NameVoyager updated with 2008 popularity data

The NameVoyager is now up to date with the latest figures. Happy exploring!

With baby name popularity, it’s easy come, easy go

A study of historical baby name data has revealed that names that rapidly rise to popularity often then crash back out of the limelight.Read more about the baby name popularity study here. 

Celebrity Baby Names Roundup

With no mega-celeb babies getting names like Jasper Warren in recent weeks, there hasn't been much excitement in the world of celebrity baby names. So while we're all waiting for the next Petal Blossom Rainbow to arrive, here's a roundup of the mundane names chosen by your average celebrities in ...

The latest on the Age of Aidans

The more things change, the more they sound the same. Last year I checked in on the dominant sound of 21st-century boyhood, the names that rhyme with Aidan. At that time, the number of top-1000 boys' names rhyming with Aidan had risen to 40. That number held steady this year (though a few names changed: goodbye Adin and Haden, hello Aaden and Zaiden). The number of babies represented, though, continued to rise by a healthy 7%. It's fair to say that the Age of Aidans isn't over yet.

Looking more broadly, over a third of all boys continue to receive a name ending in -n, extending the extraordinary transformation of masculine naming.

For those keeping score at home, here's the current top-1000 rhyming roster. Note that it doesn't include girls' names, near rhymes like Payton, or Adan, which is also the Spanish form of Adam and often pronounced accordingly.

Aaden
Aden
Adin
Aedan
Aidan
Aiden
Aidyn
Aydan
Ayden
Aydin
Braden
Bradyn
Braeden
Braedon
Braiden
Brayden
Braydon
Caden
Caiden
Cayden
Haden
Haiden
Hayden
Jaden
Jadon
Jadyn
Jaeden
Jaiden
Jaidyn
Jaydan
Jayden
Jaydin
Jaydon
Kaden
Kadin
Kadyn
Kaeden
Kaiden
Kayden
Raiden
Zaiden
Zayden

 

Top Baby Names in the US 2008

The Social Security Administration has released its latest baby names data, revealing the most popular names in America for 2008. For the first time in 12 years, Emily has been knocked off the top spot for girls.  The new leader in popularity is Emma. There was no such change at the top of the boys list, with Jacob remaining [...]

Yuck(h)

America, you have disappointed me again.

Khloe went from #960 in 2006 to #665 in 2007 to EFFING #196 in 2008. One thousand six hundred and eighty-seven girls were named Khloe in 2008 in our fair country.

Pretty impressive for a name that sounds exactly like you're hockin' a loogie.

America's most popular names of 2008

Just released from the Social Security Administration:

BOYS

1. Jacob

2. Michael

3. Ethan

4. Joshua

5. Daniel

6. Alexander

7. Anthony

8. William

9. Christopher

10. Matthew

 

GIRLS

1. Emma

2. Isabella

3. Emily

4. Madison

5. Ava

6. Olivia

7. Sophia

8. Abigail

9. Elizabeth

10. Chloe

 

The big story is the shakeup on the girl's list, where Emily had been #1 since 1996.

Lots more info and analysis to come, check back often!

 

EDIT: A note on Emma's "rise" to the #1 spot. In 2007, Emma was the #3 name. In 2008, enough Emmas were born to make Emma...#3 in 2007. In other words, it wasn't so much that Emma rose, but rather Emily (and to a lesser extent Isabella) fell. The overwhelming trend of this generation continues to be the flattening of the curve, with the top names representing a smaller and smaller slice of babies every year.