“The most popular baby names of 2009 - Telegraph.co.uk” plus 4

The most popular baby names of 2009 - Telegraph.co.uk
Arizonans get creative with girls' names - Yuma Sun
Hannah Montana and Wolverine Inspire Scottish Baby Names - Gnews
Matthew and Ava most popular baby names - Derry Today
Best Baby Names of 2010 - Parenting Magazine

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 02:51 AM PST

Published: 9:52AM GMT 29 Dec 2009

Jack – the moniker of Messrs Nicholson and Straw – retained its title for the 15th year running.

Olivia secured a second successive stint as the girls' favourite having taken over from Grace in 2008.

The highest climbers this year were Lucas, which raced 24 places up the charts to make number 15, and Maisie, which moved up 29 places to 41st.

Layla also scored well, up 21 places to number 46 while Lexi leapt 18 spots up to number 43.

Sienna, the name of actress Sienna Miller, also rose by 15 places in the Top 100 list compiled from a national survey of 580,000 babies born in 2009 by parenting club Bounty.

Lola and Madison also rose 10 places and 7 places respectively.

The boys list also saw impressive improvements in the ranking of Sebastian, which was up 18 places to number 80 and Joel, which moved from number 93 to 79.

Oscar, Noah, Aiden and Logan, are up 13 places from last year's position. Archie is up 12 places.

This year's male losers include Rhys and Ryan who saw their popularity drop significantly. Rhys fell 14 places to number 59 while Ryan slumped 13 places to number 26.

Alex, Matthew and Kieran also fell by ten places or more.

Caitlin, Rebecca and Keira – presumably named after English rose actress Keira Knightley – all slipped down the female charts.

And Eve, Abbie and Hannah also suffered a bad year.

Faye Mingo, spokeswoman for bounty.com said: ''Parents continue to be influenced by popular culture and celebrity trends relating to films, sports personalities and TV stars.

''The rise in popularity of the name Lucas could well be attributed to the EastEnders' preacher turned murder character, played by Don Gilet.

''Parents also copying celebrities own choices of baby girls' names. Take for example the popularity of Lola, the nickname of Madonna's daughter which has continued to rise up the charts in the last decade and Lexi, the name of Amanda Holden and Alex Curran's daughters.''

There were few changes in the overall top ten for both boys and girls. In the boys list Oliver came second, Charlie was third and Harry was fourth.

That means Prince Charles's abbreviated first name gained a one-place advantage on the name of his youngest son.

Alfie remained in fifth place, Thomas in sixth and Joshua in seventh while James clung onto ninth, but William rose two places from eighth at the expense of Daniel.

The girls list saw Ruby keep second spot despite pressure from Sophie. Grace fell from third to sixth while Mia and Lucy also slipped slightly.

Summer, who was a big climber between 2007 and 2008, fell four places. Amelia and Evie both climbed with Evie making the top ten for the first time.

Faye Mingo added: ''In previous years there has been more movement in the top 10 boys and girls names.

''The economic downturn could be affecting the mood of the nation and those parents, who would usually be more creative and inspirational about the names they choose for their children, are sticking to safer options.

''Common baby naming tips often warn against naming your baby something too trendy, unpronounceable or difficult to spell. But, in general whatever name moniker you give your child they always grow up to make it their own.''

New entries in the bounty.com girls top 100 list include Alexandra at number 91, Taylor at 92 and Miley – after singer and actress Miley Cyrus – at 93.

Other debutants were Mya, Kayla, Florence and Evelyn.

New boys names include Caleb, Louie, Bobby – the name of the late Jade Goody's son – and Gabriel.

