( CNN ) -- Siri , Mars , Mac and Luna . I 'm not talking Apple products or planetary terms . These are baby names . And not just any baby names but ones that have jumped in popularity in 2012 , according to Baby Center.com 's just released list . Baby Siri ? Seriously , who would name their bundle of joy after a frustrating Apple product that hardly ever works ? And speaking of Apple ( see daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin , ) that name moved up a whopping 585 places on the list of names for girls born in 2012 . So there could conceivably be a family out there with a daughter named Apple and a son named Siri . ( Hope that entitles the family to a discount on an iMac . ) There was a time when bizarre baby naming was something only celebrities did to their kids ( as if being the child of a celebrity was n't challenging enough ) . There 's Beyonce and Jay Z 's Blue Ivy , Penn Jillette 's son , Moxie Crimefighter , Bono 's daughter Memphis Eve , actor Jason Lee 's son Pilot Inspektor , and the list goes on and on . But now this `` condition '' is apparently spreading to the rest of us . In addition to the offbeat names above , 2011 saw babies sporting such names as : Moo , Draper , Graceland and Tequila . There are even media reports that this past weekend some parents allegedly named their newborn daughter , Hashtag . That one may turn out to be an Internet hoax , but after last year 's story of a child in Egypt being named Facebook ( in praise of the role Facebook played in the Egyptian revolution ) , we ca n't be too far from babies named Retweet and Spam Blocker anyway . It truly is only a matter of time until you meet a kid named DVR or Playstation 3 . Apparently some parents believe that giving their child a jaw-dropping name will make him or her more distinctive . News flash : it 's not the name that makes your child stand out , it 's his or her achievements . While I do n't want to rain on creativity , let 's be honest -- these weird names are more about parents showing off their `` cleverness '' than about finding a name that fits the child . It 's not like the parents got to know the child first for a few months and then said , `` You know this baby really is a little Siri . '' And do these parents even consider that a baby 's name can cause consequences for the child that the parents never imagined , and in many areas of the child 's life ? When I reflect upon my own name , I realize that my life could have been far different if my parents had followed their initial instincts when naming me . My Palestinian father wanted to name me Saladin after the famous Muslim leader , while my Sicilian mother wanted to name me Dino . Instead they compromised on Dean . Growing up in North Jersey , Dean was not a common name . But it actually made me feel different in a good way being the only Dean in my class . And even today in looking at the list of baby names for 2012 , I was actually happy that Dean was not in the top 100 . Still , the truth is , if I 'd been named Dino , I would have certainly been viewed as more ethnic by teachers , potential employers and co-workers . I would have been required to continually overcome cultural stereotypes . And if I 'd been named the very Arabic Saladin Obeidallah , you could just imagine all the `` fun '' I would have had in post-9/11 America . I would have likely volunteered for `` random '' security checks at the airport to make it easier for all involved or simply got used to taking the bus cross country . But there 's a difference between a name that is n't overly common and naming your child after your favorite appliance . A name is a big part of a kid 's identity . It can trigger impressions about a child even before we meet him or her -- a particular problem among the closed-minded of the world , but this is the world your child will have to navigate . For example , studies have found that children with names that linguistically sound like they come from a lower socioeconomic status are less likely to be recommended by school officials for gifted classes and actually more likely to be labeled as learning disabled . Other research has revealed that boys with feminine sounding names -- such as Shannon or Ashley -- have had more disciplinary problems in school because of their response to teasing . Still other studies have found a link between how much people like their own names and their level of self-esteem . So , parents , keep in mind that your choice of name will have a lasting impact on your child -- both for good and bad . And if you insist on picking a bizarre name for the baby , then I propose that your child be empowered to rename you with any name he or she chooses . At least then it 's fair that a child named Hashtag has parents named Angry Birds and YouTube . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah .
Dean Obeidallah : A new list of popular 2012 baby names includes Siri , Mac , Luna . The name that has been the most searched for in America since 2008 is now a common one among parents and grandparents. He says studies show distinctive names can spur teasing and mistreatment . Obeidallah : Parents , think twice on names ; it could have long-term effect on your child .