The Social Security Administration has just released the new list of the most popular baby names of the year, taken from birth certificates of babies born here in the United States. Emma was the top baby girl name and Noah the top baby boy name last year, so did they keep their No. 1 spot?
America has a love affair with the names Emma and Noah, as they remain the most popular baby names in America for the second year in a row. In fact, the top three girl names — Emma, Olivia and Sophia — remain unchanged from last year. For boys, the top six names — Noah, Liam, Mason, Jacob, William and Ethan — remain unchanged from last year.
More: This printable guide is about to solve all your baby-naming squabbles
What has changed? For girls, the trendy name Harper replaced Madison on the top 10 list. The rest of the top names stayed the same. We aren’t surprised that Harper jumped up the list, as it is a favorite among celebrities. Victoria and David Beckham, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Tiffani Thiessen, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Jenna Fischer, Neil Patrick Harris and Lisa Marie Presley all have daughters with this cute name. This name could have also jumped in popularity because of the death of To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee.
Top 10 girl baby names
- Emma
- Olivia
- Sophia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Mia
- Abigail
- Emily
- Charlotte
- Harper
For boys, the name Benjamin was the only newcomer to the top 10 list, replacing Daniel. Benjamin is a classic American name with biblical origins. Gisele Bündchen and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady recently welcomed a son named Benjamin.
Top 10 boy baby names
- Noah
- Liam
- Mason
- Jacob
- William
- Ethan
- James
- Alexander
- Michael
- Benjamin
More: Baby boy names with serious swagger
It is also interesting to note the baby names that are climbing the charts the fastest. This year, exotic names with unique spellings are shooting up the charts. For girls, the name Alaia jumped up over 2,000 spots to land at number 664 on the list. This name is of Basque origin and means “happiness.” The name Meilani was the second most popular name increasing in popularity the fastest. Jersey Shore alum Jenni “JWoww” Farley gave her daughter this name last year, which could explain the surge in popularity. Other notable girl names increasing in popularity this year include Adaline, Briar and Zelda.
For boys, the name Riaan shot up over 1,300 spots to make it the boy name rising in popularity the fastest. This name is an alternate spelling of the name Ryan, and it is also a name of Hindu origin that means “little king.” There were several cool baby names that also made the list, including Huxley, Wilder, Kaison and Ridge.
Tell us: What do you think of the top baby names of the year?
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