TOP 100 BOYS 2009:

1. Jack

2. Oliver

3. Charlie

4. Harry

5. Alfie

6. Thomas

7. Joshua

8. William

9. James

10. Daniel

11. George

12. Ethan

13. Lewis

14. Max

15. Lucas

16. Dylan

17. Archie

18. Joseph

19. Jacob

20. Samuel

21. Liam

22. Callum

23. Oscar

24. Jayden

25. Logan

26. Ryan

27. Jake

28. Tyler

29. Riley

30. Luke

31. Harvey

32. Ben

33. Adam

34. Alexander

35. Benjamin

36. Leo

37. Matthew

38. Noah

39. Connor

40. Alex

41. Jamie

42. Harrison

43. Mason

44. Cameron

45. Owen

46. Henry

47. Nathan

48. Finley

49. Aaron

50. Freddie

51. Issac

52. Sam

53. Finlay

54. Theo

55. Harley

56. Aiden

57. Toby

58. Edward

59. Rhys

60. Michael

61. Evan

62. Kyle

63. Leon

64. Reece

65. David

66. Kai

67. Ashton

68. Bailey

69. Kian

70. Louis

71. Taylor

72. Hayden

73. Brandon

74. Joe

75. Jay

76. Luca

77. Kayden

78. Ewan

79. Joel

80. Sebastian

81. Zac

82. Ellis

83. Josh

84. Aidan

85. John

86. Billy

87. Zak

88. Bradley

89. Kieran

90. Blake

91. Christopher

92. Morgan

93. Caleb

94. Louie

95. Andrew

96. Bobby

97. Gabriel

98. Robert

99. Elliot

100. Jude

TOP 100 GIRLS 2009:

1. Olivia

2. Ruby

3. Sophie

4. Chloe

5. Emily

6. Grace

7. Jessica

8. Lily

9. Amelia

10. Evie

11. Mia

12. Lucy

13. Ava

14. Ella

15. Charlotte

16. Amy

17. Daisy

18. Katie

19. Megan

20. Summer

21. Ellie

22. Isabella

23. Holly

24. Millie

25. Poppy

26. Freya

27. Erin

28. Isla

29. Isabelle

30. Hannah

31. Emma

32. Brooke

33. Molly

34. Phoebe

35. Eva

36. Leah

37. Lilly

38. Abigail

39. Sophia

40. Imogen

41. Maisie

42. Scarlett

43. Lexi

44. Jasmine

45. Lola

46. Layla

47. Isabel

48. Lauren

49. Amber

50. Madison

51. Matilda

52. Elizabeth

53. Bethany

54. Sienna

55. Rosie

56. Anna

57. Gracie

58. Paige

59. Alice

60. Caitlin

61. Georgia

62. Maddison

63. Rebecca

64. Lacey

65. Isobel

66. Faith

67. Libby

68. Tia

69. Keira

70. Lexie

71. Niamh

72. Skye

73. Nicole

74. Aimee

75. Sarah

76. Zoe

77. Eleanor

78. Amelie

79. Julia

80. Eve

81. Maya

82. Tilly

83. Zara

84. Martha

85. Sofia

86. Scarlet

87. Darcy

88. Abbie

89. Victoria

90. Heidi

91. Alexandra

92. Taylor

93. Miley

94. Kayla

95. Mya

96. Lydia

97. Florence

98. Evelyn

99. Rose

100. Courtney

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Arizonans get creative with girls' names - Yuma Sun

Posted: 28 Dec 2009 04:58 PM PST

PHOENIX — Why is it that parents are less creative in naming their baby boys than their new daughters?

You don't think that's true? Well, a new report from the Arizona Department of Health Services suggests otherwise.

Consider: Three decades ago the most popular name for boys born in the state was Michael. It also was the most popular in 1989 and in second spot 10 years after that.

And it remains popular, at No. 8 this year.

But 30 years ago the most popular name for girls was Jennifer. This year it didn't even crack the Top 100.

Put quite simply, new parents turn to the pretty much the same tried-and-true names for their son. And many of them come directly from the Bible or at least history.

But girls? That's different.

Parents seem to look to pop stars, celebrities and even names in literature.

And that is far more volatile.

Isabella was the most popular name for Arizona girls this year. It even was No. 2 five years ago.

