Isabella and Jacob Still #1
Isabella and Jacob are still the top names in the U.S., according to the official statistics for 2010 released this morning by the Social Security Administration.
With a Top 10 list that was extraordinarily stable — Aiden was the only name that moved on, with Joshua falling off — most names even retained the rankings they held last year. The biggest change was Sophia, a name some berries thought would take first place this year, jumping up to Number 2.
The Top 10 for girls are:
1. Isabella2. Sophia3. Emma4. Olivia5. Ava6. Emily7. Abigail8. Madison9. Chloe10. Mia
The boys’ Top 10:
1. Jacob2. Ethan3. Michael4. Jayden5. William6. Alexander7. Noah8. Daniel9. Aiden10. Anthony
In sheer numbers, about 500 more little girls were named Isabella in 2010 than in 2009 — 22,731, while the number of boys called Jacob fell by about 800.
The fastest-rising names for both girls and boys were inspired by the show Teen Mom: Maci and Bentley. Other hot names for girls include Tiana, Quinn, Adalynn, and Kinley, and for boys, Kellan, Knox, Enzo, and Karter.
Most popular twin names continued the taste for alliteration. Most popular names for girl twins were Ella and Emma, for boys Jacob and Joshua, and for a girl-boy pair, Madison and Mason.
If pop culture, particularly Twilight, propelled names up the popularity ladder, it also was responsible for their fall. Celebrity names Rihanna and Kimora were two that fell the most precipitously for girls, along with dog-inspired Marley and variations. Elvis fell off the Top 1000 for the first time since the King reigned in 1954.