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Isabella, Jayden Were NYC's Most Popular Baby Names In 2011
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 29, 2012
Modified Aug 29, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 29, 2012
Modified Aug 29, 2012
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Mayor Bloomberg had a press conference with a bunch of babies—literal babies, that is. He and Health Commissioner Thomas Farley were delivering the one-two punch news that Isabella and Jayden were NYC's most popular baby names for 2011 (pow!) and that babies born in NYC have a life expectancy of 80.6 years, higher than the national average of 78.2 years (pow pow!). Bloomberg bragged that the life expectancy news was "in no small part due to our bold public health initiatives. This means we can expect to see many of the very popularly named Isabellas and Jaydens - like these two little ones with us today - more than 80 years from now."
After Isabella, the most popular girls names are Sophia, Olivia, Emma, Mia, Emily, Madison, Leah, Chloe, Sofia; after Jayden, the most popular boys names are Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Michael, Matthew, Justin, David, Aiden, Alexander. Some more fun facts from the city:
From 2010 to 2011, the number of babies born in New York City dipped slightly, down 1.4 percent from 124,791 to 123,029 (62,808 boys and 60,221 girls). Brooklyn saw the greatest number of babies born last year with 41,303 births. Queens came in second with 26,876 births followed by 20,465 babies born in the Bronx, 19,323 in Manhattan and 5,519 on Staten Island.
Nine of the top 10 girls’ names for 2011 were holdovers from 2010, with Sarah dipping to number 11 and Sofia joining the list, up from 16 to number 10. Among boys, “A” names gained traction with Alexander back in the top 10 after getting bumped off two years ago and Aiden reemerged in spot 9 after years of dwindling popularity. Michael and Matthew also jumped up two spots to positions 5 and 6, respectively, while Joseph and Joshua slid to spots 13 and 14.
Seeing Stars
Some New York baby names may have been inspired by famous actors or musicians, such as Sofia (#10), Ashton (#117) Angelina (#33), Usher (#140) and Mariah (#106). Others may have been inspired by political icons or scientific pioneers such as Darwin (#151), Desmond (#141) and Kennedy (#135).
Spelling Variations
While Jayden wins, some parents drop the “y” (Jaden #49) or swap it for an “i” (Jaiden #92). Other spelling variations include Aiden (#9), Aidan (#59), and Ayden (#39). While Isabella is the most common name bestowed upon newborn girls, similar names include Isabelle (#93), Izabella (#121) or Isabela (#151). This year’s runner up also comes in two favored forms: Sophia (#2) or Sofia (#10).
Geographic Names
New York City parents found inspiration from as close as Brooklyn (#141) to far-away places like Santiago (#115), Egypt (#143) and London (#45).
Do you know any babies named Darwin?!?
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baby name
baby names
isabella
jayden
nyc baby names
popular names
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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