How popular is the baby name Allison in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Allison.

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Popularity of the baby name Allison


Posts that mention the name Allison

Popular baby names in the United States, 2013

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

The new names are out! The #1 names in the nation now are Sophia (again) and Noah (new!).

Here are the full top 50 lists:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Sophia, 21075 baby girls
2. Emma, 20788
3. Olivia, 18256
4. Isabella, 17490
5. Ava, 15129
6. Mia, 13066
7. Emily, 13044
8. Abigail, 12313
9. Madison, 10529
10. Elizabeth, 9345
11. Charlotte, 9232
12. Avery, 9121
13. Sofia, 9108
14. Chloe, 8714
15. Ella, 8370
16. Harper, 8222
17. Amelia, 7979
18. Aubrey, 7927
19. Addison, 7677
20. Evelyn, 7616
21. Natalie, 7430
22. Grace, 7296
23. Hannah, 7222
24. Zoey, 7187
25. Victoria, 7155
26. Lillian, 7017
27. Lily, 6935
28. Brooklyn, 6837
29. Samantha, 6453
30. Layla, 6440
31. Zoe, 5920
32. Audrey, 5567
33. Leah, 5554
34. Allison, 5405
35. Anna, 5315
36. Aaliyah, 5195
37. Savannah, 5192
38. Gabriella, 5173
39. Camila, 5127
40. Aria, 5085
41. Kaylee, 5079
42. Scarlett, 5031
43. Hailey, 4994
44. Arianna, 4956
45. Riley, 4902
46. Alexis, 4741
47. Nevaeh, 4716
48. Sarah, 4635
49. Claire, 4626
50. Sadie, 4614
1. Noah, 18090 baby boys
2. Liam, 18002
3. Jacob, 17976
4. Mason, 17591
5. William, 16495
6. Ethan, 16127
7. Michael, 15366
8. Alexander, 14771
9. Jayden, 14656
10. Daniel, 14140
11. Elijah, 13626
12. Aiden, 13527
13. James, 13416
14. Benjamin, 13373
15. Matthew, 13226
16. Jackson, 12488
17. Logan, 12270
18. David, 12226
19. Anthony, 12164
20. Joseph, 12095
21. Joshua, 11680
22. Andrew, 11568
23. Lucas, 11451
24. Gabriel, 11112
25. Samuel, 10957
26. Christopher, 10765
27. John, 10588
28. Dylan, 10058
29. Isaac, 10005
30. Ryan, 9808
31. Nathan, 9620
32. Carter, 9512
33. Caleb, 9500
34. Luke, 9497
35. Christian, 9261
36. Hunter, 8887
37. Henry, 8802
38. Owen, 8702
39. Landon, 8679
40. Jack, 8506
41. Wyatt, 8490
42. Jonathan, 8478
43. Eli, 7867
44. Isaiah, 7754
45. Sebastian, 7495
46. Jaxon, 7479
47. Julian, 7469
48. Brayden, 7384
49. Gavin, 7379
50. Levi, 7339

I know the big news is Noah, but check out Liam! 6th last year, 2nd this year.

And Michael bounced back a spot this year, surprisingly — up from 8th to 7th. Nope! Just noticed that the SSA also updated the 2012 rankings, and Michael was upgraded from 8th to 7th place for 2012. So, no bounce-back after all.

On the girls’ side, Charlotte hopped up from 19th to 11th.

Have you spotted any other interesting rises/drops so far?

More from the SSA’s news release:

Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop-culture on naming trends. This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 1,000 are Jayceon and Daleyza. The fastest riser for boys, Jayceon, gained popularity as it is the birth name of VH1’s cable reality series “Marrying The Game” star and award-winning rapper The Game. The show follows the life of Jayceon “The Game” Taylor, as a rapper and father of three. The show premiered in late 2012 and obviously had its effect on naming trends throughout 2013.

On the girls’ side, Daleyza, may have been influenced by a popular Spanish-language cable TV series, “Larrymania,” which airs on mun2. Daleyza is the young daughter of Larry Hernandez, an American regional Mexican singer and reality TV star. The name increased in popularity by more than 3,000 spots, so the show undoubtedly had an influence.

The second fastest riser for boys was Milan, and for girls, Marjorie.

Here are the announcement posts for 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006.

U.S. Baby Names 2013: Most popular names, Top girl-name debuts, Top boy-name debuts, Biggest girl-name changes, Biggest boy-name changes, Top first letters, Top lengths, Top girl names by letter, Top boy names by letter

Sources: SSA, Noah and Sophia Win Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names for 2013 – SSA

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United States (public domain)

Popular twin names in the U.S., 2005 to 2011

twins

Once upon a time, the U.S. Social Security Administration put out annual twin name rankings (that is, rankings of the pairs of baby names given most frequently to sets of U.S. twins).

It all started in 2005 with simple, single-list rankings. Things got more interesting in 2009, when the SSA began splitting the rankings into gender-specific sub-rankings. Then in 2012, nothing. The updates stopped coming.

Now we have seven years’ worth of official twin name data from the U.S. government…and that’s it.

