Top Baby Names for 2011
| Rank | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob | Sophia |
| 2 | Mason | Isabella |
| 3 | William | Emma |
| 4 | Jayden | Olivia |
| 5 | Noah | Ava |
| 6 | Michael | Emily |
| 7 | Ethan | Abigail |
| 8 | Alexander | Madison |
| 9 | Aiden | Mia |
| 10 | Daniel | Chloe |
On the boys' side the big surprise is Mason. I can't think of ever meeting anybody by that name. Where did it come from, you might ask? That was the name of Kourtney Kardashian's son, born in 2009.
Nothing shocking in the girls names. Sophia and Isabella swapped places relative to 2010.
Links:
Jacob, Sophia top 2011's list of most popular baby names from United States; Michael falls from top 5.
Social Security baby name home page.
Background to the SSA baby name project. Who started this whole thing after all?
Also, I'm kind of surprised that Aiden is so popular and I've never heard of Jayden spelled with a y. How does the list work with differentiated spellings? Is Jaden (like Will Smith's kid) equivalent to Jayden if both names are pronounced the same?
Quote: rdw4potusHow does the list work with differentiated spellings? Is Jaden (like Will Smith's kid) equivalent to Jayden if both names are pronounced the same?
Social Security treats every spelling as a unique name. However, babycenter.com attempts to group various spellings of the same name. It results in a much different list. Click to link to see for yourself.
or Black names. No Mohamed either. 7 of the names
have been around forever.
Top Black boy names:
1. DeShawn
2. DeAndre
3. Marquis
4. Darnell
5. Terrell
6. Malik
7. Trevon
8. Tyrone
9. Willie
10. Dominique
Top Hispanic:
# Daniel
# Alejandro
# Pablo
# Hugo
# Alvaro
# Adrian
# David
# Javier
# Sergio
# Diego
Quote: WizardOn the boys' side the big surprise is Mason. I can't think of ever meeting anybody by that name. Where did it come from, you might ask? That was the name of Kourtney Kardashian's son, born in 2009.
The absolute numbers are pretty small today. Mason went up by fewer than 5000 babies from last year. While that is significant, it is not inconceivable for a hit television show. Plus a lot of people get names from articles about these celebrities.
14,799 in 2010
19,396 in 2011
When I was born, 1 out of 3 kids in the database of 2,155,583 male baby names had one of these 12 names
Michael, James, David, Robert, John, William, Mark, Richard, Thomas, Steven, Charles, Joseph. The babies ranged from 92,706 Michaels to 31,805 Josephs.
In 2011, there are 1,880,633 male baby names and only 9% have one of the top 10 names
Jacob, Mason, William, Jayden, Noah, Michael, Ethan, Alexander, Aiden, Daniel. The babies ranged from 20,153 Jacobs to 15,138 Daniels.
I don't know why the database is smaller in 2011 then in 1957. It may be because they stop the database at names occurring fewer than 5 times. There are probably more nearly unique names today than 54 years earlier.
Quote: pacomartinIn 2011, there are 1,880,633 male baby names and only 9% have one of the top 10 names...
That was hidden agenda, greater name diversification. Most parents I don't think want their kid to be one of three kids of the same name in their class, as I was. However, before my lists there wasn't much to go on regaring what baby names were popular. As far as I know, only Nebraska tabulated baby name popularity, but the information was not widely known. I'd like to think I had something to do with the trend you noticed.
Quote: pacomartinI don't know why the database is smaller in 2011 then in 1957. It may be because they stop the database at names occurring fewer than 5 times.
That was something I wrestled with. My boss and I wanted to protect the privacy of small groups. If someone gave their kid a really unusual name, we didn't want the general public to be able to easily narrow down the year and state the kid was born in. We figured that 5 was a happy medium between privacy and the function of the study.
Quote: WizardThat was something I wrestled with. My boss and I wanted to protect the privacy of small groups. If someone gave their kid a really unusual name, we didn't want the general public to be able to easily narrow down the year and state the kid was born in. We figured that 5 was a happy medium between privacy and the function of the study.
I wasn't questioning the cutoff point of 5 names. No government report can release data that is traceable to only a few people. The fact that there are even 5 baby boys named Zepplin and Zytavion makes me really curious what kind of oddball names are one of a kind.
I just thought that absolute numbers of births were back to their historic highs of 1957-1961. Since the baby names database does not reveal the total number of baby names that had 5 or fewer, I was just wondering if that is the reason for the discrepancy. It seems shocking that there would be so many babies with names that rare.
I know that not everyone gets a social security number at birth, so that may be part of the reason.
1957 - 4.3 million births in the USA (from about.com)
2007 - 4.3 million births in the USA (from about.com)
2009 - 4.13 million births in the USA (from CDC ) latest data I can find
1957 - 2,155,583 male baby names in social security database
2011 - 1,880,633 male baby names in social security database
Quote: pacomartinI wasn't questioning the cutoff point of 5 names. No government report can release data that is traceable to only a few people. The fact that there are even 5 baby boys named Zepplin and Zytavion makes me really curious what kind of oddball names are one of a kind.
