Old names become new

Oh baby, things are booming in Saskatchewan.

The birth count in the province hit a 22-year high in 2012. For the first time in nearly a generation, the number of births exceeded 15,000. To date, 15,035 live births have been registered in Saskatchewan, compared to 14,577 in 2011.

Don McMorris, minister responsible for Information Services Corporation, attributed the higher birth rate to an influx of people coming to Saskatchewan.

Last year, 5,212 babies were born in Saskatoon while Regina’s baby count reached 4,100.

For the fourth year, Emma continued to be the most popular name for girls in the province while Liam remained the top pick for boys for the third year. However, many Regina and Saskatoon parents did not follow the provincial trend in naming their daughters.

Ava, Sophia, Olivia and Emily were the top contenders for girls’ names in Regina while Olivia, Emma, Ella and Abigail topped the list of popular names in the Bridge City.

For the first time since 2010, Elizabeth was back on the top 20 list, taking the 13th spot. William was fourth on the list of boys.

Did parents choose royal names because it was Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee year? That is possible, said Mary Ann Beavis, a professor at St. Thomas More College who is interested in religion and popular culture.

“I think the Royal Family, just because of the royal marriage and the royal pregnancy, are more top of mind for people than they might have been a couple of years ago,” Beavis said.

Noah, seventh on the list, is a name for the ages.

“It’s attached to one of the oldest stories in the history of the western world and the biblical version isn’t the only version of it or even the oldest version of it,” Beavis said. “Maybe there is a tendency toward more traditional names — those that have a meaning to them as opposed to uniquely spelled names that have very little meaning.”

Like many, she has an interest in knowing the most popular baby names.

“Sometimes, it’s just that you sort of want to be appalled by the names people are giving their children,” Beavis said chuckling. “You can feel superior to these people who are giving their children these weird kinds of names.

“But I think people are maybe looking for baby names for their own family. Pregnancy and birth is part of everyone’s experience, one way or another. Everybody likes babies.”