I used to keep these rankings in my directory, but they are so out-of-date now that I think it’s best to archive them in a single blog post, for easy reference. So, without further ado, here are the top baby names for twins born in the United States from 2005 to 2011 (in reverse order):

Top twin names, 2011

Girl-girl twins, 2011Boy-boy twins, 2011Girl-boy twins, 2011
1. Olivia, Sophia (50 sets)
2. Gabriella, Isabella (39)
3. Ella, Emma (33)
4. Faith, Hope (33)
5. Makayla, Makenzie (31)
6. Heaven, Nevaeh (29)
7. Isabella, Sophia (29)
8. Mackenzie, Madison (24)
9. Hailey, Hannah (18)
10. Abigail, Olivia (17)
11. Ava, Emma (17)
12. Ava, Olivia (17)
13. Ava, Mia (16)
14. Emma, Olivia (16)
15. Addison, Avery (15)
16. Ava, Ella (15)
17. Arianna, Brianna (14)
18. Isabella, Olivia (14)
19. London, Paris (14)
20. Madison, Makenzie (14)
21. Faith, Grace (13)
22. Haylee, Kaylee (13)
23. Samantha, Sophia (13)
24. Abigail, Emily (12)
25. Anna, Emma (12)
26. Chloe, Zoey (12)
27. Elizabeth, Emma (12)
28. Emily, Evelyn (12)
29. Reagan, Riley (12)
30. Abigail, Emma (11)
31. Abigail, Sophia (11)
32. Sarah, Sophia (11)
33. Elizabeth, Katherine (10)
34. Emily, Olivia (10)
35. Emma, Sophia (10)
36. Jayla, Kayla (10)
37. Madison, Mckenzie (10)
38. Madison, Morgan (10)
39. Mia, Mya (10)
40. Natalie, Nicole (10)
41. Serenity, Trinity (10)
42. Abigail, Isabella (9)
43. Addison, Olivia (9)
44. Autumn, Summer (9)
45. Ava, Sophia (9)
46. Ella, Olivia (9)
47. Emma, Sophie (9)
48. Gabriella, Sophia (9)
49. Mackenzie, Makayla (9)
50. Valentina, Valeria (9)
1. Daniel, David (58 sets)
2. Jacob, Joshua (55)
3. Isaac, Isaiah (47)
4. Jayden, Jordan (41)
5. Ethan, Evan (39)
6. Elijah, Isaiah (38)
7. Matthew, Michael (33)
8. Jayden, Jaylen (26)
9. Ethan, Nathan (25)
10. Jayden, Kayden (25)
11. Landon, Logan (25)
12. Logan, Lucas (24)
13. Caleb, Joshua (23)
14. James, John (23)
15. Jeremiah, Josiah (21)
16. Logan, Luke (21)
17. Alexander, Benjamin (20)
18. Andrew, Matthew (20)
19. Chance, Chase (20)
20. Hayden, Hunter (20)
21. Alexander, Nicholas (19)
22. Gabriel, Michael (19)
23. Jacob, Joseph (19)
24. Andrew, Benjamin (18)
25. Andrew, Anthony (17)
26. Benjamin, Samuel (17)
27. Ayden, Jayden (16)
28. Christian, Christopher (16)
29. Brandon, Bryan (15)
30. Jacob, Lucas (15)
31. Liam, Logan (15)
32. Nathan, Noah (15)
33. Alexander, Andrew (14)
34. Alexander, Anthony (14)
35. Elijah, Ethan (14)
36. Nathan, Nicholas (14)
37. Aiden, Ethan (13)
38. Aiden, Noah (13)
39. Jason, Justin (13)
40. Logan, Mason (13)
41. Maddox, Mason (13)
42. Nicholas, Noah (13)
43. Benjamin, William (12)
44. Garrett, Gavin (12)
45. Henry, William (12)
46. Jayden, Joshua (12)
47. Jeremiah, Jeremy (12)
48. Jonah, Noah (12)
49. Jordan, Justin (12)
50. Matthew, Nathan (12)
1. Madison, Mason (50 sets)
2. Olivia, Owen (18)
3. Jayda, Jayden (17)
4. Emma, Ethan (14)
5. Isabella, Isaiah (14)
6. Addison, Aiden (13)
7. Emily, Ethan (13)
8. Ava, Aiden (12)
9. Ella, Ethan (12)
10. Jada, Jaden (12)
11. Taylor, Tyler (12)
12. Abigail, Andrew (11)
13. Landon, London (11)
14. Mason, Morgan (11)
15. Olivia, Oliver (11)
16. Zoey, Zachary (11)
17. Isabella, Alexander (10)
18. Olivia, Ethan (10)
19. Madison, Michael (10)
20. Abigail, Benjamin (9)
21. Sophia, Alexander (9)
22. Emily, Matthew (9)
23. Emma, John (9)
24. Mackenzie, Mason (9)
25. Michelle, Michael (9)
26. Adriana, Adrian (8)
27. Charlotte, Henry (8)
28. Elizabeth, William (8)
29. Isabella, Isaac (8)
30. Jayla, Jayden (8)
31. Sophia, Samuel (8)
32. Addison, Jackson (7)
33. Emma, Andrew (7)
34. Ava, Jackson (7)
35. Brooklyn, Blake (7)
36. Chloe, Caleb (7)
37. Chloe, Colton (7)
38. Chloe, Connor (7)
39. Emma, Jack (7)
40. Emma, Jacob (7)
41. Isabella, Jacob (7)
42. Jada, Jordan (7)
43. Natalie, Nathan (7)
44. Sophia, Robert (7)
45. Trinity, Tristan (7)
46. Zoey, Zane (7)
47. Abigail, Alexander (6)
48. Abigail, Jacob (6)
49. Abigail, Zachary (6)
50. Addison, Austin (6)

Similarities in the 2011 rankings:

  • #5 and #49 on the girl-girl list are “Makayla, Makenzie” and “Mackenzie, Makayla.”
  • #8, #20 and #37 on the girl-girl list are “Mackenzie, Madison,” “Madison, Makenzie” and “Madison, Mckenzie.”
  • #3 and #10 on the girl-boy list are “Jayda, Jayden” and “Jada, Jaden.”