But it was nowhere in sight in 1999, the year when Samantha was at the top of the list. This year Samantha came in just 10th.

Or what of other names on that Top 20 list in 1979 like Melissa, Amanda, Stephanie, Crystal and Amber? Of those, only Stephanie survives among the 100 most popular — but just barely at 91.

Now look at the list of popular boys' names from 30 years ago.

After Michael at No. 1 at that point there was Christopher, Jason, David and Robert. All remain among the Top 100 in Arizona, though their popularity varies widely: David is No. 7 and Christopher is three slots back; Robert was at 49 with Jason at 87.

About the only major trend to emerge during the last three decades has been the increasing popularity of names traditionally associated with Hispanic newborns, a shift not unexpected given the state's changing demographics. Names that were nowhere in the Top 20 in 1979 now appear there regularly, including Angel, Jose and Jesus.

But even within this group, patterns are changing.

Five years ago, Jose topped the list of most popular baby names in the entire state. This year it did no better than No. 12.

All this isn't to say that the question of what to name your newborn baby boy remains relatively static, especially over long periods of time.

Justin was a very popular name for boys two and three decades ago. This year it came in at just 62.

And remember Jeremy? Didn't even crack the Top 100 this year.

So things do change.

Once upon a time people talked about things that appealed "to every Tom, Dick and Harry.''

Well, in 2009, Tom — Thomas to be specific — scored no better than 80th among the most popular name for boys. And neither Richard nor Harry were anywhere in the Top 100.

MOST POPULAR GIRLS NAMES

2009 / 2008 / 1999 / 1989 / 1979

1. Isabella / Isabella / Samantha / Jessica / Jennifer

2. Sophia / Sophia / Alexis / Ashley /Melissa

3. Mia / Emma / Emily / Amanda / Jessica

4. Emma / Emily / Ashley / Brittany / Amanda

5. Emily / Mia / Alyssa / Sarah / Sarah

6. Olivia / Abigail / Hannah / Stephanie / Michelle

7. Abigail / Madison / Jessica / Samantha / Heather

8. Madison / Samantha / Taylor / Nicole / Christina

9. Ava / Ava / Madison / Jennifer / Stephanie

10. Samantha / Elizabeth / Jennifer / Danielle / Amy

11. Natalie / Ashley / Sarah / Heather / Nicole

12. Chloe / Olivia / Elizabeth / Melissa / Angela

MOST POPULAR BOY NAMES

2009 / 2008 / 1999 / 1989 / 1979

1. Jacob / Anthony / Jacob / Michael / Michael

2. Alexander / Angel / Michael / Christopher / Christopher

3. Angel / Daniel / Jose / Joshua / Jason

4. Daniel / Michael / Daniel / Matthew / David

5. Anthony / Jacob / Christopher / Daniel / Robert

6. Ethan / Alexander / Joshua / David / James

7. David / Ethan / David / Andrew / Joshua

8. Michael / Jose / Anthony / Robert / Matthew

9. Aiden / Joshua / Matthew / Ryan / Daniel

10. Christopher / David / Joseph / Joseph / John

11. Gabriel / Andrew / Nicholas / Nicholas / Joseph

12. Jose / Jesus / Brandon / Anthony / Ryan

— Source: Arizona Department of Health Services

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Hannah Montana and Wolverine Inspire Scottish Baby Names - Gnews

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 01:29 AM PST

Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus and other singers Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse seem to have been a source of inspiration for parents in Scotland naming their children in 2009.

Miley was the fastest climber for girls in Scotland, jumping 190 places from last year and into the top 100 girls' names at 95th on the list. Meanwhile Lily has risen seven places to 16th and Amy four places up to 9th this year.

For the boys, Logan is gaining rapid popularity, inspired by the X-Men character Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. Logan was the fifth most popular boys' name in Scotland this year, ahead of more traditional Scottish names such as Aaron, Cameron and Callum.

