Baby Name: Madison

The top baby names in the U.S. in 2011 were Jacob and Sophia! (A new #1 name for girls!)

Here are the full top 20 lists…

Girl Names

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Mia
10. Chloe
11. Elizabeth
12. Ella
13. Addison
14. Natalie
15. Lily
16. Grace
17. Samantha
18. Avery
19. Sofia
20. Aubrey

Boy Names

1. Jacob
2. Mason
3. William
4. Jayden
5. Noah
6. Michael
7. Ethan
8. Alexander
9. Aiden
10. Daniel
11. Anthony
12. Matthew
13. Elijah
14. Joshua
15. Liam
16. Andrew
17. James
18. David
19. Benjamin
20. Logan

My first impression of the boys’ list: “Look at how much Michael dropped!”

My first impression of the girls’ list: “Look at how high Avery is getting!”

More to come later today…

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

Mason, a relatively popular name since the 1990s, had never cracked the top 25 until 2010, when it hit number 12. Some may attribute this year’s rise to number two to reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian’s son. We note, moreover, that Mason has been a regular top-five name in Wisconsin for many years, undoubtedly a tribute to strong-legged Green Bay Packer kicker Mason Crosby.

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

The fastest riser on the girls’ list may come from Briella Calafiore, the blonde reality star hairdresser from cable TV’s “Jerseylicious” and its spinoff, “Glam Fairy.”

For the boys, there could be some controversy over Brantley – depending on whether you are a fan of college football or country music. Arguments could be made that the popularity of the name comes from John Brantley, the quarterback for perennial powerhouse The University of Florida, or from Brantley Gilbert, the singer with the number one country hit “Country Must Be Country Wide.” If you like both football and country music, you’re a winner either way!

The second fastest riser on the boys’ list is Iker. There may be some international influence here—Iker Casillas Fernandez is the well-known goalkeeper for both Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team. In 2010, Iker led Spain to a World Cup championship, just in time to influence the 2011 baby names list.

On the girls’ side, Angelique is the second biggest climber, but she may have gotten there with some magic. Angelique is the character name of a witch from the cult favorite “Dark Shadows.” She worked her witchcraft just in time for the blockbuster Hollywood remake of the 1960s TV show.

Sources: SSA, Jacob and Sophia Take Top Honors on Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names List – SSA

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