I think being a boy plays a really important role in some families. As per the baby names (http://www.livejournal.com/users/aliki/216832.html) post I made a few weeks ago, boys tend to have traditional Bible-related names because parents feel they carry on the family name and theirn ames connote a certian level of solemnity (what is your brother's name, btw?)

As for girls, they tend to be more fad-driven than anything else (if a soap opera or famous actress names their kid something, everybody has it-- e.g. Emma, daughter of Rachel and Ross from Friends; Aidan, the guy Carrie dates from Sex and the City; and other names like Brooklyn, Maddox and Madison are names of famous celebrities' children).