Lucas also broke into the top 20 boys' names, perhaps off the back of BBC MI5 drama Spooks, in which actor Richard Armitage plays a character Lucas North. The name Lucas did not even register in the top 100 names 10 years ago.

Chief executive at the National Childbirth Trust, Belinda Phipps told The Scotsman: "If you look at names over the years they do change with the fashion. Quite often names from films will have caused a name to go up in popularity."

Traditional Christian names are not lost however to the wave of popular fad; the statistics reveal that Jack and Sophie were the most popular names registered in 2009.

Around 27,800 boys and 26,600 girls names were registered in Scotland in 2009. The Top 10 Boys and Girls names are listed below.

Top 10 Boys' Names 2009

1. Jack
2. Lewis
3. James
4. Liam
5. Logan
6. Daniel
7. Aaron
8. Ryan
9. Cameron
10. Callum

Top 10 Girls' Names 2009

1. Sophie
2. Olivia
3. Ava
4. Emily
5. Lucy
6. Chloe
7. Katie
8. Emma
9. Amy
10. Erin

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Matthew and Ava most popular baby names - Derry Today

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 03:57 AM PST

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) figures, released on Tuesday, reveal Matthew, Adam, Jack, Shea and Dylan are the five most popular boys' names this year in the city.

Callum, Conor and Ethan are jointly the sixth most po

pular names, while James, Jamie and Sean are joint tenth on the list.

Ava and Ellie share top spot among Derry's newborn girls, followed by Grace, while Aoife and Sophie are the joint fourth most popular.

Cara and Emma share sixth position while Erin, Leah, Molly and Niamh are the joint 8th most popular names on the list.

Derry has again bucked the trend when it comes to the most popular names for babies in 2009.

Jack and Katie remain the North's most popular baby names - positions they have both held since 2003 and 2002 respectively.

A NISRA spokesman said there had been major changes in the naming of babies over the past 30 years.

"Only one of the 1975 top ten boys' names (James) is still in the top ten in 2009, while none of the top ten girls' names from 1975 appear in the 2009 top ten list," a spokesperson said.

"Over the last decade, parents have become more diverse in the first names they have given to their babies. In 2009, there were approximately 2,000 girls' and 1,400 boys' names used; compared with 1,500 girls' and 1,000 boys' names in 2001.

"For boys, Jack has been the most popular boys' name since 2003. Matthew remains as the second most popular name while James has climbed from fifth most popular in 2008 to share third place with Daniel in 2009.

"For girls, Katie entered the top ten most popular names in 2002, becoming the most popular name in 2004, where it has remained since then. Sophie and Grace remain the second and third most popular names respectively in 2009.

"Jake and Oliver are the only new boys' names to enter the top 20 in 2009 both moving from rank 21 in 2008 to ranks 20 and 17 respectively in 2009. For girls Erin was the largest mover within the girls' names top 20 in 2009 rising from rank 11 in 2008 to rank 5 in 2009, while Aimee moved from rank 30 in 2008 to rank 20 in 2009," he said.

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Best Baby Names of 2010 - Parenting Magazine

Posted: 28 Dec 2009 12:09 PM PST

While Jacob and Emma reigned as the top baby names of 2009 on Social Security's list, Parenting.com readers set their own naming trends. From vampires and Harry Potter to Obamarama and celeb picks, here's what you named your kids in '09 -- and what you might be naming them in 2010.

Top Picks: Aiden, Ella

Tons of readers searched for Wmffre (variation of Humphrey, German, peaceful, pronounced OOM-fre) and Eithne (Irish, fairy, pronounced ITH-nee) - though we've yet to meet a child of either name, so we're guessing you were just curious! Not surprisingly, perennial faves Ella (English, beautiful fairy) and Aiden (Irish, fiery) came in tops this year; and though we're not sure if Britney's made a complete comeback, her son's name Jayden (Hebrew, God has heard) is still a hot pick. Gossip Girl stayed strong this year as well, with Leighton (English, from the meadow) moving up from spot 50 into 15, and First Family names are solid contenders with Sasha (Russian, nickname for Alexandra) at 16 and Barack (Hebrew, lightning bolt) still in at 37 (down from spot 28 in '08).