Top twin names, 2010

Girl-girl twins, 2010Boy-boy twins, 2010Girl-boy twins, 2010
1. Ella, Emma (44 sets)
2. Olivia, Sophia (42)
3. Gabriella, Isabella (34)
4. Faith, Hope (32)
5. Ava, Emma (28)
6. Isabella, Sophia (25)
7. Madison, Morgan (24)
8. Ava, Ella (21)
9. Ava, Olivia (21)
10. Mackenzie, Madison (21)
11. Abigail, Isabella (20)
12. Abigail, Emma (19)
13. Hailey, Hannah (19)
14. Makayla, Makenzie (19)
15. Addison, Avery (17)
16. Elizabeth, Emily (17)
17. Ava, Mia (16)
18. Heaven, Nevaeh (16)
19. Abigail, Emily (14)
20. Emma, Olivia (14)
21. London, Paris (14)
22. Chloe, Claire (13)
23. Mia, Mya (13)
24. Anna, Emma (12)
25. Arianna, Brianna (12)
26. Isabella, Olivia (12)
27. Abigail, Lillian (11)
28. Addison, Ava (11)
29. Emma, Isabella (11)
30. Samantha, Sophia (11)
31. Ella, Olivia (10)
32. Emma, Hannah (10)
33. Emma, Mia (10)
34. Faith, Grace (10)
35. Madison, Makenzie (10)
36. Madison, Olivia (10)
37. Abigail, Olivia (9)
38. Anabella, Isabella (9)
39. Chloe, Zoe (9)
40. Elizabeth, Isabella (9)
41. Elizabeth, Victoria (9)
42. Jada, Jade (9)
43. Julia, Sophia (9)
44. Kayla, Kylie (9)
45. Madison, Megan (9)
46. Mia, Sophia (9)
47. Natalie, Olivia (9)
48. Paige, Payton (9)
49. Serenity, Trinity (9)
50. Valentina, Valeria (9)
1. Jacob, Joshua (69 sets)
2. Ethan, Evan (54)
3. Jayden, Jordan (52)
4. Daniel, David (50)
5. Matthew, Michael (35)
6. Landon, Logan (32)
7. Elijah, Isaiah (31)
8. Jacob, Joseph (30)
9. Jayden, Jaylen (27)
10. Isaac, Isaiah (26)
11. Caleb, Joshua (25)
12. Andrew, Matthew (22)
13. James, John (22)
14. Alexander, Nicholas (21)
15. Jeremiah, Josiah (21)
16. Joseph, Joshua (21)
17. Nathan, Nicholas (21)
18. Jonathan, Joshua (20)
19. Logan, Lucas (20)
20. Ethan, Nathan (19)
21. Aiden, Ethan (18)
22. Jeremiah, Joshua (18)
23. Alexander, Andrew (17)
24. Alexander, Benjamin (17)
25. Logan, Luke (17)
26. Jacob, Lucas (16)
27. Jonathan, Joseph (16)
28. Nathan, Noah (16)
29. Andrew, Anthony (15)
30. Brandon, Bryan (15)
31. Daniel, Michael (15)
32. Daniel, Samuel (15)
33. Isaiah, Jeremiah (15)
34. Jaden, Jordan (15)
35. Jayden, Kayden (15)
36. John, Joseph (15)
37. Matthew, Ryan (15)
38. Aiden, Austin (14)
39. Benjamin, Samuel (14)
40. Christopher, Nicholas (14)
41. Taylor, Tyler (14)
42. Benjamin, William (13)
43. Hayden, Hunter (13)
44. Santiago, Sebastian (13)
45. Alexander, Anthony (12)
46. Alexander, William (12)
47. Brandon, Brian (12)
48. Carter, Cooper (12)
49. Evan, Owen (12)
50. Evan, Ryan (12)
1. Madison, Mason (32 sets)
2. Emma, Ethan (28)
3. Taylor, Tyler (26)
4. Madison, Michael (19)
5. Jayda, Jayden (17)
6. Madison, Matthew (17)
7. Sophia, Samuel (17)
8. Addison, Aiden (14)
9. Olivia, Owen (13)
10. Zoe, Zachary (13)
11. Addison, Jackson (12)
12. Ava, Aiden (12)
13. Emily, Ethan (12)
14. Emma, Ryan (12)
15. Isabella, Isaac (12)
16. Natalie, Nathan (12)
17. Abigail, Benjamin (11)
18. Emma, Andrew (11)
19. Isabella, Isaiah (11)
20. Jada, Jaden (11)
21. Brianna, Brian (10)
22. Emma, Jack (10)
23. Emma, Aiden (9)
24. Ella, Eli (9)
25. Olivia, Jacob (9)
26. Lily, Logan (9)
27. Michelle, Michael (9)
28. Naomi, Noah (9)
29. Abigail, Alexander (8)
30. Abigail, Andrew (8)
31. Brianna, Brandon (8)
32. Chloe, Christian (8)
33. Elizabeth, William (8)
34. Emily, Matthew (8)
35. Emma, Jacob (8)
36. Emma, William (8)
37. Sarah, Jacob (8)
38. Lilly, Logan (8)
39. Sophia, Nicholas (8)
40. Sophia, Noah (8)
41. Olivia, Oliver (8)
42. Sophia, William (8)
43. Abigail, Jacob (7)
44. Addison, Austin (7)
45. Sophia, Alexander (7)
46. Ella, Jackson (7)
47. Emma, Evan (7)
48. Emma, James (7)
49. Jayla, Jaylen (7)
50. Zoey, Zachary (7)

Similarities in the 2010 rankings:

  • #10 and #35 on the girl-girl list are “Mackenzie, Madison” and “Madison, Makenzie.”
  • #3 and #34 on the boy-boy list are “Jayden, Jordan” and “Jaden, Jordan.”
  • #30 and #47 on the boy-boy list are “Brandon, Bryan” and “Brandon, Brian.”
  • #5 and #20 on the girl-boy list are “Jayda, Jayden” and “Jada, Jaden.”
  • #10 and #50 on the girl-boy list are “Zoe, Zachary” and “Zoey, Zachary.”
  • #26 and #38 on the girl-boy list are “Lily, Logan” and “Lilly, Logan.”

