LVHN lists most popular baby names for 2016
Each year at this time, national outlets publish lists of most popular baby names of the year. According to a list published by Baby Center (babycenter.com), the top girls’ names in 2016 were (in order of popularity) Sophia, Emma and Olivia, while the top boys’ names were Jackson, Aidan and Lucas.
Of the more than 4,100 babies born at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest so far this year, many of their names followed these national trends; still, there are some interesting local differences.
Next summer, as the new Family Birth and Newborn Center opens at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, expect our newest community members to have names derived from past generations and the latest entertainment trends.
The top 10 boys’ baby names at LVH, so far, are: 1. Mason 2. Liam 3. Tied: Alexander; Jacob 4. Tied: Noah; Owen 5. Tied: Benjamin; Logan;
Oliver 6. Ryan 7. Aiden 8. Tied: Ethan; John; Lucas 9. Tied: Cameron; Connor; Isaac; Jackson; Jayden; Julian; Matthew 10. Tied: Dylan; Gabriel
The top girls’ names at LVH are: 1. Emma 2. Isabella 3. Ella 4. Tied: Ava; Charlotte; Sophia 5. Olivia 6. Abigail 7. Madison 8. Tied: Elizabeth; Grace:
Mia 9. Riley 10. Aubrey
What a difference 100 years make. According to weddingvendors.com, in 1916, the top female names were: Mary, Helen, Dorothy, Margaret, Ruth, Mildred, Anna, Elizabeth and Frances. The same year, the most popular male names were: John, William, James, Robert, Joseph, Charles, George, Edward, Frank and Thomas.
Both locally and nationally, this year’s most popular names have clear ties to pop culture. Mason, the most popular boys’ name in 2016 is also the name of reality star Kourtney Kardashian’s son. The name first appeared on national popularity lists a year after his birth and debut on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”
Emma, which ranks #1 in the region and #2 nationally, appeared on popularity lists for the first time in 2002, the same year Jennifer Anniston’s character on “Friends” gave birth to a baby girl who she named Emma. While “Friends” aired its series finale in 2004, the name’s continued popularity likely is because of Harry Potter’s leading actress, Emma Watson.
Liam has been popular nationally for the past three years, coinciding with the pop music reign of boy band One Direction and their member turned solo star, Liam Payne.
A newcomer to the list, Alexander, may have been influenced by the wildly popular Broadway musical “Hamilton,” about the nation’s founding father, Alexander Hamilton.
Isabella and Ella round out the remaining top three female names in the area. While Isabella has been popular nationally for the past decade, the Lehigh Valley may be leading a trend with the shortened variation, as Ella has not yet appeared in the top five nationally.
The popular names of 2016 bare close resemblance to classic names of the past. LVHN design coordinator, Erin Parrish, mom of 16-month-old Ella Louise and 4-year-old Nora Elizabeth, said she named both of her daughters after their great-grandmothers in a nod to family legacy and tradition.
Lehigh Valley Health Network includes seven hospital campuses - three in Allentown including the region’s only facility dedicated to orthopedic surgery, one in Bethlehem, one in Hazleton and two in Pottsville, Pa.; 16 health centers caring for communities in five counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region; pharmacy, imaging, home health services and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes: trauma care at the region’s busiest, mostexperienced trauma center treating adults and children, burn care at the regional Burn Center, kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in the region, provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Health Network has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years as one of America’s Best Hospitals. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street and Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg are national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing. . LVHN’s Cancer Institute is a formal member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, a transformative initiative to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people with cancer in community health care settings, including access to key MSK clinical trials. Additional information is available at lvhn.org and by following us on facebook.com/LVHealthNetwork and twitter.com/ LVHN.