There is a term for the phenomena that what seems like coincidences often aren't. For example, the parents who named their kid Zytavion probably thought they were being really unique. However, whatever through process led to that name, chances are other people had the same line of thought, which resulted in other kids with the same name.
I'm not sure what is behind the registration gap. As you noted, it may be lag time in getting the kid a number. With all three of my kids we filled out a form in the hospital. However, it was optional. Perhaps some parents decline to fill it out, or are never offered. One reason to delay is that the mother may not know who the father is, which I believe the form does ask for.
On another note, how did you find out that there are 5 boys named Zytavion? I'd like to see if 5 are named the same as my daughter...
Happy Birthday to me.
Quote: FinsRuleHer name starts with Ze, thanks!
These are number of girls whose names start with Ze. The name "Zella" is ranked at about 2100 (girl's names only).
There is no research attached to the list. I don't know if these names mean something in some language, or if they are invented names. "Zelda" is , of course, familiar, and "Zeta" is from the alphabet.
89 Zella
80 Zelda
49 Zeynep
39 Zena
36 Zenaida
35 Zenia
31 Zeina
31 Zeinab
26 Zendaya
26 Zeva
24 Zemirah
24 Zephaniah
24 Zeta
22 Zemira
22 Zenobia
20 Zehra
19 Zea
19 Zeniyah
18 Zelie
18 Zetta
17 Zeena
17 Zeniah
17 Zeriah
15 Zerenity
13 Zeeva
13 Zeniya
13 Zeya
12 Zelia
12 Zenna
11 Zeanna
11 Zen
9 Zeah
9 Zelena
9 Zephyra
9 Zerina
8 Zeenat
8 Zeldy
8 Zeltzin
8 Zemora
8 Zera
7 Zenya
7 Zeynab
6 Zeba
6 Zema
6 Zenith
6 Zenovia
6 Zephyr
5 Zealyn
5 Zeel
5 Zekiah
5 Zelina
5 Zelle
5 Zelma
5 Zenayah
5 Zeni
5 Zeriyah
5 Zeyana
Quote: buzzpaffI heard on radio that EVIS came in at 994 on boy's name. Seems ELVIS is back in the building.
Happy Birthday to me.
There were 223 boys named ELVIS in 2011
Quote: FinsRuleIn 2011, we named our daughter with a name definitely not on the top 1000 list, but her middle name is #1. That way, if she doesn't like a crazy name, she can use the same name as every other girl in her school will have.
All three of my kids have normal middle names, so if they don't like the first name, they can have another one to fall back on. This won't work with me, however, because the only people I know with my middle name are female.
Quote: Wizardbecause the only people I know with my middle name are female.
Please don't tell us your middle name is Shirley.
Quote: WizardAll three of my kids have normal middle names, so if they don't like the first name, they can have another one to fall back on.
My wife and I went the other way choosing "normal" names for first names and more "out there" names for middle names. When the kids are old enough, they can decide to switch. The fact that our "out there" names come from our family means that switching would make people in the family even happier.
And thank you Wizard for starting this list. We originally started with first names that turned out to be in the top 10, and I fought hard to find ones below 100. Okay, below 30 for one, below 300 for the other, so the (geometric) average is good.
Funny thing is that we had liked our first-pass names for years. I remember coming up with one of the names about 1986, and now everyone is called that.
Quote: FinsRuleThanks! She is not on the list. Cool stuff
Their are not that many scrabble words that begin with ze.
zeal; zealot; zealotries; zealotry; zealots; zealous; zealously; zealousness; zealousnesses; zeals; zeatin; zeatins; zebec; zebeck; zebecks; zebecs; zebra; zebrafish; zebrafishes; zebraic; zebrano; zebranos; zebras; zebrass; zebrasses; zebrawood; zebrawoods; zebrine; zebrines; zebroid; zebu; zebus; zecchin; zecchini; zecchino; zecchinos; zecchins; zechin; zechins; zed; zedoaries; zedoary; zeds; zee; zees; zein; zeins; zeitgeber; zeitgebers; zeitgeist; zeitgeists; zek; zeks; zelkova; zelkovas; zemindar; zemindaries; zemindars; zemindary; zemstva; zemstvo; zemstvos; zenaida; zenaidas; zenana; zenanas; zenith; zenithal; zeniths; zeolite; zeolites; zeolitic; zep; zephyr; zephyrs; zeppelin; zeppelins; zeppole; zeppoles; zeppoli; zeps; zeptosecond; zeptoseconds; zerk; zerks; zero; zeroed; zeroes; zeroing; zeros; zeroth; zest; zested; zester; zesters; zestful; zestfully; zestfulness; zestfulnesses; zestier; zestiest; zestily; zesting; zestless; zests; zesty; zeta; zetas; zettabyte; zettabytes; zeugma; zeugmas; zeugmatic
zenana == The part of a house for the seclusion of women.
