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Sophia & Jayden Oust Isabella & Daniel as Top NYC Baby Names
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 2, 2009
Modified Dec 2, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 2, 2009
Modified Dec 2, 2009
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Sophia and Jayden surpassed Isabella and Daniel to become the most popular baby names in NYC, according to the Health Department's annual report [pdf] on infant nomenclature. 872 newborn males were named Jayden (the most popular name for black and Hispanic boys) and 511 newborn females were named Sophia (the most popular name among Asians). Madison became a new favorite for girls born to black families, while Ashley was the most popular girl’s name for Hispanic families. For white babies, Daniel is #1 for boys, and Olivia for girls. And as usual, there were some novelties in the mix.
Among the rarest names chosen for girls (as few as 10) were Armani and Clementine, and the most uncommon boy names included Jeter, Milan, Drake, and Keon. The Health Department attributes Jayden's popularity in part to Will Smith's son, and says celebrities inspired other names such as Angelina (#22), Keira (#105), Mariah (#88), Rihanna (#100), model Giselle (#106) and Orlando (#162)—that last one being pretty much the equivalent of naming your son Sue. Below, a chart breaking down the most popular NYC names by race.
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baby names
daniel
isabella
jayden
nyc
popular
sophia
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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