Baby names were heavily discussed in Freakonomics as indicators of a variety of things. An interesting read if you like this sort of data. Relevant content: http://freakonomics.com/tag/baby-names/
Yes- Modern baby names are status symbols and are treated like a branding exercise by many helicopter-parents. Its both topical and relevant to the world we live in. As is the analytic exercise of extrapolation from incomplete but meaningul sub-sets of otherwise random-seeming data. Its the data-equivalent of found-object art, another past-time of the 20th century aspiring middle-classes.
