Here are some of the most popular baby names of 2009 in various places (hospitals, cities, states, etc.) around the USA and elsewhere. I’ll add to this list as I spot other articles and press releases. In the meanwhile, if you see something that I’ve missed, please comment or e-mail me (with the source).
| Location | Girl name | Boy name |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta, Canada (source) | Olivia | Ethan |
| Australian Capital Territory (source) | Olivia | William |
| Arizona, USA (source) | Isabella | Jacob |
| Black River Memorial Hospital in Black River Falls, WI, USA (source) | Emily | Samuel |
| British Columbia, Canada (source) | Olivia | Ethan |
| Chile (source) | Martina | Benjamín |
| Derry, Northern Ireland, UK (source) | Ava & Ellie (tie) | Matthew |
| Evansville, IN, USA (source) | Olivia | Aidan |
| Finley Hospital in Dubuque, IA, USA (source) | Emma | Carter |
| Germany (source) | Marie | Maximilian |
| Greater Baltimore Medical Center in MD, USA (source) | Mary | William |
| Knox County, IL, USA (source) | Addison | Logan |
| Luther Midelfort in Eau Claire, WI, USA (source) | Sophia | Jacob |
| Macomb County, MI, USA (source) | Ava | Anthony |
| Malta (post) | Maria/Mariah/Marie | Luke/Luca |
| Manitoba, Canada (source) | Ava | Liam |
| Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque, IA, USA (source) | Isabella | Aidan |
| Nebraska, USA (source) | Addison | Alexander |
| New South Wales, Australia (source) | Isabella | William |
| New Zealand (source) | Sophie | Jack |
| Newcastle, England, UK (source) | Lexi | Oliver |
| Northern Territory, Australia (source) | Isabella | Jack |
| Peterborough, England, UK (source) | Sophie | Mohammed |
| Oakland County, MI, USA (source) | Isabella | Jack |
| Quebec, Canada (source) | Léa | William |
| Queensland, Australia (source) | Chloe | William |
| Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, USA (source) | Madelyn | Mason |
| San Mateo County, CA, USA (source) | Sophia | Alexander |
| Saskatchewan, Canada (source) | Emma | Ethan |
| Scotland, UK (source) | Sophie | Jack |
| Sheffield, England, UK (source) | Chloe | Harry |
| South Australia, Australia (source) | Charlotte | Jack |
| Spectrum Health-Butterworth in Grand Rapids, MI, USA (source) | Emma | Jacob |
| St. Cloud Hospital in MN, USA (source) | Ella | Carter |
| St. John Medical Center in Longview, WA, USA (source) | Peyton | Noah |
| Sweden (source) | Alice | Lucas |
| Tasmania, Australia (source) | Ruby & Charlotte (tie) | Oliver |
| Tennessee, USA (source) | Emma | William |
| The Netherlands (source) | Emma | Daan |
| United States (source) | Isabella | Jacob |
| Victoria, Australia (source) | Olivia | William |
| Wyoming, USA (source) | Madison | Aiden |
P.S. Some of the names above actually represent several variants of the name.
Thanks for compiling these, Nancy. Wish we didn’t to wait until May to get SSA data. (I’m awaiting two grandchildren – a girl and a boy — before then.) It will be fun to see what you find — no surprises so far.
You’re very welcome, Patricia. (I wish we didn’t have to wait as well!)
i have a dilemma i am 6 months pregnant and i want to name my daughter after my mother and i have come up with these following names:
Elizabeth Nancy
Ryleigh Nancy
Ainsley Nancy
but do not know which ones sound the best please help!!!
Why do we have to wait until May? Why does it take them so long?
I think it’s interesting that the girls names for this list are more consistent than the boys. Usually it’s the other way around.
Krystal — I like Elizabeth Nancy, but that’s because I don’t like the -ee, -ee rhyme of the other two names.
Elizabeth — they have to wait for all the applications to come in, the states to report data, etc. Plus it takes them time to format and process the data for the web. They also have to worry about privacy concerns, which is why they don’t just wholesale release the full database. Since this is a non-essential service that they provide, they can release it whenever they choose. While I too hate having to wait, I think it’s sweet that they release it for Mother’s Day.
For Scotland in 2009: Sophie and Jack http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/popular-names/babies-first-names-09/main-points.html
This website includes a list of ALL baby names and number of each given to babies born in Scotland in 2009.
That’s right! I forgot about the Scottish names — I posted about them a couple of weeks ago. Thanks.
Mary tops a list! That’s something I didn’t expect.
I’m glad to see you’re continuing to add to this list (but wonder if you might want to repost it at some point to remind everyone that you’re doing so.) Last evening I came across government baby name data for Western Australia: Jack and Mia top the 2009 lists. http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/B/baby_names.aspx?uid=3567-3271-6395-2649 With Tasmania’s stats just published, that leaves just 3 Australian states/territories to go.