Top twin names, 2009

Girl-girl twins, 2009Boy-boy twins, 2009Girl-boy twins, 2009
1. Isabella, Sophia (41 sets)
2. Faith, Hope (40)
3. Olivia, Sophia (29)
4. Ella, Emma (28)
5. Hailey, Hannah (27)
6. Ava, Emma (25)
7. Heaven, Nevaeh (25)
8. Madison, Morgan (24)
9. Mackenzie, Madison (23)
10. Ava, Olivia (21)
11. Isabella, Olivia (20)
12. Makayla, Makenzie (20)
13. Ava, Ella (19)
14. Faith, Grace (17)
15. Gabriella, Isabella (16)
16. Abigail, Olivia (15)
17. Emma, Sophia (15)
18. London, Paris (15)
19. Elizabeth, Emily (14)
20. Valeria, Vanessa (14)
21. Emily, Emma (12)
22. Emma, Grace (12)
23. Gabriella, Isabella (12)
24. Abigail, Allison (11)
25. Abigail, Emma (11)
26. Addison, Ava (11)
27. Anna, Emma (11)
28. Ava, Mia (11)
29. Ava, Sophia (11)
30. Abigail, Emily (10)
31. Addison, Emma (10)
32. Chloe, Sophie (10)
33. Grace, Hope (10)
34. Natalie, Nicole (10)
35. Savannah, Sierra (10)
36. Allison, Ashley (9)
37. Ella, Lily (9)
38. Emily, Natalie (9)
39. Emily, Olivia (9)
40. Emma, Hannah (9)
41. Emma, Lily (9)
42. Haylee, Kaylee (9)
43. Jennifer, Jessica (9)
44. Madison, Mckenzie (9)
45. Abigail, Elizabeth (8)
46. Addison, Avery (8)
47. Adriana, Andrea (8)
48. Alexandra, Elizabeth (8)
49. Ashley, Emily (8)
50. Ava, Grace (8)
1. Jacob, Joshua (55 sets)
2. Matthew, Michael (52)
3. Daniel, David (50)
4. Jayden, Jordan (41)
5. Jayden, Jaylen (38)
6. Elijah, Isaiah (36)
7. Isaac, Isaiah (36)
8. Ethan, Evan (31)
9. Logan, Lucas (31)
10. Logan, Luke (27)
11. Caleb, Joshua (24)
12. Landon, Logan (24)
13. Andrew, Matthew (23)
14. Nathan, Nicholas (23)
15. Brandon, Bryan (22)
16. Alexander, Benjamin (21)
17. Hayden, Hunter (21)
18. Alexander, Nicholas (20)
19. Gabriel, Michael (20)
20. Christian, Christopher (19)
21. Jordan, Justin (19)
22. Benjamin, Samuel (18)
23. James, John (18)
24. Jeremiah, Joshua (18)
25. John, Joseph (18)
26. Joseph, Joshua (18)
27. Jeremiah, Josiah (17)
28. Aiden, Ethan (16)
29. Jacob, Noah (16)
30. Alexander, Anthony (15)
31. Caleb, Jacob (15)
32. Ethan, Noah (15)
33. Jacob, Joseph (15)
34. James, William (15)
35. Andrew, Anthony (14)
36. Jacob, Zachary (14)
37. Nathan, Noah (14)
38. Aiden, Ashton (13)
39. Alexander, Michael (13)
40. Andrew, William (13)
41. Christopher, Nicholas (13)
42. Dylan, Logan (13)
43. Michael, Nicholas (13)
44. Thomas, William (13)
45. Aidan, Ethan (12)
46. Aiden, Jayden (12)
47. Alexander, Alexis (12)
48. Benjamin, Jacob (12)
49. Chance, Chase (12)
50. Jayden, Kayden (12)
1. Madison, Mason (34 sets)
2. Taylor, Tyler (30)
3. Addison, Aiden (18)
4. Emily, Ethan (16)
5. Emma, Evan (16)
6. Ella, Ethan (15)
7. Emma, Ethan (14)
8. Jayda, Jayden (13)
9. Jada, Jaden (12)
10. Aidan, Nadia (11)
11. Aiden, Ava (11)
12. Emma, William (11)
13. Madison, Matthew (11)
14. Anna, William (10)
15. Emily, Evan (10)
16. Emma, Jacob (10)
17. Emma, Noah (10)
18. Isabella, Isaiah (10)
19. Madison, Michael (10)
20. Addison, Andrew (9)
21. Chloe, Connor (9)
22. Emma, Jack (9)
23. Nicholas, Sophia (9)
24. Noah, Sophia (9)
25. Olivia, Owen (9)
26. Zachary, Zoe (9)
27. Zachary, Zoey (9)
28. Brian, Brianna (8)
29. Caleb, Chloe (8)
30. Ethan, Isabella (8)
31. Grace, John (8)
32. Isabella, Michael (8)
33. Jacob, Jillian (8)
34. Jada, Jayden (8)
35. James, Julia (8)
36. Landon, London (8)
37. Lily, Luke (8)
38. Olivia, William (8)
39. Samuel, Sophia (8)
40. Sophia, William (8)
41. Abigail, Alexander (7)
42. Abigail, Benjamin (7)
43. Alexander, Ava (7)
44. Andrea, Andrew (7)
45. Andrew, Emily (7)
46. Ava, John (7)
47. Ava, Noah (7)
48. Emily, Ryan (7)
49. Emma, James (7)
50. Hannah, Noah (7)

Observations on the 2009 rankings:

  • #9 and #44 on the girl-girl list are “Mackenzie, Madison” and “Madison, Mckenzie.”
  • #15 and #23 on the girl-girl list are both “Gabriella, Isabella.” There was probably supposed to be a spelling difference somewhere, but the SSA had the pairings listed identically.
  • #8, #9 and #34 on the girl-boy list are “Jayda, Jayden,” “Jada, Jaden” and “Jada, Jayden.”
  • #10 on the girl-boy list is “Aidan, Nadia” — the only pair of anagram names I’ve spotted on these twin lists (besides Heaven/Nevaeh, of course).
  • #26 and #27 on the girl-boy list are “Zachary, Zoe” and “Zachary, Zoey.”

