Naming things can be stressful, especially when the thing you’re naming is a human child and will carry that name for his or her entire life. Many people probably invoke Shakespeare when coming up with names, asking, “What’s in a name?”
Baby names can come from a wide variety of sources. Maybe you name your children after other members of your family. Maybe you like a name so much that you keep using it, so your kid becomes the third or fourth member of your family to bear that name. Or maybe you want your child to be more unique so you give them a less traditional name (as celebrities) like Apple or North.
In Alabama, we tend to stick to more traditional names. The Social Security Administration keeps track of baby names each year and Popsugar released a list of the top five names for baby girls and boys in each state, using 2014 data.
The top five baby girl names in Alabama are: Ava, Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Elizabeth.
On the boys’ side, the top five names are: William, James, John, Mason and Elijah.
Most of Alabama’s most popular baby names can be found on the lists of popular names from other states. According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular boy’s name in 2014 was Noah and the most popular girl’s name was Emma.
Trends in baby names have undoubtedly changed over the years. We just don’t hear about babies being named Ethel or Albert anymore. The Social Security Administration has records of the most popular baby names for each decade going back to the 1880s.
Names in Alabama have stayed fairly consistent though. Since the 1960s, there have only been ten girls’ names that have been the most popular. Lisa was the most popular name for six years in a row, Hannah had a five year streak in the 90s, and Ashley was the most popular name on and off for eight years.
Boys’ names in Alabama have been even more consistent than girls. In the past 60 years, only five names have been the most popular. Chris dominates the list, including a nine-year run from 1979-1987 and a five-year streak from 1989-1994.
Check out the Social Security Administration’s website, where you can see the most popular baby names organized by state and birth year, or nationally by decade.
Congratulations to all the baby Williams and Avas turning 2 this year!
(h/t/ al.com)
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.