The Top 20 Most Popular Baby Names (Warning: Stupidity alert!)

Netscape News ^ | 1/9/04 | anon.

[VeritatisSplendor]

The Top 20 Most Popular Baby Names

For the first time in more than a decade, the year's most popular baby name for boys is not Biblical. Move over Michael and Matthew and make room for Aidan, Jaden, and Caden--the top three boys' names for 2003, according to BabyNames.com.

Meanwhile, Madison has hung on for another year as the top name for girls, which as near as anyone can figure comes from the 1984 movie "Splash," starring Daryl Hannah in the role of a mermaid named Madison.

Top 20 boys' names:

Aidan/Aiden/Aden

Jaden/Jayden

Caden/Kaden

Ethan

Caleb

Dylan

Jacob

Jordan

Logan

Hayden

Connor

Ryan

Morgan

Cameron

Andrew

Joshua

Noah

Matthew

Addison

Ashton

Top 20 girls' names:

Madison

Emma

Abigail

Riley

Chloe

Hannah

Alexis

Isabella

Mackenzie

Taylor

Olivia

Hailey

Paige

Emily

Grace

Ava

Aaliyah

Alyssa

Faith

Brianna

BabyNames.com compiles this annual ranking of the top 20 most popular baby names using the favorite name lists created on the Web site by more than 100,000 expectant parents.

The shift in the choice of boys' names is really quite notable. "Traditionally, you see more of a fluctuation and creativity in girls' names, but this is the first year we have seen such a big change in the boys' name list," admitted Jennifer Moss, a senior partner with BabyNames.com.

"In the past 20 years, Celtic and English names--such as Ashley, Caitlyn, and Brianna--have been extremely popular for girls," adds Moss. "And now that trend is entering the boys' list with Aidan, Dylan, Logan, and Connor--a huge break from the usual trend of Biblical names like Michael and Jacob. We think as names become uni-gender for girls, parents are taking more risks and being more creative and unique with naming their boys."

[VeritatisSplendor]

I don't believe this. I think someone hacked the site. The top 3 boys' names are all too similar and I've never heard of two of the three.

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[RippinGood]

well, Aidan is the name of an Anglo-Saxon saint...

but I agree that the similarity among the top three is a bit fishy...

RG

[Az Joe]

Sounds like most of those names came from Vermont.

Say, isn't "Vermont" French for "green whore"?

[nj_pilot]

Go to the social security administration's site http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

There is a query tool that you can ha ve some fun with. Try, for example, "Hillary." 1991, 1992, it was very popular. By 1994, it had crashed, and for 2002, it didn't even make the top 1000. Next, how 'bout monica? took a dive in 98 and never recovered.

The point here is that there is no more unbiased measure of the esteem in which prominent people are held than the frequency w/ which people name their babies after them. So the baloney about Hillary being the most popular woman in the universe appears to be in error.

[07055]

Monica has dropped off the charts.

[jonsie]

I got a new student today named "Quashod" and I am perplexed as to why any parent would name their name son that!

[cajungirl]

Aiden was also the lover of Carrie in Sex in the City!! This is the most peculiar list. Where is Kinesia, Demetria and Taneesha,,

[Jeff Chandler]

Whatever happened to regular names Tyree, Shamkewiea, and HILLARY?

Not to mention Yunika, Butee, and Manteka?

[Revolting cat!]

Whatever happened to good Christian names like Latrina, Toyletta, Beedetta?

[bwteim]

Go to

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

for another way to look at data.

For example, punch in Aiden and get:

Popularity of the name Aiden. It's moving up, but seems hard to believe it is numero Uno this year.

Popularity over years 1991-2002
Year of birth Rank
2002 141
2001 219
2000 325
1999 479
1998 561
1997 652
1996 827
1995 949
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth.

[supercat]

There is a query tool that you can ha ve some fun with.

It's limitted to the top 10 names, but try this table to see how names have come and gone from 1880-2000 [I really oughta update it I suppose].

[Jeff Chandler]

Where is Kinesia, Demetria and Taneesha,,

Yeah, and where's Kinetika, Dementeeyah, and Klinique?

[Carpe Cerevisi]

My two month old son's name is Aidan. We picked it because we wanted something that wasn't too common, was a saint's name and sounded good. Looks like we wanted to be different...just like everybody else.

[Zipporah]

You'd be surprised at the bizarre names people give their kids.. I work with a non-profit child care agency and these names sound 'normal'..

[csmusaret]

Monica went down?

[CrazyIvan]

Quashod? Sounds like a word meaning "wearing four shoes".

[CholeraJoe]

Wait there aren't L'kesha, Tavondria and Muhammed listed. Therefore the survey is RACIST and totally invalid.

[Petronski]

Say, isn't "Vermont" French for "green whore"?

LOL