Most Popular Baby Names 2008-2009: List Lacks Unusual Baby Names

by Tina Kells | May 8, 2009 at 11:10 am

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The list of the Most Popular Baby Names for 2008-2009 has been released and the usual suspects remain at the top. While the top 5 baby boy names have held steady, there was a shake up in the top 5 baby girl names.

For the first time since 1997 the name Emily has been toppled as the number one name for baby girls; Emma is the 2008-2009 number one baby girl name.

Emma first appeared in the top ten baby names list in 2002, same year that Jennifer Aniston's character Rachel, from the popular TV show Friends, had a baby girl with that name. It has gained momentum every year and in 2008-2009 Emma finally claimed the top spot.

The top names remain fairly traditional, and Biblical names are among the most popular. Unusual baby names rarely, if ever make the list of Most Popular Baby Names in the United States.

Most Popular Baby Girl Names

Emma
Isabella
Emily
Madison
Ava

Most Popular Baby Boy Names

Jacob
Michael
Ethan
Joshua
Daniel

Move over, baby Emily. Emma is the new top name among baby girls, ending Emily's 12-year reign.

Jacob remained king among the boys in 2008, his 10th straight year at the top, the Social Security Administration said Friday.

Barack may have been the man of the year in 2008, as Obama won the presidency, but he's still behind Elvis. Barack didn't crack the top 1,000, though he did move up a record 10,126 spots, to No. 2,409. Elvis is still in the building, but he fell from 673 to 713.

Biblical names dominate the top choices for boys while popular culture appears to have influenced some of the girls' names.

Pop culture and celebrity have often played a role in how people name their children, and unusual baby names gain ground with each passing decade. While they rarely crack the top 1000, unusual or culturally diverse names continue to make traction in the United States.

With the presidential victory of Barack Obama the name Barack, which means "Blessed" and originates in Africa, has grown more popular. While still outside of the top 1000 most popular baby names for boys, Barack, like other non-traditional baby names, is getting more popular all the time.

It didn’t even crack the top 1,000, but “Barack” is still soaring in popularity among baby names, according to the Social Security Administration, which today released its annual report on the most popular baby names in America.

In 2007, when President Barack Obama was in the early stages of his presidential run, “Barack” ranked 12,535, but in one year his name jumped 10,000 spots to 2,409 in popularity in 2008. And the SSA predicted that number will continue to rise: “Social Security’s sophisticated predictive models are forecasting an increase well into the top 1,000 for Barack for 2009.”