The most popular baby names 2016 are out! The May data reflects births from January 1st through December 31st of 2016.
Here they are:
BOYS
- Noah
- Liam
- William
- Mason
- James
- Benjamin
- Jacob
- Michael
- Elijah
- Ethan
GIRLS
Emma- Olivia
- Ava
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Mia
- Charlotte
- Abigail
- Emily
- Harper
Noah and Emma keep the top spots. That marks no change from 2015, when Noah and Emma held the #1 places. We’ll have to dive into the raw numbers to see if anything interesting is happening.
Alexander left the Top Ten. Replacing Alexander is new #9 pick, the Biblical Elijah.
On the girls’ side, things remain remarkably the same. While plenty of names switched places, the Top Ten are unchanged from last year. We did see Emily, Sophia, and and Abigail fall, and Charlotte and Ava climb. But white hot Harper stayed level at #10. Overall, it’s interesting to see so little movement on the often more volatile girls’ side of the chart.
More to come later! Any big surprises leaping out at you from the data this morning?
Since Benjamin is my husband’s name (he’s 27), I am always curious to see how it will do. I think from #10 to #6 is one of the most dramatic of the top 10 stories! Have yet to see anyone talking about that leap, but hope to see analysis somewhere soon…
Yes! I’m working on something on the boys’ Top Ten now. Just looking at the data over the last 100 years, because it feels like change is seriously happening in naming boys.
I am really surprised Alexander left the top 10, considering the success of Hamilton, whose titular character had it as a first.
I was also surprised about that…I’ve seen people speculate that Amazon’s Alexa had something to do with the decline in Alexa and Alexander
It’s my favorite time of the year! I spend loads of time last night messing around with data.
As an overall trend I’m finding it interesting that, while girls’ names ending in the -lee sound continue to be popular, I feel like I’m seeing more names with a -ley spelling than -leigh or -lee – Tinsley, Tenley, Anley, Bexley, Kinsley, Hadley, Kinley, Brinley, Henley, Kensley, Oakley, and the most popular of all, Riley. Or maybe it’s just that I never noticed it before. There are plenty of boys’ names with this ending, too – Bentley, Brantley, Brentley, Oakley, Kingsley etc.
Owen jumped as I expected and I predict it will be in the top ten in a few years – it’s basically the sounds in Noah re-arranged. Mila and Thea jumping is also unsurprising to me as they are similar-sounding to already-popular names. Eleanor and/or Nora are destined for top ten status, I think, and they might be joined by Penelope. I wish I could fast-forward ten years to check if I’m right. 😉
Onyx rose for boys and girls, I’m surprised how much it rose for boys. Was there a male celebribaby Onyx? I only remember Alanis Morisette’s daughter Onyx Solace.
I’m also surprised to see Ragnar continue to rise although maybe 2015 was Travis Fimmel’s last season on Vikings so that’s why?
Elon and Jovie are a couple more beyond-the-top-1000 names that continue to rise. I like them both and hope they make the top 1000 within the next few years!
I can’t wait to read the articles about new names to the top 1000 or to the list at all…those interest me the most! I see Hypatia and Lusine re-entered the list but it will be fun to see the highest debuting new names that have never been on the list. I see Fox jumped into the Top 1000 but I wonder if that was the highest-debuting name for boys to the top 1000 (it might be Royalty for girls?) I think Everest and Ash will make the top 1000 next year or the year after.
Kylo and Merrick both entering the lists for the first time is interesting. One pop culture note, one political culture note…
That is fascinating, isn’t it?! Kylo leapt out at me, but I missed Merrick.
I still can’t believe Harper is a top ten name, considering I have yet to meet a single one!
Every Michael/Mike I know is over 30, although I suppose some could be going by their middles…
Way too many little Liams & Williams running around… parents needs to get new ideas
Most of us expected Alaric to enter the top 1000, but too bad it didn’t…it fell.