According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (via Boston.com), the most popular baby names in the state in 2007 were Ava and Ryan.
Here are Massachusetts’ top five girl names and top five boy names of 2007:
Girl Names
- Ava
- Isabella
- Sophia
- Olivia
- Emma
Boy Names
- Ryan
- Matthew
- Michael
- William
- Jacob
Writer Amy Derjue found these results “pretty disappointing” — not a Brady, Randy, Kevin, Beckett, or Jacoby to be found among the top 5 boy names, despite the fact that 2007 was “such a banner year in sports.”
I can’t say I share her sense of disappointment, but I do think that, given Tom Brady’s popularity, Brady might have a shot at cracking the state-wide top 5 one day. Here’s how the name has fared in recent years, according to Social Security Administration data:
Year | Brady’s rank in Mass. | Brady’s rank in U.S. |
2006 | 54th | 105th |
2005 | 48th | 110th |
2004 | 53rd | 122nd |
2003 | 85th | 141st |
2002 | 93rd | 147th |
Source: A Baby by Any Other Name – Boston Magazine
Image: Adapted from Flag of Massachusetts (public domain)