Sarah Palin's children have been making the news lately. Why? Because the Republican Vice Presidential candidate is definitely not a traditionalist when it comes to baby names. :)

Her first child, a son, is named Track. His name was inspired by track and field, the collection of running-, jumping- and throwing-sports. The connection is that Pain's parents were both track coaches, and her husband was an athlete in high school.

Her second child is a daughter named Bristol. Her name came from a spot in Alaska called Bristol Bay. It's where her father grew up and where he continues to fish.

Child #3, a daughter named Willow, has an uncommon-but-not-unheard of first name. (Her name was the 430th most popular in the country last year.) The name was inspired by the name of an Alaskan town.

Her fourth child, another daughter, also has a relatively name: Piper. This name was the 240th most popular female name in the country last year, and will likely be even more popular in years to come. Some publications and blogs have put forth the theory that this name was inspired by a type of bush plane popular in Alaska.

Finally, Palin's most recent child--still just a baby--is a boy named Trig. The Palin camp has said this is a Norse name meaning either "strength," "true," or "brave victory" (depending on who was asked, and when). Regardless of what it means or where it's from, Trig was the name of the baby's great uncle.

(And one of baby Trig's middle names, Paxson, is where the Arctic Man snowmobile festival takes place every year.)

Whether you like the names or not, you have to admit that they're very interesting, as a group. They've received so much attention that there's even a Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator out there, at the blog Poli Tsk Tsk Tsk. (My Sarah Palin name is Comma Liberty Palin...what's yours?)

And, now the big question: What if Palin has a sixth child? In a recent interview with People magazine, she joked that, if she had another son, she'd go with Zamboni. :)