Press Release New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sandra Mullin/Sid Dinsay Business Hours (212) 788-5290 After Business Hours (212) 764-7667 Wednesday, September 15, 2004

NEW YORK CITY - September 15, 2004 - Over 580 newborn girls were named "Emily" in 2003, making it the most popular baby name in the City and knocking "Ashley" from the top spot for the first time since 1992, according to data released today by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). But despite the regime change on the girls' side, "Michael" continued his reign as the most popular name for baby boys, besting "Justin" for the fifth year in a row.

Of the 124,345 babies born in New York City during 2003, 51% were boys, and 49% were girls. The number of live births is up from 122,937 in 2002, a 1.01% increase in births.

Among 60,554 girls born in New York City in 2003, Emily was the most popular girls' name overall, although it failed to take the top spot among Hispanics (Ashley), blacks (Kayla), whites (Sarah) and Asian & Pacific Islanders (Michelle, for the third consecutive year).

Emily made her first top ten appearance in 1995, and save for a setback in 2000 (when she dropped from third to fourth), gradually climbed to the top spot. Perhaps reflecting the waning cachet of reality TV shows, Nicole and Jessica continued their trek south on the lists (7^th to 8^th, and 8^th to 10^th, respectively). Michelle dropped off completely (11^th) despite remaining first among Asians & Pacific Islanders.

Michael remained the most popular name among the 63,791 baby boys born in 2003, and stayed atop the list for whites. Justin was number two overall and remained the top name among Hispanics and blacks. Kevin won the baby boy name game among Asian & Pacific Islanders, while coming in 10^th overall.

Nicholas completely disappeared from the top ten list (from 9^th in 2002 to 11^th last year), while the top five (Michael, Justin, Daniel, Matthew and Christohper) have remained unchanged since 2002. Anthony and David have both stepped it up (10^th to 7^th, and 7^th to 6^th, respectively), while Joseph sank from 6^th in 2002 to 9^th in 2003. And variations on a theme allowed both Andrew (5^th) and Andy (10^th, shared with William) to nab top ten spots among Asians & Pacific Islanders.

2002 and 2003 Most Popular Baby Names

Today the Health Department also released, for the first time ever, a complete list of the most popular baby names - i.e., those with a frequency of ten or more - for the years 2002 and 2003, broken down by race and sex. To find out if your baby's name made the list, or if you want some inspiration or guidance in naming your new baby, please visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/vr/vr.shtml.

Moniker Madness for the Nomenclaturally Nosy - 2003 Edition

• Brian (21^st overall) beat Bryan (37^th), but Ryan bested them both (12^th). Bryant? 117^th.
• While 2003 wasn't a presidential election year, John (17^th overall) topped George (66^th), with Ralph bringing up the rear (155^th).
• There were more Jonathans (ranked 14^th overall) than Johns (17^th), but there were fewer Johnathans (138^th) than Johnnys (137^th). Jon (159^th) beat Jan (161^st) and Jun (167^th) and, for that matter, Jhon (168^th). Juan came in 50^th overall, while Jonah was 123^rd - and Jonas, 164^th.
• Jennifer (19^th overall) bested Jenna (75^th), Jenny (86^th), and Jennie (145^th). There was no appearance on this particular list - not even an abbreviated one - by "Jen" (although it's possible that there were fewer than ten newborns named Jen in 2003).
• There was no Hope (139^th overall) to overcome Destiny (23^rd), which also topped Destinee (143^rd). And what's more precious than Precious (124^th)? The answer: Diamond (96^th), Crystal (68^th), Krystal (119^th) and yes, Cristal (139^th). Pearls too - at 123^rd overall. Not to be outdone, Tiffany came in 41^st.
• The City isn't just a Rose (127^th overall) garden - here too grows Lily (83^rd), Daisy (87^th), Ivy (122^nd), Iris (133^rd), and Violet (135^th). Also in this Eden (tied for 127^th) grows Joshua (8^th overall for boys), as in tree.
• In entertainment news, it's not a simple life for Paris (126^th overall for girls), a far less popular name than Nicole (8^th). And as usual, Jessica (10^th overall for girls) gets top billing over Nick (165^th for boys) - although Nicholas is ranked 11^th.
• The spirit of Aaliyah (55^th overall) topped Beyonce (146^th), Whitney (145^th), Mariah (102^nd), Britney (94^th), Alicia (88^th), Shania (86^th) and Mya (67^th), but not Christina (46^th). Madonna didn't materialize on this list, so we doubt Esther (29^th) would want to change her name. And among boys, Justin (2^nd overall) may no longer be in sync, but Omarion and Usher (tied with over 60 others for 168^th) are on the charts.
• For the sci-fi set, George (66^th) beat Lucas (68^th). And while Luke (71^st) used the force, Kirk beamed off the list completely.
• Most popular names for girls and boys, beginning with A and Z? Ashley and Anthony (2nd and 6^th, respectively); and Zoe and Zachary (64^th and 53^rd).

Helping Parents Keep Their Babies Safe and Healthy

Parents 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. Visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/tcny/tcny10.shtml for more information.

DOHMH's Bureau of Vital Statistics compiled the 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. The 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. The New York City Summary of Vital Statistics has been published annually since 1932.

For more information about NYC vital statistics, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/vs/vs.shtml.
Call 311 and ask for the Women's Health Line, or visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ms/ms.shtml for more information on maternal, infant and reproductive health in New York City.

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