I’m particularly interested in Australian baby name stats because two of my grandchildren have an Australian daddy. They’re called Aidan and Miranda. Their Aussie cousins are Seamus and Rita; Kashmira “Kaiza” (spelling may not be correct) and Hamish; and a family of five children including Nina and Josephine “Josie” (can’t recall the names of the others). Not a Lachlan or Matilda among them!
Here’s a more direct link (no need to sign in) for Tasmania’s top 20: http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/01/06/48195_tasmania-news.html And there they are, those classic Australian names: at #9 for girls, Matilda, and #10 for boys, Lachlan.
Thank you for the links, Patricia. I found the rankings for the Northern Territory this morning, so now we’re just waiting on the last two.
Two? South Australia for sure, but does Australian Capital Territory ever give out their baby name stats? I’ve never come across it. It’s interesting comparing the top 10 lists from Australia as they’re reported.
Now what about England and Wales? They used to release their top name data in early January. Last year the government announced they wouldn’t be compiling the baby name popularity lists at all (cost cutting apparently), but then they did release the 2008 top names, in August I think it was. Have you heard what the plan is for releasing the 2009 top names?
Oops, the alternate link I posted above for Tasmania is for 2008. I’m unable to access the 2009 data that you’ve posted the link for (even after signing up for the website). Any other way to access it?
Yes, the capital has a list. William and Olivia for 2009. (I’ll add the names above right after I submit this comment.)
I haven’t seen any news about the England/Wales list for 2009, but I will keep my eyes peeled.
I switched sources for the Tasmanian names. Hopefully this second article will stay live longer than the first one did. (And this one is reporting that first place for girls is a tie, so either the first article was wrong, or there was a miscount, or I simply misread it.)
Good work, Nancy! You found data for Australian Capital Territory! And I appreciate the new link for Tasmania’s top 10.
It looks like South Australia has yet to release its top 10.
Albert, Canada: Olivia and Ethan
http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/michael_platt/2010/02/14/12879936.html
Here’s a link to the Alberta government’s list of the top 25 names for boys and girls in 2009:
http://alberta.ca/home/googlesearch/searchpage.aspx?q=2009+top+baby+names&btnG=Search&entqr=1&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&entsp=0&client=pub_goa&ud=1&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=pub_goa&sitesearch=www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca
Thanks, Patricia! I just found another copy of that article, so I used the URL for the copy I found in the post (as you’ve already put the URL to the one you found in the comments). Just in case one of the copies decides to suddenly disappear on us. :)
South Australia – Jack and Charlotte
http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/bdm/babynames.html
That’s it, all of Australia accounted for!
Just came across a gem for those interested in Australian names: http://www.mccrindle.com.au/resources_snaphots.htm
Scroll down and select
BABY NAMES – JACK’S BACK AND MIA TOPS THE YEAR: In the lead up to the release of Baby Names Australia 2009, Social Researcher Mark McCrindle shares some of his insights into the nationwide top 100 list of children names registered in 2008.
This paper not only lists the top names of 2008 but also discusses current naming trends in Australia. Apparently this researcher has been issuing these reports on a yearly basis (google “Baby Names Australia 2008” for an even more thorough report), so it’s likely Baby Names Australia 2010 — giving complete 2009 stats and commentary — will be issued at the end of this year.
I looked at the McCrindle website again. It may be that Baby Names Australia 2008 was their first report on baby names and is more thorough than the 2009 report because “2008” is a “Whitepaper… our highly regarded in-depth research reports,” while “2009” is just a shorter, “snapshot” report:
“Baby Names Australia 2008
Shifting trends and contemporary attitudes in popular given names.
Download Baby Names Australia 2008
Preliminary data from “Baby Names Australia 2009” is currently available from our Snapshot page.
“Baby Names Australia 2009” is due to be launched later in 2009.”
It seems that 2009 hasn’t yet been “launched”. But trends and attitudes in popular given names don’t change that much within a couple of years, so the 2008 report is probably still accurate for Australian naming patterns.
Nebraska – Addison and Alexander
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100218/LIVING/702189962
I think I need to put you on the payroll, Patricia! Thanks for all your help with this post!
You’re welcome, Nancy. I find comparing baby name stats — in English-speaking countries especially — very interesting, as with your more recent post comparing the use of a few names (Mackenzie, Riley, etc.) in England/Wales with the USA.
I’m still on the lookout for 2009’s most popular baby names, especially in English speaking countries.
British Columbia, Canada: Ethan and Olivia
http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/babynames/baby2009.html
i like jacob, noah and benjamin…. for boys
elizabeth,,isabella….for girls