You’re on trend if you named your baby Noah or Emma last year. The two monikers not only topped the list of 2014’s most popular baby names in the U.S., but also in the state of Texas, according to the Social Security Administration.
Nationally, Noah, a biblical name, came in at No. 1 for boys for the second year in a row. Emma is back on top for girls after previously holding first place in 2008. Parents are turning from Emily to Emma thanks to the influence of hot celebrities like Emma Watson, Emma Roberts and Emma Stone.
“Since the Internet and pop culture are so prevalent and in-your-face all the time now, parents are finding baby names from fiction, from television, from movies, from celebrities, most often. And then, secondly, friends and family and the family tree,” Jennifer Moss, the CEO of BabyNames.com, told PBS.
In Texas, other popular biblical names for boys include Jacob, which came in second, followed by Daniel in third and Matthew in 10th place. Liam and Jayden round out the top five in the Lone Star State, with Sebastian and Jose in the top 10.
Among Texas newborn girls, such classical names as Sophia, Isabella, Mia and Olivia round out the top five after Emma.
Charlotte cracked the nation’s top 10 for the first time ever, although not in Texas, where it came in 26th place. Thanks to the recent birth of Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (all family names), we expect it will rise in next year’s rankings.
Nowhere to be found on Texas’ top 1,000 list of baby names are the fastest rising names in the U.S.: Bode and Axl for baby boys and Aranza and Montserrat for baby girls.
Bode, as in Olympian skier Bode Miller, saw a substantial jump on the blue side moving, up 645 spots from 1,428 to 783. Axl, a nod to both rocker Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses and to Axl Jack Duhamel, son of singer Stacy Ann “Fergie” Ferguson and actor Josh Duhamel, saw the second biggest boost in popularity.
Latin soap operas made their mark on the world of baby names. Aranza, the name of a character on Latin soap opera Por Siempre Mi Amor, made a notable positive move on the pink side, going from 4,232 to 607 (3,625 spots). Montserrat, a character in another Latin telenovela, ranked No. 607, up from No. 4,232.
For boys, the name Bently saw the most sizable decline on the U.S. chart, dropping 289 spots from 902 to 1,191. For girls, Miley fell the most, moving from 388 to 793 (down 405 spots).
Social Security’s website has a roster of the 1,000 most popular boys’ and girls’ names for 2014, plus statistics going back to the year 1880. From the 1,000 names listed, here are the top 10 names for boys and for girls in the nation, and in Texas:
Top 10 names for boys 2014 — U.S.:
1) Noah
2) Liam
3) Mason
4) Jacob
5) William
6) Ethan
7) Michael
8) Alexander
9) James
10) Daniel
Top 10 names for girls 2014 — U.S.:
1) Emma
2) Olivia
3) Sophia
4) Isabella
5) Ava
6) Mia
7) Emily
8) Abigail
9) Madison
10) Charlotte
Top 10 names for boys 2014 — Texas:
1) Noah
2) Jacob
3) Daniel
4) Liam
5) Jayden
6) Ethan
7) David
8) Sebastian
9) Jose
10) Matthew
Top 10 names for girls 2014 — Texas:
1) Emma
2) Sophia
3) Isabella
4) Mia
5) Olivia
6) Sofia
7) Emily
8) Ava
9) Abigail
10) Victoria
The name Miley saw the biggest drop for girls.
