The top American baby names are out for 2010. According to the Social Security Baby Name Index, this year Isabella topped the list for the second year in a row. Here’s the top 20 list of baby girl names in the United States in 2010:
- Isabella
- Sophia
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Emily
- Abigail
- Madison
- Chloe
- Mia
- Addison
- Elizabeth
- Ella
- Natalie
- Samantha
- Alexis
- Lily
- Grace
- Hailey
- Alyssa
The top 20 list didn’t change significantly between 2009 and 2010. The only name to fall off the top 20 list was Ashley, which fell from #20 to #27, and the only name to join the list was Hailey, up from #25 to #19. No other name climbed or dropped more than 2 points except for Alexis, which dropped from #13 to #16.
Trendy Names: Up-and-Coming
Think that Lillian is an old lady name? Not anymore. In the past couple of decades, the names Lillian and Lily have climbed from obscure to stylish. Ten years ago, Lily was at #103, and it’s now at #17. And ten years ago, Lillian was at #111, and it’s now at #21. Other former old-lady names that have leaped up the charts in recent years are Chloe (#9), Mia (#10), Ella (#13), and Evelyn (#39). And of course there’s Emily and Emma, which (despite a small decline in popularity) have both been in the top 10 since 2002.
Two other hugely popular names that have climbed quickly: Ava and Avery. Twenty-five years ago, these two names hadn’t even cracked the top 1000 list. Today, Ava is at #5 and Avery is at #23.
Another trendy name that’s come out of nowhere is Nevaeh—which, if you haven’t heard, is simply the word “heaven” spelled backwards. The name entered the top 1000 chart for the very first time in 2001, when Christian rock star Sonny Sandoval gave this name to his daughter. In 2010, this previously nonexistent name climbed all the way to #25. The actual name Heaven lagged far behind at #324—although for twin girls, the combination of Nevaeh and Heaven ranked at #18.
Another unlikely up-and-comer: Naomi. When the so-named author of this piece was born in 1970, this name was all the way down at #411. It’s climbed steadily in the past few decades and now has finally cracked the top 100 at #96. Naomi has been a fairly common name for several decades in Canada, Great Britain, and Australia.
Names on the Way Out
One trendy name that seems like it’s past its peak is Ashley, which fell down out of the top 20 this year for the first time since 1981. In the 1990s, Ashley was what Linda was in the 1950s and what Jennifer was in the 1970s—an ultra-trendy name that parents chose without realizing its uber-popularity. Twenty years from now, Ashley may be doomed to be a mom’s name (like Jennifer, which is currently at #120) and fifty years from now, it may be doomed to be a grandmother’s name (like Linda, currently at #624).
Other formerly trendy names on the way down:
- Jessica: Down from #1 in 1995 to #92 in 2010
- Rachel: Down from #9 in 1996 to #100 in 2010
- Amanda: Down from #3 in 1988 to #188 in 2010
- Megan: Down from #10 in 1994 to #131 in 2010
- Brittany: Down from #3 in 1991 to #427 in 2010
- Courtney: Down from #19 in 1991 to #354 in 2010
- Heather: Down from #8 in 1985 to #685 in 2010
- Lisa: Down from #1 in 1969 to #720 in 2010.
Name trends change all the time and can be a fascinating pulse on what’s going on in a culture. Stay tuned for next year’s list of top 1000 names—which usually are released around Mother’s Day—to see if Isabella can stay at the top spot.
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