I feel better about my name since their is now an action figure with the same name. Other than that, it is very old-fashioned.
Mary Jo's husband named 2 of the other 4 girls. He named one girl Mary Jane ( I guess 420 was a bit too much ) and my latest granddaughter he named DEE DEE RAMONAH.
wow,
why not sydney vicious?
I am curious what people think.
The boys names: Abraham, Noah, Aaron, and Ezra are usually considered Hebrew names because of their very strong association with famous Hebrew individuals.
What do you think about the names Michael, Daniel, Joseph, and John? Do you still think of them as Hebrew names, or are the so much a part of the broader European culture that you don't think of them as Hebrew any longer?
What about the newly popular names like Jacob and Ethan? Do you still think of them as Hebrew names? I am assuming that most people think about a name's origin before giving it to their children.
Quote: pacomartinWhat do you think about the names Michael, Daniel, Joseph, and John? Do you still think of them as Hebrew names, or are the so much a part of the broader European culture that you don't think of them as Hebrew any longer?
What about the newly popular names like Jacob and Ethan? Do you still think of them as Hebrew names? I am assuming that most people think about a name's origin before giving it to their children.
Michael=not Jewish
Daniel=Jewish
Joseph=not Jewish
John=emphatically not Jewish (and also not Hebrew). However, change it to Jonathan and it becomes Jewish.
Jacob=Jewish
Ethan=Jewish
There's no way to tell, really. It's like that old Lenny Bruce routine: Jewish or Goyish, you know it when you see it.
Quote: teddysMichael=not Jewish
Joseph=not Jewish
John=emphatically not Jewish (and also not Hebrew). However, change it to Jonathan and it becomes Jewish.
Quote: WikipediaJohn is a masculine given name in the English language.
The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן, Yôḥanan, which means "Graced by Yahweh". There are numerous forms of the name in different languages.
It is among the most common given names in Anglophone and European countries; traditionally, it was the most common, although it has not been since the latter half of the 20th century. John owes its unique popularity to the vast number of Emperors, Kings, Popes and Patriarchs that have borne the name; and also to two highly revered saints, John the Baptist and the apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation. Initially, it was a favorite name among the Greeks but it flourished in all of Europe after the First Crusade.
In medieval England, it is said that up to a third of men were named Jack, which is said to be a nickname for John.
Joseph is a name originating from Hebrew, meaning 'God will increase' recorded in the Hebrew Bible, as יוֹסֵף, Standard Hebrew Yosef.
Michael is a given name that comes from the Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל / מיכאל (Mikha'el), derived from the Hebrew question מי כמו אלוהים?
(Hebrew pronunciation: [mi kəmo ʔelohim]) meaning "Who is like God?"
While John, Joseph, and Michael are Hebrew in origin, they were heavily used names throughout European history.
William is the most popular name entirely of Germanic origin.
It's a cultural thing. "John" is not direct from the Hebrew; as you pointed out, it's been run through the Greek and French mill. Plus, it is the name of a pretty famous apostle. Joseph is what I would consider a Christian name since it is more associated with the father of Jesus than with the Old Testament Joseph. Michael is neutral.Quote: pacomartinJoseph is a name originating from Hebrew, meaning 'God will increase' recorded in the Hebrew Bible, as יוֹסֵף, Standard Hebrew Yosef.
Michael is a given name that comes from the Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל / מיכאל (Mikha'el), derived from the Hebrew question מי כמו אלוהים?
(Hebrew pronunciation: [mi kəmo ʔelohim]) meaning "Who is like God?"
While John, Joseph, and Michael are Hebrew in origin, they were heavily used names throughout European history.
William is the most popular name entirely of Germanic origin.
A lot of Old Testament names still have a Jewish connotation: David, Joshua, and Issac are examples. Moses, of course, but that's rare except among religious Jews. I find Jacob is shifting more towards the center. (Fun fact: Joshua was Jesus's name). Paul and Thomas are names you will find only in the New Testament so they are strictly Christian. I don't know if I would consider them "Biblical" in that sense.
Quote: teddys(Fun fact: Joshua was Jesus's name). Paul and Thomas are names you will find only in the New Testament so they are strictly Christian. I don't know if I would consider them "Biblical" in that sense.
Paul is more of a Roman name, that gets it's biblical association with Paul of Tarsus who wrote much of the New Testament. Thomas was originally an Aramaic name, which has no association with anything today other than the bible.
Regarding the comment: "Joshua was Jesus's name". My mother tells a story of an old Greek lady. My mother mentioned that Jesus was Jewish, and the old lady got very upset. Finally, my mother told her that she should ask her priest. When they met again a few months later, the old lady admitted that her priest had told her that it was true that Jesus was Jewish. However, she implored my mother not to tell anyone else.
