Community Corner
Top Baby Names in Illinois: Alexander, Sophia
No Tom, Dick or Harry here, says the Social Security Administration.
Of all the babies born in Illinois in 2011, 895 boys were named Alexander and 889 girls were named Sophia, making these names the most popular baby names in Illinois, the U.S. Social Security Administration announced Friday, May 18. See the chart below for the top 10 Illinois names.
Earlier in the week, the agency released the most popular names in 2011 acrose the country. Jacob was the most popular boy’s name; Alexander ranks eighth nationally. As in Illinois, Sophia was the most popular girl’s name, according to The Associated Press.
Jacob tops the list of popular boy's names for the 13th straight year, while Isabella drops to No. 2 after being the top girl's name for the past two years. Isabella is followed by Emma, Olivia and Ava. For the boys, Mason, William, Jayden and Noah round out the top five. Mason rocketed to No. 2 from outside of the top 10 to replace Anthony on the boys’ side. It is the only new name in the top 10 on either list this year. See the chart below for the top 10 U.S. names.
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Laura Wattenberg, creator of babynamewizard.com, told the AP that celebrities have an obvious influence over the names Americans choose for their children. Mason rose 10 spots last year following the birth of Kourtney Kardashian's son, while Briella jumped almost 400 spots after "Jerseylicious" reality TV star Briella Calafiore made her debut. Religion, Wattenberg said, also has a strong influence.
Jacob is the most popular name for 2000-2009, with 273,450 boys born during that time with the name. The most popular girl’s name during that time period is Emily, with 223,488 girls give that name. To see the top 200 names for the 2000s up to 2009, click here.
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Popular names by state for 2011 are available here.
Top Baby Names in the U.S. in 2011
Rank
Male Name
Female Name
1
Jacob
Sophia
2
Mason
Isabella
3
William
Emma
4
Jayden
Olivia
5
Noah
Ava
6
Michael
Emily
7
Ethan
Abigail
8
Alexander
Madison
9
Aiden
Mia
10
Daniel
Chloe
Courtesy of the U.S. Social Security Administration
Top Baby Names in Illinois in 2011
Rank
Male Name
Female Name
1
Alexander
Sophia
2
Michael
Olivia
3
Jacob
Isabella
4
Noah
Emma
5
Daniel
Emily
6
Mason
Ava
7
Ethan
Mia
8
William
Abigail
9
Anthony
Sofia
10
Benjamin
Natalie
Courtesy of the U.S. Social Security Administration
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