Top twin names, 2008

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (69 sets born in 2008)
2. Daniel, David (59)
3. Jayden, Jordan (56)
4. Ethan, Evan (50)
5. Taylor, Tyler (43)
6. Gabriella, Isabella (42)
7. Isaac, Isaiah (40)
8. Madison, Morgan (38)
9. Elijah, Isaiah (36)
10. Ella, Emma (35)
11. Landon, Logan (34)
12. Logan, Lucas (34)
13. Matthew, Michael (33)
14. Faith, Hope (29)
15. Isabella, Sophia (28)
16. Olivia, Sophia (28)
17. James, John (27)
18. Madison, Mason (27)
19. Brandon, Bryan (25)
20. Hailey, Hannah (25)
21. Mackenzie, Madison (25)
22. Nathan, Nicholas (25)
23. Addison, Aiden (24)
24. Caleb, Joshua (24)
25. Christian, Christopher (24)
26. Emma, Ethan (24)
27. Jayden, Jaylen (24)
28. Ava, Emma (23)
29. Ava, Olivia (23)
30. Joseph, Joshua (23)
31. Andrew, Matthew (22)
32. Makayla, Makenzie (22)
33. Benjamin, Samuel (21)
34. Brandon, Brian (21)
35. Abigail, Emma (20)
36. Jacob, Matthew (20)
37. Jordan, Justin (20)
38. Nathan, Noah (20)
39. Alexander, Andrew (19)
40. Emily, Ethan (19)
41. Ethan, Nathan (19)
42. Gabriel, Michael (19)
43. Hayden, Hunter (19)
44. Jacob, Joseph (19)
45. Addison, Avery (17)
46. Faith, Grace (17)
47. Jayda, Jayden (17)
48. Joshua, Justin (17)
49. Joshua, Matthew (17)
50. Alexander, Nicholas (16)
51. Emma, Sophie (16)
52. Jada, Jaden (16)
53. Logan, Luke (16)
54. Aaron, Andrew (15)
55. Andrew, Anthony (15)
56. Anna, Emma (15)
57. Autumn, Summer (15)
58. Isabella, Olivia (15)
59. Jacob, Jordan (15)
60. Jacob, Lucas (15)
61. Kyle, Ryan (15)
62. Nicholas, Noah (15)
63. Valeria, Vanessa (15)
64. Abigail, Benjamin (14)
65. Aiden, Ava (14)
66. Alexander, Benjamin (14)
67. Alexander, Christopher (14)
68. Ashley, Emily (14)
69. Benjamin, William (14)
70. Christopher, Matthew (14)
71. Daniel, Michael (14)
72. Dylan, Tyler (14)
73. Emma, Sophia (14)
74. Hannah, Sarah (14)
75. Heaven, Nevaeh (14)
76. Jake, Luke (14)
77. Jennifer, Jessica (14)
78. Mackenzie, Makayla (14)
79. Matthew, William (14)
80. Natalie, Nathan (14)
81. Ryan, Tyler (14)
82. Samuel, Sophia (14)
83. Samuel, William (14)
84. Addison, Emma (13)
85. Adrian, Adriana (13)
86. Aiden, Austin (13)
87. Alexander, Alexis (13)
88. Ava, Mia (13)
89. Benjamin, Jacob (13)
90. Benjamin, Matthew (13)
91. Caleb, Christian (13)
92. Caleb, Jacob (13)
93. Elijah, Ethan (13)
94. Jada, Jayden (13)
95. James, William (13)
96. John, William (13)
97. Lily, Logan (13)
98. Mark, Matthew (13)
99. Matthew, Nicholas (13)
100. Maxwell, Samuel (13)

Similarities in the 2008 rankings:

  • #19 and #34 are “Brandon, Bryan,” and “Brandon, Brian.”
  • #32 and #78 are “Makayla, Makenzie” and “Mackenzie, Makayla.”
  • #47, #52 and #94 are “Jayda, Jayden,” “Jada, Jaden” and “Jada, Jayden.”

