Emily Larson - The 2016 Baby Names Almanac

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Whats Hot (or Not) Today
(And What Willand Wont!Be Tomorrow) So, youve got a baby to name.

As if preparing for the arrival of the baby isnt enough, youre dealing with all the pressure of figuring out what, exactly, to call the little bundle of joy. It can be stressful to find a name that will do justice to the hope you have for your child. After all, names influence first impressions. They can trigger greator unpleasantnicknames. They can affect your childs self-esteem. They can be a tangible, lasting link to a family legacy.

But lets not forget that they can be fun. And thats what this book is all about. Remember The Old Farmers Almanac , which comes out annually as a guide to each years trends, forecasts, and hot spots? Aimed at farmers, of course, the book provides a way to put the year into context, to navigate the shifting seasons, and to understand all the factors swirling in the atmosphere. The 2016 Baby Names Almanac aims to be a similar lifeline for parents. With a finger on the pulse of pop culture and an ear to the ground of whats hip, new, and relevant, this book offers you an instant, idiosyncratic snapshot of how the world today is shaping what you may want to name your child tomorrow. Jam-packed with information and ideas, plus thousands of names to browse, this book analyzes the most recent trends and fads in baby naming, offering up forecasts and predictions.

Youll find our take on questions like these (and much more!): Which cutting-edge names are on the rise? Which popular names are on the decline? What influence do celebrities have on names? Names in music: Will your child be Zendaya or Hendrix ? Names in movies: Will Elsa be in your childs kindergarten class? Or will you see more Star Warsinspired kids? Names in sports: Will Olympians continue to inspire the names of the next generation? Or will NBA offspring, like Riley , inspire? How many babies get the most popular name, anyway? Which letter do most girls names start with? How about boys names? What are the most popular gender-neutral names todayand which gender uses each name more often? (If you name your daughter Landry , will she find herself playing with lots of other little girls named Landry or little boys instead?) How can you take a trend and turn it into a name you love? (How about a little Royal of your own?) We understand that sometimes this information on trends and popularity is hard to digest, so weve created some easy-to-visualize graphics. Turn to page 4, for example, to see a map of the United States showing where Emma reigns and where little Noah is king. And what baby name book would be complete without the names? Flip to page 67 to begin browsing through more than 20,000 names, including entries for the most popular names for girls and boys as reported by the Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames). A little bit of a mishmash and a screenshot of the world today, The 2016 Baby Names Almanac is like no other book out there. Stuffed with ideas on whats hip and hot and how you can take a trend and turn it into a name you love, this book is your all-in-one guide to baby names now.

Lets start with the most popular names in the country.

Ranked by the Social Security Administration (SSA), these names are released around Mothers Day each year. (The top 10 names get the most attention, but you may also hear about the top 100. The total number of names widely reported is 1,000.) In 2014 the top 10 names were similar tobut not identical tothe top 10 for 2013. The biggest change: After three years in the top spot on the girls list, Sophia dropped into third. Emma took over the top spot, and Olivia jumped into second place. The boys list was more stable, though after five years in the top 10, Jayden dropped out.

James (on the boys side) and Charlotte (on the girls side) were new additions to the top 10 lists this year. Heres a quick comparison of 2013 and 2014:

2014 Girls	2013 Girls	2014 Boys	2013 Boys
1. Emma	1. Sophia	1. Noah	1. Noah
2. Olivia	2. Emma	2. Liam	2. Liam
3. Sophia	3. Olivia	3. Mason	3. Jacob
4. Isabella	4. Isabella	4. Jacob	4. Mason
5. Ava	5. Ava	5. William	5. William
6. Mia	6. Mia	6. Ethan	6. Ethan
7. Emily	7. Emily	7. Michael	7. Michael
8. Abigail	8. Abigail	8. Alexander	8. Alexander
9. Madison	9. Madison	9. James	9. Jayden
10. Charlotte	10. Elizabeth	10. Daniel	10. Daniel

Sure, these names are popular, but what does that mean? Well, it seems that new parents are increasingly looking for off-the-beaten-path names for their little ones, and it shows.

According to the SSA, the top 1,000 names represent 73.54 percent of all babies born and named in the United States in 2014a significant drop from the 77.84 percent recorded in 2000. Names Represented on the Top 1,000 List

Although parents of either gender have always been looking beyond the top 1,000, parents of boys are more likely to pick a name in that mix78.96 percent of boys names are represented on the top 1,000 list, while only 67.86 percent of girls names are. Names Represented on the Top 1,000 List By Gender Plus, although it may seem like you know a zillion people with daughters named Olivia or Ava , the most popular names are actually bestowed upon a relatively small number of babies each year. For example, in 2014 only 0.9431 percent of all male babies born in the United States (thats 19,144 little guys total) got the most popular name, Noah . There are slightly more girls (20,799) with the most popular name, Emma , but even thats only 1.0729 percent of all girls born. Only a fifth of the Noah total3,872 babieswere given the 100th most popular name, Camden .