Dion appears to have inadvertently saluted stiff 1930’s operetta star Nelson Eddy with the combined names of her twin boys, while Niki Taylor (possibly unknowingly) paid tribute to Rex Harrison, the star of My Fair Lady.'

They have pointed out a mini-me moment, with Mike Myers' son's name choice: 'Mike and Spike? Really? Spike may be a rhyming tribute to his dad, yes, but also - we have to say - more often the name of a snarling bulldog or a Dead End Kid.'

The biggest trend seems to be the laudable search for personal meaning in names. So, where some celebs have delved into family history for inspiration - take 30 Rock's Tina Fey's referencing of her Greek ancestry when deciding upon Penelope Athena, for one - others have looked no further than... their decorative floor rugs for that a-ha moment.

'I like the overall trend of people looking for meaning in names. I'm more supportive of people looking for meaning in family than in rugs'

'Yes, it was room décor that inspired the name of Monroe’s twin brother—specifically the Moroccan-inspired décor of the top tier of Carey's New York apartment, the so-called Moroccan Room in which Cannon proposed,' explains the Nameberry founders.

'I like the overall trend of people looking for meaning in names. I'm more supportive of people looking for meaning in family than in rugs,' said Ms Satran.

Some of the more questionable options from the past year include Mirabella Bunny, daughter of Bryan Adams; and Bear Blu, son of Alicia Silverstone.

A hoard of gender-benders have put new twists on old names, such as Arlo, daughter of Johnny Knoxville and son of Toni Collette, Martha Stewart’s granddaughter Jude, Mariah Carey’s daughter Monroe, and quarterback Peyton Manning’s little girl Mosley Thompson.

Unsurprisingly, it's the more conventional names that have seen uptake among the general public, with Arabella, after Ivanka Trump's daughter, and Flynn, after Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom's son enjoying popularity on the names site.

Then there are some names that only the really physically blessed can pull off.

'Agnes Lark is not a conventionally attractive choice,' says Ms Satran of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany's daughter.

'I probably wouldn't choose it but if you're Jennifer Connelly and you're sure your child is going to be beautiful, you might.'

'Let’s be honest, the kid is sure to be gorgeous, which will do much for Agnes’s somewhat harsh image,' say the pros.

NAMEBERRY'S CELEBRITY BABY NAMES OF 2011:

Naming rights: Miranda Kerr with baby Flynn - which has become a trending name at Nameberry

The Nelson Eddy Memorial Award goes to: Rex Harrison, son of Niki Taylor.
Newest celebrity gender bender: Arlo, daughter of Johnny Knoxville and son of Toni Collette.
Most mini-me name: Spike, son of Mike Myers.
Best alliterative sibling set: Haven Garner, daughter of Jessica Alba and Cash Warren, baby sister to Honor Marie.
Celebrity baby names most likely to be imitated: Arabella, after Ivanka Trump’s daughter and Flynn, chosen by Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom.
Best roots-inspired choice: Penelope Athena, daughter of 30 Rock star Tina Fey, who has Greek heritage.
Weird starbaby name most likely to become a cute kid name: Bingham (Bing) Hawn, son of Kate Hudson.
Weird starbaby name most likely to remain a weird starbaby name:
Aleph, son of Natalie Portman.
Celebrity baby most likely to beautify her name: Agnes Lark, daughter of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany.
Softest name chosen by hardest rocker
Willow Sage, daughter of Pink.
Name not to try east of Yellowstone National Park: Bear Blu, son of Alicia Silverstone.
Middle name least likely to be appreciated in adolescence: Mirabella Bunny, daughter of Bryan Adams.
Most bizarre name inspiration: Moroccan Scott, son of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon.
Baddest-ass family name: Waylon Albert, nicknamed Blackjack, son of Drea de Matteo and Shooter Jennings.
Celebrity baby names most anticipated in 2012: Baby Boy Affleck and Baby Beyonce and Jay-Z.

Source: Nameberry.com