Top twin names, 2007

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (69 sets born in 2007)
2. Matthew, Michael (55)
3. Daniel, David (52)
4. Isaac, Isaiah (39)
5. Ella, Emma (38)
6. Madison, Morgan (36)
7. Taylor, Tyler (36)
8. Landon, Logan (35)
9. Brandon, Bryan (34)
10. Christian, Christopher (33)
11. Gabriella, Isabella (33)
12. Andrew, Matthew (32)
13. Faith, Hope (32)
14. Joseph, Joshua (31)
15. Ethan, Evan (30)
16. Jacob, Joseph (30)
17. Mackenzie, Madison (29)
18. Alexander, Benjamin (27)
19. Caleb, Joshua (26)
20. Hailey, Hannah (26)
21. Isabella, Sophia (26)
22. Madison, Matthew (26)
23. Emily, Ethan (25)
24. Joshua, Matthew (25)
25. Nathan, Nicholas (25)
26. Andrew, Anthony (24)
27. Jayden, Jordan (24)
28. Madison, Mason (24)
29. Elijah, Isaiah (23)
30. Alexander, Nicholas (22)
31. Jeremiah, Joshua (22)
32. Emma, Ethan (21)
33. Olivia, Sophia (21)
34. Ava, Emma (20)
35. Haley, Hannah (20)
36. Hayden, Hunter (20)
37. Jacob, Zachary (20)
38. Logan, Luke (20)
39. Natalie, Nathan (20)
40. Benjamin, Samuel (19)
41. Christopher, Nicholas (19)
42. Nathan, Noah (19)
43. Alexander, Christopher (18)
44. James, John (18)
45. John, William (18)
46. Jordan, Justin (18)
47. Megan, Morgan (18)
48. Alexander, Anthony (17)
49. Andrew, William (17)
50. Christopher, Matthew (17)
51. Isabella, Olivia (17)
52. Jacob, Jordan (17)
53. Joseph, Michael (17)
54. Alexander, Andrew (16)
55. Andrew, Jacob (16)
56. Elijah, Ethan (16)
57. Jacob, Matthew (16)
58. Jacob, Samuel (16)
59. James, Joseph (16)
60. Jordan, Joshua (16)
61. Matthew, Ryan (16)
62. Nicholas, Noah (16)
63. Ava, Olivia (15)
64. Emma, Grace (15)
65. Emma, Hannah (15)
66. Jason, Justin (15)
67. Jennifer, Jessica (15)
68. Makayla, Makenzie (15)
69. Natalie, Nicole (15)
70. Zachary, Zoe (15)
71. Ava, Sophia (14)
72. Benjamin, Jacob (14)
73. Emma, Olivia (14)
74. Ethan, Nathan (14)
75. Gabriel, Michael (14)
76. Grace, Olivia (14)
77. Jacob, Justin (14)
78. Jacob, Tyler (14)
79. Jaden, Jordan (14)
80. Jonathan, Joshua (14)
81. Jose, Juan (14)
82. Logan, Lucas (14)
83. Mark, Matthew (14)
84. Robert, William (14)
85. Samuel, Sophia (14)
86. Abigail, Emily (13)
87. Abigail, Emma (13)
88. Alexander, William (13)
89. Anna, Emma (13)
90. Ashley, Emily (13)
91. Ava, Ella (13)
92. Cameron, Christian (13)
93. Emily, Sarah (13)
94. Emma, Jacob (13)
95. Emma, William (13)
96. Grace, Hannah (13)
97. Hannah, Sarah (13)
98. Jayden, Jaylen (13)
99. Joseph, Nicholas (13)
100. Joshua, Zachary (13)
101. Madison, Megan (13)
102. Parker, Preston (13)

Similarities in the 2007 rankings:

  • #20 and #35 are “Hailey, Hannah” and “Haley, Hannah.”
  • #27 and #79 are “Jayden, Jordan” and “Jaden, Jordan.”

Top twin names, 2006

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (67 sets born in 2006)
2. Matthew, Michael (54)
3. Daniel, David (52)
4. Ella, Emma (38)
5. Isaac, Isaiah (38)
6. Madison, Morgan (36)
7. Landon, Logan (35)
8. Taylor, Tyler (35)
9. Brandon, Bryan (34)
10. Christian, Christopher (33)
11. Gabriella, Isabella (33)
12. Andrew, Matthew (32)
13. Faith, Hope (31)
14. Ethan, Evan (30)
15. Jacob, Joseph (30)
16. Joseph, Joshua (29)
17. Mackenzie, Madison (29)
18. Alexander, Benjamin (27)
19. Hailey, Hannah (27)
20. Madison, Matthew (26)
21. Caleb, Joshua (25)
22. Emily, Ethan (25)
23. Isabella, Sophia (25)
24. Joshua, Matthew (25)
25. Nathan, Nicholas (25)
26. Andrew, Anthony (24)
27. Jayden, Jordan (24)
28. Madison, Mason (24)
29. Elijah, Isaiah (22)
30. Jeremiah, Joshua (22)
31. Alexander, Nicholas (21)
32. Emma, Ethan (21)
33. Olivia, Sophia (21)
34. Ava, Emma (20)
35. Hayden, Hunter (20)
36. Logan, Luke (20)
37. Natalie, Nathan (20)
38. Christopher, Nicholas (19)
39. Haley, Hannah (19)
40. Jacob, Zachary (19)
41. John, William (19)
42. Nathan, Noah (19)
43. Benjamin, Samuel (18)
44. James, John (18)
45. Jordan, Justin (18)
46. Megan, Morgan (18)
47. Alexander, Anthony (17)
48. Isabella, Olivia (17)
49. Jacob, Jordan (17)
50. Joseph, Michael (17)
51. Nicholas, Noah (17)
52. Alexander, Andrew (16)
53. Alexander, Christopher (16)
54. Andrew, Jacob (16)
55. Christopher, Matthew (16)
56. Elijah, Ethan (16)
57. Jacob, Samuel (16)
58. James, Joseph (16)
59. Matthew, Ryan (16)
60. Ava, Olivia (15)
61. Emma, Grace (15)
62. Emma, Hannah (15)
63. Jacob, Matthew (15)
64. Jaden, Jordan (15)
65. Jason, Justin (15)
66. Jordan, Joshua (15)
67. Makayla, Makenzie (15)
68. Zachary, Zoe (15)
69. Abigail, Emily (14)
70. Andrew, William (14)
71. Benjamin, Jacob (14)
72. Emma, Olivia (14)
73. Ethan, Nathan (14)
74. Gabriel, Michael (14)
75. Hannah, Sarah (14)
76. Jacob, Justin (14)
77. Jacob, Tyler (14)
78. Jennifer, Jessica (14)
79. Jonathan, Joshua (14)
80. Jose, Juan (14)
81. Mark, Matthew (14)
82. Natalie, Nicole (14)
83. Samuel, Sophia (14)
84. Abigail, Emma (13)
85. Alexander, William (13)
86. Anna, Emma (13)
87. Ashley, Emily (13)
88. Ava, Sophia (13)
89. Cameron, Christian (13)
90. Emily, Sarah (13)
91. Emma, Jacob (13)
92. Grace, Hannah (13)
93. Grace, Olivia (13)
94. Jayden, Jaylen (13)
95. Joseph, Nicholas (13)
96. Joshua, Zachary (13)
97. Logan, Lucas (13)
98. Madison, Megan (13)
99. Parker, Preston (13)
100. Robert, William (13)

Similarities in the 2006 rankings:

  • #19 and #39 are “Hailey, Hannah” and “Haley, Hannah.”
  • #27 and #64 are “Jayden, Jordan” and “Jaden, Jordan.”

