2011 Most Popular Baby Names List Is Out
The US Social Security Administration (SSA) has finally released its list of the most popular baby names from 2011. The list, which also includes top baby names by state, draws millions of viewers annually. According to the AP, the top names in the list were mostly influenced by either religion or reality television:
Kardashian, the reality TV star, gave birth to Mason in December 2009 following a heavily publicized pregnancy. In 2010, Mason jumped from No. 34 to No. 12. Last year, 19,396 baby boys were named Mason, an increase of nearly 4,600, by far the biggest jump for any name.
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Religion continues to have a big influence on baby names, but with a twist.
"The traditional biblical names were New Testament names — John, James and Mary and Elizabeth," Wattenberg said. "Today, the hot names are all names from the Old testament precisely because they were neglected for so many generations."
Rounding out the top 1,000 names are some pretty interesting syllables and spelling variations: Damaris (250 girls), Malaysia (262), Esme (258 babies), Kyndal (273), Regan (276), Yaritza (276), and, surprisingly, Ann (252). Rare baby boy names include Kohen (194), Cayson (194), Major (196), Maxx (203), Bridger (205), Crew (208), and Keyon (193)....
Religion continues to have a big influence on baby names, but with a twist.
"The traditional biblical names were New Testament names — John, James and Mary and Elizabeth," Wattenberg said. "Today, the hot names are all names from the Old testament precisely because they were neglected for so many generations."
