"Kale" and These Other Foods Top 2018's Baby Name Trends — Let's Discuss

“Kale, meet Kiwi. Kiwi, this is Kale.” It sounds like something you'd mutter to yourself in the produce section at the grocery store, but it's also something you could legit find yourself saying out loud when the latest batch of babies born this year head out into the social sphere.

According to a new report from Baby Center on the top baby names of 2018, Gen Z and Millennial parents are increasingly choosing baby names based on food. Looks like Gwyneth Paltrow was way ahead of the trend naming her daughter Apple — those 14 years ago. But while that sweet little fruit didn’t make the list, one healthy salad ingredient did: Kale topped the list of popular food names, as did Kiwi, Maple, and Clementine. (OK, that last one’s cute.)

Parents were also obsessed with naming babies after herbs and spices. What made the list there? Saffron, Rosemary, and Sage.

What parents name a baby actually says more about their own personalities than the baby, experts say — and that's logical, because babies are typically named in utero so they're not so much able to match their well-developed senses of selves to their birth certificates.

And hey — if parents love kale, they love Kale. What's it to you?

I say, let's not judge someone for what they name their kid. Look at Kim Kardashian: Was she supposed to name her son Joe? I don't think so.

Parents magazine even came up with a five-point guide to knowing when you’ve landed on the right name, Kale, or otherwise: If it makes people smile when you say it, if it will grow with your child, if it has special meaning to you, if you love saying it, and if it suits your baby, then by all means, Maple it up.

Or Kiwi it up — if that's your (grocery) bag.