Top twin names, 2005

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (78 sets born in 2005)
2. Matthew, Michael (70)
3. Daniel, David (63)
4. Faith, Hope (49)
5. Ethan, Evan (43)
6. Taylor, Tyler (42)
7. Isaac, Isaiah (37)
8. Joseph, Joshua (37)
9. Nathan, Nicholas (37)
10. Madison, Mason (33)
11. Hailey, Hannah (32)
12. Madison, Morgan (32)
13. Alexander, Andrew (29)
14. Elijah, Isaiah (28)
15. Jordan, Justin (28)
16. Mackenzie, Madison (27)
17. Alexander, Nicholas (25)
18. Caleb, Joshua (25)
19. Emma, Ethan (25)
20. Jonathan, Joshua (25)
21. Emily, Ethan (24)
22. Alexander, Benjamin (23)
23. Andrew, Matthew (23)
24. Benjamin, Samuel (23)
25. James, John (23)
26. Matthew, Nicholas (23)
27. Brandon, Brian (22)
28. Ella, Emma (22)
29. Alexander, Zachary (21)
30. Dylan, Tyler (21)
31. Hannah, Sarah (21)
32. Madison, Matthew (21)
33. Christian, Christopher (20)
34. Faith, Grace (20)
35. Jacob, Jordan (20)
36. Jacob, Matthew (20)
37. Jaden, Jordan (20)
38. Alexander, Anthony (19)
39. Brandon, Bryan (19)
40. Emily, Sarah (19)
41. Ethan, Nathan (19)
42. Jacob, Joseph (19)
43. Jordan, Joshua (19)
44. Landon, Logan (19)
45. Olivia, Sophia (19)
46. Ashley, Emily (18)
47. Elizabeth, Emily (18)
48. Elizabeth, Katherine (18)
49. Jeremy, Joshua (18)
50. John, Joseph (18)
51. Nathan, Noah (18)
52. Nicholas, Noah (18)
53. Nicholas, Zachary (18)
54. Alexander, Christopher (17)
55. Christopher, Michael (17)
56. Jacob, Zachary (17)
57. Jason, Justin (17)
58. Abigail, Allison (16)
59. Amy, Emily (16)
60. Andrew, Nicholas (16)
61. Benjamin, William (16)
62. Christopher, Nicholas (16)
63. Ella, Ethan (16)
64. Gabriella, Isabella (16)
65. Isabella, Sophia (16)
66. Jeremiah, Joshua (16)
67. Megan, Morgan (16)
68. Samuel, Sophia (16)
69. Aidan, Ava (15)
70. Alexander, Alexis (15)
71. Andrew, Anthony (15)
72. Andrew, Ethan (15)
73. Andrew, William (15)
74. Ava, Olivia (15)
75. Caleb, Jacob (15)
76. Jacob, Nicholas (15)
77. Jacob, Ryan (15)
78. Jake, Luke (15)
79. Jayden, Jordan (15)
80. John, William (15)
81. Mark, Matthew (15)
82. Natalie, Nathan (15)
83. Nathaniel, Nicholas (15)
84. Ryan, Tyler (15)
85. Abigail, Emily (14)
86. Anna, Emma (14)
87. Anthony, Michael (14)
88. Anthony, Nicholas (14)
89. Austin, Justin (14)
90. Benjamin, Jacob (14)
91. Brian, Brianna (14)
92. Christopher, Matthew (14)
93. Daniel, Samuel (14)
94. Gabriel, Michael (14)
95. Haley, Hannah (14)
96. Jada, Jaden (14)
97. Jayden, Jaylen (14)
98. Jonathan, Joseph (14)
99. Kyle, Ryan (14)
100. Logan, Lucas (14)
101. Logan, Luke (14)
102. Matthew, Ryan (14)
103. Parker, Payton (14)
104. Parker, Peyton (14)
105. Reagan, Riley (14)
106. Tanner, Tyler (14)

Similarities in the 2005 rankings:

  • #11 and #95 are “Hailey, Hannah” and “Haley, Hannah.”
  • #27 and #39 are “Brandon, Brian” and “Brandon, Bryan.”
  • #37 and #79 are “Jaden, Jordan” and “Jayden, Jordan.”
  • #103 and #104 are “Parker, Payton” and “Parker, Peyton.”

Sources:

Image: Adapted from FraternalTwins by MultipleParent under CC BY-SA 3.0.

[Latest update: Mar. 2024]

Popular baby names in the United States, 2012

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

The #1 names in the nation are still Jacob and Sophia!

Here are the full top 50 lists:

