“What's in a name? Let us tell you - Omaha World-Herald”

What's in a name? Let us tell you - Omaha World-Herald

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:07 AM PST

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Picking a name for your baby can be fun — or a difficult process filled with second-guessing.

Will my baby be teased because of this name? Will my family be mad if we don't use Grandpa's name?

Some parents want to go with the trendy names, while others prefer the traditional. Still others work hard to find unique names.

What's an expectant parent to do?

NEBRASKA 2009

Top Boy Names
1. Alexander
2. Noah (tie)
2. Carter (tie)
4. William
5. Jacob
6. Ethan (tie)
6. Logan (tie)
8. Samuel
9. Landon
10. Gavin

Top Girl Names
1. Addison
2. Isabella
3. Ava
4. Olivia
5. Sophia
6. Emma
7. Ella
8. Emily
9. Grace
10. Alexis

IOWA 2008*

Top Boy Names
1. Ethan
2. William
3. Carter
4. Jackson
5. Logan
6. Jacob
7. Noah
8. Gavin
9. Landon
10. Mason

Top Girl Names
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Ava
4. Addison
5. Abigail
6. Ella
7. Chloe
8. Grace
9. Madison
10. Sophia

* Latest data available

Sources: World-Herald analysis of birth records and Iowa Department of Public Health

Well, The World-Herald is here to help. We've compiled, counted and ranked the names given to all 500,600 babies born in Nebraska over the past 20 years.

Go to momaha.com to see lists of the top 25 boy and girl names for each year, back to 1990. You can also look up a specific name to see how popular it has been over the past two decades at momaha.com, The World-Herald's new social-networking site for moms.

Addison was the No. 1 baby girl name last year in Nebraska, given to 126 babies. But 20 years ago, not a single baby was named Addison in the state.

Contrast that with Ashley, which was the most popular girl name in 1990, with 294 babies. Last year, only 34 baby girls were given that name in Nebraska, ranking the name 42nd.

The No. 1 boy name in Nebraska last year was Alexander, with 142 babies.

Comparing the Nebraska results with name lists from Iowa shows a lot of similarities among popular girl names. However, a handful of boy names, such as Michael and Matthew, made the top 25 in Nebraska but didn't make the top list for Iowa.

World-Herald columnist Cleveland Evans, an expert on baby names, said Addison is popular because it sounds similar to the popular name Madison.

"Addison becomes one of these girl names because it's different, but not that different, from Madison," Evans said. "Madison is on its way down now. So Addison is like the replacement for it."

Some names rise and fall with popular culture: Miley and Scarlett increased in popularity as singer Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) and actress Scarlett Johansson rose to fame.

More traditional, older names do come into vogue every so often, Evans said. But the parents picking names like Hazel or Stella are usually at least two generations removed from the time when those names were common.

Parents of girls choose from a much larger pool of names than parents of boys. The last two decades saw almost 10,000 more distinct names for girls than boys in Nebraska. And parents are much more likely to borrow boy names for girls than the other way around, Evans said.

"In general, people are just more interested in giving girls different names," Evans said. "There's still pressure to give boys family names."

When it comes to names, there's different — and then there's different.

Some parents work hard at staying off the "most popular" list. Among the babies who won't get confused with anyone else in their homeroom or clubs are Abracadabra, a girl born in 1991, or Mayhem, a boy born in 2008.

Evans said parents choose unique names for all sorts of reasons — like the ones who say their kids would be easier to find online when they're older.

But those kinds of names are an exception, Evans said. Most parents "want something different, but not too different," he said.

"They're looking for something that is different but doesn't sound too weird."

Then again, it's tough to define what's different.

No Ndamukongs were born in Nebraska the past 20 years, but that could change.

Contact the writer:

444-1149, tom.shaw@owh.com

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