Health Department releases list of most popular baby names

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (FW-Allen County Dept. of Health) Olivia and Liam topped the lists of the most popular names given to boy and girl babies born in Allen County in 2012.

The lists were compiled from birth certificates filed with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health.

In 2012, there were a total of 6,762 babies born in Allen County (3,471 boys and 3,291 girls), down slightly from 6,767 in 2011. But when it comes to names, there were no big surprises.

Allen County parents stayed mostly in tune with national trends. A recent survey by the parenting Web site BabyCenter® of the most popular baby names in 2012 found Sophia, Emma and Olivia ranked as the top three girls’ names nationwide, while Aiden, Jackson and Ethan were the top three boys’ names. In Allen County, the order was slightly different for girls with Olivia, then Sophia and Emma. Aiden didn’t make the top ten for boys, but Jackson was 4th and Ethan tied with James for 10th.
 

Top Baby Names in Allen County in 2012

Girls:

1. Olivia
2. Sophia
3. Emma
4. Lillian
5. Isabella
6. Ava
7. Ella
8. Addison, Elizabeth, Amelia (tie)
9. Avery
10. Claire

Boys: 

1. Liam
2. Jacob, Lucas, Mason (tie)
3. William
4. Jackson
5. Alexander
6. Elijah
7. Samuel, Andrew (tie)
8. Noah
9. Henry
10. Ethan, James (tie)

While some of the most popular names in Allen County for both girls and boys remain largely unchanged from the previous year, there was some jockeying for position. In 2012, Jacob and Lucas tied for 2nd after being 11th and 14th in 2011. Among baby girls, Ava dropped from 1st to 6th and Charlotte dropped from 6th to 14th.

Biblical names proved more popular for boys than girls with Jacob (#2), Elijah (#6), Samuel (#7), Noah (#8) and Isaac (#12) making the top 25 in 2012. Among baby girls, angelic-sounding names such as Nevaeh (#15), Serenity (#16), Gabriella and Grace (#17, tie) remained trendy.  

Among other trends, six of the top 15 girl names started with the letter “A.” And while Allen County produced its usual crop of Emilys (#11), Hannahs (#13), Ethans (#10) and Owens (#13), it also gave the world 16 more Brooklyns (#14) and 19 more Bentleys (#16).

Parents may also consider these up-and-coming names: Adelyn, Evelyn, Brielle and Zoey for girls, and Christian, Wyatt, Blake and Easton for boys.