Boy NamesGirl Names
1. Jacob, 18899
2. Mason, 18856
3. Ethan, 17547
4. Noah, 17201
5. William, 16726
6. Liam, 16687
7. Jayden, 16013
8. Michael, 15996
9. Alexander, 15105
10. Aiden, 14779
11. Daniel, 14143
12. Matthew, 13834
13. Elijah, 13719
14. James, 13271
15. Anthony, 13105
16. Benjamin, 12695
17. Joshua, 12522
18. Andrew, 12501
19. David, 12422
20. Joseph, 12404
21. Logan, 12390
22. Jackson, 12388
23. Christopher, 11777
24. Gabriel, 11442
25. Samuel, 11290
26. Ryan, 10863
27. Lucas, 10616
28. John, 10505
29. Nathan, 10357
30. Isaac, 9928
31. Dylan, 9920
32. Caleb, 9867
33. Christian, 9530
34. Landon, 9296
35. Jonathan, 9253
36. Carter, 9202
37. Luke, 8922
38. Owen, 8630
39. Brayden, 8451
40. Gavin, 8203
41. Wyatt, 8159
42. Isaiah, 8044
43. Henry, 8006
44. Eli, 7998
45. Hunter, 7967
46. Jack, 7877
47. Evan, 7851
48. Jordan, 7734
49. Nicholas, 7653
50. Tyler, 7628
1. Sophia, 22158
2. Emma, 20791
3. Isabella, 18931
4. Olivia, 17147
5. Ava, 15418
6. Emily, 13550
7. Abigail, 12583
8. Mia, 11940
9. Madison, 11319
10. Elizabeth, 9596
11. Chloe, 9595
12. Ella, 9115
13. Avery, 8272
14. Addison, 8122
15. Aubrey, 8006
16. Lily, 7889
17. Natalie, 7852
18. Sofia, 7767
19. Charlotte, 7418
20. Zoey, 7411
21. Grace, 7304
22. Hannah, 7202
23. Amelia, 7191
24. Harper, 7154
25. Lillian, 7100
26. Samantha, 6874
27. Evelyn, 6837
28. Victoria, 6814
29. Brooklyn, 6728
30. Zoe, 6383
31. Layla, 6227
32. Hailey, 5878
33. Leah, 5724
34. Kaylee, 5571
35. Anna, 5552
36. Aaliyah, 5471
37. Gabriella, 5461
38. Allison, 5387
39. Nevaeh, 5317
40. Alexis, 5306
41. Audrey, 5266
42. Savannah, 5143
43. Sarah, 5107
44. Alyssa, 5054
45. Claire, 4915
46. Taylor, 4825
47. Riley, 4786
48. Camila, 4776
49. Arianna, 4685
50. Ashley, 4678

Liam enters the top 10! 15th last year, 6th this year.

Michael just keeps getting lower and lower.

Avery, on the other hand, keeps rising on the girls’ side — 18th last year, 13th this year.

See any other interesting rises/drops so far?

Update: Here’s more from the SSA’s news release:

Many pop-culture naming trends appear in a popular feature of Social Security’s baby names website–the “change in popularity” page. This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 500 are Major and Arya.

The fastest riser on the girls’ list may have been influenced by the popular cable TV series “Game of Thrones.” Arya is the daughter of a leader of one of the Seven Kingdoms. She also is an expert sword fighter, so doubt her influence on the popular names list at your own risk.

For the boys, parents may associate Major with the military title. Acting Commissioner Colvin added “I have no doubt Major’s rising popularity as a boy’s name is in tribute to the brave members of the U.S. military, and maybe we’ll see more boys named General in the future.” You also might trace Major’s increase in popularity to a cable TV show. “Home by Novogratz” is a popular home design show featuring Major Novogratz, the youngest son of designers Robert and Cortney.

The second fastest riser for boys was Gael, and for girls, Perla. Both names most likely are on the rise due to the increase in the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. Perla is the Latinized version of Pearl and is popular among Hispanic-Americans. Gael’s popularity could be tied to Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal.

Here is last year’s list.

Sources: SSA, Jacob and Sophia Repeat atop Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names List – SSA

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United States (public domain)

What gave the baby name Katina a boost in 1972?

Title of the TV soap opera "Where the Heart Is" (1969-1973)

The baby name Cotina was a top debut name in 1972, coming out of nowhere to be given to an impressive 109 baby girls that year:

  • 1978: unlisted
  • 1977: 6 baby girls named Cotina
  • 1976: 5 baby girls named Cotina
  • 1975: 13 baby girls named Cotina
  • 1974: 33 baby girls named Cotina
  • 1973: 65 baby girls named Cotina
  • 1972: 109 baby girls named Cotina [debut]
  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: unlisted

But that’s not all. The popularity of similar names — most notably Katina — spiked in ’72 as well [rankings in brackets]:

1971197219731974
Katina962,747
[117th]
2,469
[120th]
766
[307th]
Catina151,370
[202nd]
1,236
[207th]
329
[515th]
Contina.209
[696th]
124
[962nd]
36
Cotina.109*6533
Katena.27*28.
Kateena.22*135
Cantina.17*157
Catena.15*85
Kattina.15*..
Kotina.12*8.
Katyna.11*..
Cateena.10*9.
Kontina.10*..
Kantina.9*65
Katinna.7*6.
Cattina.6*9.
Catinna..11*.
*Debut

(Kattina, Katyna, Kontina, and Catinna were one-hit wonders.)

Why?

It took me a while to come up with a decent theory for this one, as the only person the search engines kept directing me to was Greek actress Katina Paxinou (1900-1973).

I was stuck until, in a decades-old Village Voice article, I spotted a reference to a fictional soap-opera baby named Katina. She was “born” in early 1972 on the CBS soap opera Where the Heart Is (1969-1973).

Christina (Katina's mother) on the TV program "Where the Heart Is."
Katina’s mother, Christine

The program was set in suburban Connecticut and focused “on the sexual and psychological intrigues of the wealthy but highly dysfunctional Hathaway family.” One of the adult Hathaway siblings (Allison) had a husband (Hugh) who had an affair with a woman named Christine. This affair resulted in an illegitimate child — a baby girl called Katina.

Expectant parents tend to pay particular attention to TV babies, and soap operas have historically influenced baby name rankings quite a bit, so the one-two punch of a baby born on a soap opera must have had some sort of impact.

Then again, I can’t explain why the variant “Contina” jumped so much higher than, say, “Katena” or “Kateena,” which are much more Katina-like. So perhaps I’m missing something.

Does anyone out there remember Where the Heart Is? Do you think the soap was popular enough to have started a short-lived Katina craze in the early ’70s?

Sources: Where the Heart is | Soap Opera Wiki | Fandom, Where the Heart Is (TV series) – Wikipedia, SSA