Movie-Inspired Monikers: Max, Daniel, Emma

In 2008 the name Max (Latin, short for Maximillian, Maxwell) came in at 19; now it's a top 5 boys' name, riding on the success of the Where the Wild Things Are movie. Harry Potter continues to works its magic - not with character names, but with the actors'. Daniel (Hebrew, God is my judge) Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry (English, form of Henry or Harold), made the top 100 for boys, while Emma (German, universal) Watson, who plays Hermione (Greek, earthy), is a top 5 girls' pick. Both Miley (American, short for Milo or Miles) Cyrus and her alter ego Hannah (Hebrew, gracious) Montana's first names came in the top 100.

Vampire Mania: Bella, Jacob, Sookie

Vampires have invaded pop culture: books, movies, TV shows - why not baby names? Bella (Latin, beautiful) is a top 10 girls' pick, while Parenting.com readers are decidedly Team Jacob, at least when it comes to the name; Edward (English, prosperous guardian) didn't even make the top 100 (though Team Edward fans can rest easy knowing Jacob means "substitute".)

The name Sookie (American, unknown) has crept into the top list for girls, which could be attributed to the star of Charlaine Harris' vampire series True Blood. But Sookie may also be a throwback to Gilmore Girls; Lorelei (German, seductress), Rory (Irish, famous brilliance), Luke (Latin, form of Lucius), and Logan (Irish, meadow), also characters on the show, are all top-100 names.

Celebs: The Bold and the Beautiful: Charlotte, Seraphina, Sophia

We're going to see some very girly girls in the future, if their names are any indicator. Feminine names like Aurora (Latin, dawn), Ava (German, form of Eve), Grace (Latin, graceful), Isabella (Italian, God's oath), Olivia (Latin, olive tree), and Charlotte (English, strong) dominated the tops girls' names. Even celebs jumped on that bandwagon: Sarah Michelle Gellar named her daughter Charlotte Grace, Jennifer Garner's second child was christened Seraphina (Hebrew, winged angel) Rose (Latin, rose) and Jude Law's newborn daughter is Sophia (Greek, wise).

But true to their nature, some celebs went well off the conventional path to concoct some - ahem - unique names for their kids. Nicole Ritchie's son Sparrow was (surprise!) not on the top list for boys, though it came up in a few searches as a middle name. Actress Jennifer Hudson and supermodel Gisele looked to classics for their sons David (Hebrew, beloved) and Benjamin (Hebrew, son of my right hand), respectively. (We're gonna need some 'splaining from Heidi Klum, who named her daughter Lou.)

Predictions for 2010:

We're thinking quirky monikers like Wmffre will take a hiatus; people are looking for a solid start to the '10s, and are giving their kids names to match. One of the top lists readers searched for is Grandparents' Names That Are Cool Again, including Max and Charlotte -- Opal (Hindi, Latin, gemstone) and Millie (English, short for Millicent) were also in this year's top 100. Sarah Jessica Parker picked some golden oldies for new twin daughters Marion (Hebrew, bitter) and Tabitha (Greek, Aramaic, gazelle).
But parents are also looking for cool, but not too weird names, too; Addison (English, son of Adam), Dylan (Welsh, sea), Riley (Irish, valiant) and Jayden are unisex examples, and all were already in high demand this year. Readers also checked out feel-good hippie names.
The vampire craze will stay strong with the impending release of the third Twlight movie Eclipse.
Genevieve (French, German, white wave) will become the new "it" girls' name; it jumped from 49 in '08 to 24 this year. For boys, English and Irish names are topping the charts, including this year's Aiden, Avery (English, elf counselor), Liam (Irish, short for William), Riley and James (English, supplanter).