Most popular baby names in Kansas: Which list is better?

According to the Social Security Administration, the top 10 names for babies born in Kansas last year were:

Boy NamesGirl 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 NamesGirl 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.

2 thoughts on “Most popular baby names in Kansas: Which list is better?

  1. 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.

  2. 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 …

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