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Classics on the rise on list of most popular US baby names

Posted at 4:47 PM, May 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-11 16:47:11-04

It looks like the name Emma will not go out of style any time soon.

For the fourth year in a row, it’s No. 1 for girls on the Social Security Administration’s annuallist of most popular baby names in the United States.

The name Noah didn’t have much luck after four consecutive years as No. 1 on the boys list; Liam took the top spot in 2017.

Liam first appeared on the top 10 list in 2012 and has been crawling up the ranking ever since. It was ranked second from 2014 to 2016.

There are other big changes on this year’s list.

Michael, once a hugely popular name, was pushed off the boys’ top 10 list, where it had been since World War II. It now sits in the 12 spot, alongside Emily, a name that had been in the girls’ top 10 since 1990.

The new top 10 contains several traditional names. Amelia made the girls’ list for the first time, and Evelyn did so for the first time since 1915. For boys, the names Logan and Oliver made their first appearances on the top 10 list.

Politics and pop culture are shown to affect naming trends.

President Trump might be well-known, but Donald didn’t make the popular list. However, Melania, the name of the first lady, was the fifth fastest-rising girls’ name.

The list also likes to keep up with the Kardashians: Dream, which celebrities Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna named their daughter; was the third fastest-rising girls’ name.

In sports, a fast riser for boys was Nova — possibly inspired by the Villanova University Wildcats’ 2016 NCAA men’s basketball championship.

The Social Security Administration began compiling the baby name list in 1997, with names dating to 1880. Parents provide newborns’ names when they apply for Social Security cards.

Most popular names for US girls in 2017

1. Emma

2. Olivia

3. Ava

4. Isabella

5. Sophia

6. Mia

7. Charlotte

8. Amelia

9. Evelyn

10. Abigail

Most popular names for US boys in 2017

1. Liam

2. Noah

3. William

4. James

5. Logan

6. Benjamin

7. Mason

8. Elijah

9. Oliver

10. Jacob