CAMDEN — Emma and Noah are again America’s most popular baby names, for the third year in a row. This marks the fourth year at number one for Noah and the third for Emma. There is only one new name in the top 10 this year—Elijah, the first time he has ever reached the list of 10. Like a name, Social Security is with you through life’s journey, starting at birth when newborns receive their Social Security number.
Here are the top 10 boys and girls names for 2016:
Boys:
Noah
Liam
William
Mason
James
Benjamin
Jacob
Michael
Elijah
Ethan
Girls:
Emma
Olivia
Ava
Sophia
Isabella
Mia
Charlotte
Abigail
Emily
Harper
For all the top baby names of 2016, and to find where your own name ranks, go to www.socialsecurity.gov.
Persons can visit the agency’s website, enjoy the baby names list, and create a my Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. The account can be used beginning in their working years and continuing through to the time they receive Social Security benefits.
Social Security beneficiaries can have instant access to their benefit verification letter, payment history, and complete earnings record by establishing a my Social Security account. Beneficiaries also can change their address, start or change direct deposit information, and print a replacement SSA-1099 online. People receiving Social Security can request a replacement Medicare card online.
The agency began compiling the baby name list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880. At the time of a child’s birth, parents supply the name to the agency when applying for a child’s Social Security card, thus making Social Security America’s source for the most popular baby names.
Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop-culture on naming trends. This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 1,000 are Kehlani and Kylo.
Kehlani rose 2,487 spots on the girls’ side to number 872, from number 3,359 in 2015. Perhaps this can be attributed to Kehlani Parrish, a singer/songwriter who was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. She was named an artist to watch and clearly new parents agree her star is rising. Kehlani collaborated with Zayn Malik, the former One Direction star and current solo artist, on a song in 2016. The name Zayn also made the boys fastest riser list.
The force was strong for Kylo in 2016 as he soared 2,368 spots for the boys, from number 3,269 in 2015 to number 901. Kylo Ren, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia and the grandson of Darth Vader, was a character in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Perhaps Kylo can continue to harness the force and climb even higher in the coming years.
The second fastest riser for girls was Royalty. The royal family likely had something to do with this increase in popularity, or the 2015 World Series champions, the Kansas City Royals, may have influenced parents-to-be.
For boys, it was Creed. This could be attributed to the return to the silver screen of America’s favorite boxer Rocky Balboa in the 2015 movie Creed, where Rocky trains and mentors Adonis Johnson Creed, the son of his late friend and boxing rival, Apollo Creed. The name Adonis just happens to be the number four fastest riser on the list for boys.