Penticton Herald

Liam, Emma are top baby names, 2017

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Liam and Emma were the most frequently chosen baby names for 2017.

For the fourth year in a row, Emma was the top girl’s name according to the annual list of the most popular baby names released by the Social Security Administra­tion. Liam pushed last year’s champ, Noah, to second to claim the top spot.

The Social Security Administra­tion releases the 1,000 most popular baby names each year. They trumpeted the name reveals Friday with a Facebook Live announceme­nt. The agency uses the announceme­nt to draw traffic to its website, where workers can begin tracking their benefits long before retirement.

When it came to girls’ names, Emma was followed by Olivia, Ava, Isabella and Sophia.

For the boys, Liam and Noah were followed by William, James and Logan.

Other trends last year included a rise in the use of Melania for a girl, likely influenced by first lady Melania Trump.

Pamela Redmond Satran, who blogs about baby naming at Nameberry.com, said the rise of Liam reflects the large population of Irish people in the U.S. who may not speak Irish, but have ethnic pride.

“I think you see ethnic influences coming into play in a more indirect way. You see more parents looking back and looking for places in their lives that hold meaning that can be translated into names,” said Satran, who also co-wrote the books “The Baby Name Bible” and “Cool Names for Babies.”

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