For the 12th straight year Emily is the number one name in the U.S. Jacob has been the top pick for boys for the nine years now.
New parents didn’t stray far from past habits in 2007 when naming their babies. Only one name—Elizabeth—is new to the top-10 list, returning after a two-year absence. Samantha, which previously ranked 10th, dropped to No. 12, according to the latest list released Saturday by the Social Security Administration.
Biblical names continued to dominate the boys’ list. Besides Jacob, other top picks for boys were Michael, Joshua and Matthew.
For girls, Isabella, Emma and Ava came after Emily, which has been the most popular female name since 1996.
Rounding out the top 10 for girls, in order, were Madison, Sophia, Olivia, Abigail, Hannah and Elizabeth.
The list for boys also includes Ethan, Daniel, Christopher, Anthony, William and Andrew.
Name experts have said the staying power of the top names may have something to do with appealing to multiple ethnic or religious groups and having no widespread negative connotations. Emily also has literary associations, including Emily Dickinson, evoking images of a woman who is both beautiful and smart, professors say.
For male twins, parents were most likely to combine Jacob with Joshua, Matthew with Michael and Daniel with David. The most popular combination for female twins was Ella and Emma.
Looking for a spiritual name? Nevaeh, or “heaven” spelled backwards is 31, Destiny No. 41, Trinity No. 72, Serenity No. 126, Harmony No. 315 and Miracle No. 461.
Boys were less likely to be named after spiritual concepts, even though the 2007 list includes Sincere (No. 622) and Messiah (No. 723).
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