According to the Social Security Administration, the top 10 names for babies born in Kansas last year were:
Boy Names | Girl Names |
---|---|
1. Ethan 2. Jacob 3. Alexander 4. Jackson 5. Noah 6. Logan 7. William 8. Samuel 9. Andrew 10. Christopher | 1. Addison 2. Emma 3. Ava 4. Madison 5. Emily 6. Abigail 7. Elizabeth 8. Olivia 9. Isabella 10. Sophia |
According to the Department of Health and Environment in Kansas, though, the top names were actually:
Boy Names | Girl Names |
---|---|
1. Aiden 2. Kaden 3. Ethan 4. Jackson 5. Jacob 6. Jayden 7. Brayden 8. Alexander 9. Christopher 10. Logan | 1. Addison 2. Emma 3. Madison 4. Ava 5. Hailey 6. Emily 7. Abigail 8. Katelyn 9. Kaylee 10. Isabella |
Why the difference?
The SSA counted each spelling variant of a name separately, while the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment lumped variants together. This is how trendy names like Hailey, Kaylee, Aiden and Kaden (i.e. names that are spelled many different ways) managed to make the Kansas list but not the SSA list.
Which type of list do you prefer? (Keep in mind that while the latter type may seem more realistic/representative, it can also be executed poorly.)
P.S. Here’s more on “adjusted” popularity lists for male names and female names.
I prefer the well-executed adjusted list, because it gives a much more realistic picture of the names that are popular. I understand why the SSA doesn’t bother, but it would be nice to search their database on similiar names.
I prefer the adjusted list as well, because it reflects the kid’s actual experience of HEARING a name called. Think of how many spellings of my name there are …