Emily, Jacob most popular baby names

WASHINGTON — Emily again topped the list of most popular baby girl names last year, registering as No. 1 for the 12th straight time. Jacob led among names for boys for the ninth year in a row.

New parents didn't stray far from past habits in 2007 when naming their babies. Only one name _ Elizabeth _ is new to the top-10 list, returning after a two-year absence. Samantha, which previously ranked 10th, dropped to No. 12, according to the latest list released Saturday by the Social Security Administration.

Biblical names continued to dominate the boys' list. Besides Jacob, other top picks for boys were Michael, Joshua and Matthew.

For girls, Isabella, Emma and Ava came after Emily, which has been the most popular female name since 1996.

Rounding out the top 10 for girls, in order, were Madison, Sophia, Olivia, Abigail, Hannah and Elizabeth.

The list for boys also includes Ethan, Daniel, Christopher, Anthony, William and Andrew.

Name experts have said the staying power of the top names may have something to do with appealing to multiple ethnic or religious groups and having no widespread negative connotations. Emily also has literary associations, including Emily Dickinson, evoking images of a woman who is both beautiful and smart, professors say.

For male twins, parents were most likely to combine Jacob with Joshua, Matthew with Michael and Daniel with David. The most popular combination for female twins was Ella and Emma.

Also popular in 2007 were names for girls that were based on spiritual and philosophical concepts. Rising to No. 31 was Nevaeh, or "heaven" spelled backwards; it previously ranked 43rd. Also represented in 2007 were Destiny (No. 41); Trinity (No. 72); Serenity (No. 126); Harmony (No. 315) and Miracle (No. 461). Cutting against the trend was Armani (No. 971).

Parents were less likely to name their sons based on spiritual concepts, although the 2007 list includes Sincere (No. 622) and Messiah (No. 723).

Social Security began compiling the name lists in 1997. The agency offers lists of baby names for each year since 1880 on the agency's Web site at . http://www.socialsecurity.gov

Comments

[WIpatriot]

07:42 PM on 05/13/2008

6-7/8.

[commentguy1234]

04:30 PM on 05/13/2008

I'm partial to the names Xyxledot and Meepzorp, for a boy and girl, respectively.

Also, if you must change your name: Steve Bennett and Lois Sanborne. Or, Max Power.

[funkmeisterD]

03:43 PM on 05/13/2008

I personally like the name Kimmy Schwimmy

Plus she writes GREAT music for little children...check her out!

http://www.myspace.com/kimmyschwimmy

http://cdbaby.com/cd/schwimmy2

[ming099]

10:12 AM on 05/13/2008

.......I went to high school with a ..........LAVORIS and an AMANNA..............no joke......and that was in the late '60's ................mouthwash and appliances.......

[rachel88]

08:11 AM on 05/13/2008

I'm planning on calling my daughter Jacqueline-Olivia,
this way her nickname will be Jackie O.

[drjasonmd]

06:53 AM on 05/13/2008

Here's one I heard about.

Beth Ostroski related a story about something she saw in a department store.

A little girl was at the makeup counter pointing at the products and repeating, "that's my name! That's my name! That's my name!"

A woman (presumably her mother) snapped in an angry voice, "Clinique! Get yo ass over here!"

[mediamarv]

02:04 AM on 05/13/2008

Easy: Jose.

Look it up... it's the most populous name.

Note: I didn't say popular. There is a difference.

[Jess27]

03:17 PM on 05/13/2008

Actually popular and populous have the same meaning. Look it up.

[MrVinegar]

11:56 AM on 05/14/2008

No they don't. Apparently you need to look it up. Popular-liked by many, populous-dense population.

Thanks for playing though.

[Blurp]

12:50 AM on 05/13/2008

Nerfaniel

[antaeus]

08:33 PM on 05/12/2008

In the era of easy identity theft, why would anyone now be so irresponsible as to burden a child with a top-ten name?

Do you make the culture, or are you a hopeless tool of it?

[nainam]

07:14 PM on 05/12/2008

Well, I guess my grandkids are really "en vogue" since there is a Madison and Jacob among them.

The third is our grandson "Laszlo" because his mother is Hungarian, we don't mind that but we are not too thrilled with his nickname in Hungarian, which is pronounced "Lat-zee" (OK) but spelled "Laci" (not so OK for a boy, in our opinion.)

I have to laugh when I look back at the names of my grandmother's generation in Alabama. For starters, she was named "Myrtle" and she warned all of us that we would be instantly disowned if we ever named a child after her.

Her siblings had equally interesting names, some good, some not so good: Homer, Preston, Lyndon, Emma, Mary, Lucia. My grandfather had a beautiful name, David Leigh Harrison and his twin brother (who died on his wedding day) was named Henry Deigh.

I named my children Jessica and Robin and they haven't complained---yet.

[antaeus]

08:31 PM on 05/12/2008

You need to spend a week in Budapest looking at the gorgeous, masculine Laci's.

[SOOKOOYAH GURL]

06:29 PM on 05/12/2008

I was in Macy's once and heard a woman say:

CHARDINNAY!!

Other ridiculous names are Alizé, Lexus, Infinity..

[mbh78213]

05:20 PM on 05/14/2008

There is a girl at my church named Alexus -- her daddy wanted to buy a Lexus but couldn't afford one after she was born. Nice. I've heard of people naming their dogs Harley because their spouses wouldn't let them have a motorcycle, but one shouldn't inflict such "cuteness" on human children.

[WIpatriot]

05:32 PM on 05/12/2008

Moon Unit didn't crack the Top 1000?

[jukesgrrl]

07:00 PM on 05/12/2008

You're showin' your age, Patriot. Moon Unit Zappa's more than 40 years old. Kids today are named after retail products.

[GerryS]

04:41 PM on 05/12/2008

I thought "spoiled" and "bankrupt" were kids names-

[Testtubebaby]

12:24 PM on 05/12/2008

Where's BARACK? HUH ? HUH?...LOL

[change4obama]

04:38 PM on 05/12/2008

you just wait till next year when he becomes president. if i have a boy today i would call him barack.

lol

[DragonMama]

12:48 PM on 05/13/2008

My boys are William (after Bill Clinton, who was president when I met & married my husband as well as the first president I was old enough to vote for) and Delano (after FDR), and if we have another boy he will be Lincoln. I've got hubby talked into 3 kids so far, I want at least four. IF we have a fourth boy, he will be Albert after the man who was ELECTED and should have been serving as president when my first was born. I'm an Obama supporter but none of my sons will be named after him - I just don't like the nicknames for his name is the problem. My William is a Liam and my Delano is Del or De, Lincoln would be Col (and, yes, lots of jokes about "Clean Col" would surely ensue so let's hope next babe is a girl). FWIW, our potential girl baby names are after blood relatives on my side of the family. Neither of us has male relatives we'd like to name kids after (wouldn't saddle a kid with the names of the ones we like & respect, wouldn't honor the ones with decent names because they're not honorable people).

I do hope that the name Barack becomes a common boy's name, though - would really diversify the top 10 list a bit and it does have a lovely meaning (and name-sake).