NEW YORK CITY – October 12, 2007 – Long gone are Mary, Margaret, John and James – favorite baby names of New Yorkers having kids in 1898. Madison and Mia, along with Jayden and Justin, are more the style of today’s New York City parent. These names ranked among the top 10 most popular baby names of 2006, according to the list released today by the Health Department. Longtime favorites Ashley and Michael took the number-one spots among the 125,506 babies born here last year.

Michael reigned as king of boys’ names, as he has since 1980. Matthew bumped David out of the top five this year and newcomer Jayden claimed the 10th spot, leaving Nicholas off the list. For girls, Ashley nudged out Emily for number one, reclaiming the position she’d held from 1992-2002. Newcomers Mia and Madison entered the top 10, and Olivia and Rachel lost their slots.

A complete list of most popular baby names for 2006, broken down by race/ethnicity and sex, is available online at www.nyc.gov/html/
doh/downloads/pdf/public/press07/pr085-07-babynames.pdf. A historical listing of popular baby names is available online at www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/public/
press07/pr085-07-timeline.pdf.

Most Popular Baby Names by Race/Ethnicity

Isabella, Emily and Sarah were popular across several racial and ethnic groups. Angelina and Melanie joined the top 10 for Hispanic New Yorkers, and Jayla entered the top 10 for black New Yorkers, ranking sixth. For boys, Brandon gained ground among black and Hispanic New Yorkers. Jordan jumped into the top 10 for blacks as well, and Tyler and Christian were knocked out of the ranks.

Going Global

Some NYC parents consulted the atlas for inspiration. “Egypt” (#151), “India” (#147) and “Jordan” (#34 for boys) all made the charts, as did “Sydney” (#73), “Paris” (#121), and “London” (#143 for girls). “Brooklyn” ranked 151st.  To the agency’s knowledge, no other borough has yet become a baby name.

Tags from the Tabloids

“Angelina” was 16th most popular this year. “Britney” trailed at 119th, followed closely by “Paris” and “Lindsay,” who were duking it out for 121st place.

Baubles for Baby Names

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but “Diamond” is only her 126th best name. Far more popular among precious gems were “Amber” (#66), “Jade” (#82), and “Ruby” (#99).

Most Popular Names by Mother's Race/Ethnicity, New York City, 2006

GIRLS

BOYS

*, ** Tied

The Health Department’s Bureau of Vital Statistics compiles baby name lists from birth certificates.  For information on obtaining a birth certificate, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/vr/vrbappl.shtml.

Helping Keep Babies Safe and Healthy

Having a healthy baby is a priority of Take Care New York, a comprehensive health policy for the City. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to keep their child safe and healthy by avoiding second-hand smoke, protecting their child from lead poisoning, keeping up with immunization schedules, and making sure window guards are properly installed in their home.  For more information on having a healthy baby, visit www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/tcny/tcny10.shtml.

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