NEW YORK CITY – October 11, 2006 – The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) today announced the most popular names for the 122,725 babies born in New York City in 2005. Among the 59,714 baby girls, Emily, Ashley, Kayla and Sarah held onto their previous positions as the top four most popular names (in that order). Isabella jumped up to claim spot five, switching places from last year with Samantha, now the 6th in line. Sophia, Nicole and Olivia each rose one place from the previous year to take the 7th, 8th, and 9th places, respectively. Newcomer Rachel took 10th place for the girls, bumping Brianna out of the top ten for the first time since 1997.

Michael, the most popular name among the 63,011 boys born this past year, boasts more than 20 consecutive years in first place. Daniel still holds the runner-up position, though Joshua and David rose in the ranks to 3rd and 4th place. Justin and Matthew slid down to slots five and six, respectively, but Anthony, Christopher and Joseph held strong at seven, eight, and nine. Nicholas claimed the 10th spot, leaving Ryan off the list.

Most Popular Baby Names by Race/Ethnicity

Emily, the most popular girl’s name across all groups, was also at the top of the list for Asian & Pacific Islanders. Ashley is the most popular girl’s name for Hispanics, Sarah is most popular for whites, and Kayla was most often chosen among blacks. Michael, the most popular boys’ name overall, was the top choice among whites; Angel and Joshua were the most popular names among Hispanics and blacks, respectively. Ryan was the first pick for Asian & Pacific Islander boys.

Most Popular Names by Mother's Ethnicity, New York City, 2005

GIRLS

BOYS

*, ** Tied
+ Persons of Hispanic ancestry may be of any race.
NOTE: Total includes “Other” and unknown ethnicities

Appellation Station

• • Would a Rose (115^th) by any other name, such as Rosa (142^nd), smell as sweet? What about Lily (72^nd), Jasmine (42^nd) or Dahlia (147^th)?
• • Christina (54^th) and Ashanti (54^th) top Aaliyah (59^th) for labeling little ones. Britney (119^th) and Shakira (141^st) are way down on the charts for identity inspiration. While Elvis (149^th) may be “The King,” he still falls short of Prince (146^th).
• • Shorter vs. longer names: less is not more! While Joshua, Christopher, Joseph and Nicholas all made the top ten, Josh (160^th), Chris (117^th), Joe (157^th) and Nick (160^th) were much less popular.

Helping Keep Babies Safe and Healthy

Parents/caregivers of every baby who receives a birth certificate in New York City also receive information from DOHMH about steps to take to keep their child safe and healthy, including avoiding second-hand smoke, information on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), immunization schedules, lead poisoning prevention, and window guard information.

“Have a Healthy Baby” is a priority intervention in Take Care New York, a comprehensive health policy for the City (www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/tcny/index.shtml). New York City residents may also call 3-1-1 to ask for women's health information, or visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ms/ms-public.shtml for more information on maternal, infant and reproductive health.

The Most Popular NYC Baby Names

DOHMH’s Bureau of Vital Statistics compiles baby name lists using information on birth certificates. Each year, the list of most popular baby names is published in DOHMH’s Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, which has been published annually since 1932. The final Summary is generally published 12 months after the year of focus to allow the time required for validating the reporting, compiling, and preparing of data. For more information about NYC vital statistics, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/vs/vs.shtml.

For information on obtaining a birth certificate, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/vr/vrbappl.shtml.

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