Aiden, Sophia most popular US baby names

WASHINGTON: Aiden and Sophia are holding on as the most popular baby names of 2012 in the United States, a specialist website for mothers-to-be said Thursday. Aiden was the most-chosen name for newborn boys for the eighth consecutive year, and Sophia the top pick for girls for the third year running, according to BabyCenter.com. Jackson, Ethan, Liam and Mason also made the summit of the boys’ list, while Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Ava rounded out the top five names for girls.
BabyCenter.com, which is based in San Francisco, said it compiled its list from the names of nearly half a million babies whose names were disclosed to the website by parents in the past year. “What’s becoming more important to new parents is finding a name with meaning,” said its global editor in chief Linda Murray in a statement, noting that Sophia means “wisdom” and Aiden “fiery.” “Meaning can come from the name itself or because the name is associated with a loved one or other inspiring person,” she added.
“This is a significant new trend in baby naming.” The Social Security Administration’s own list ranked Jacob, Mason, William, Jayden and Noah as the most popular boys’ names in 2011 (with Aiden at number nine), and Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Olivia and Ava as the top names for girls. Fifty years ago, in 1962, the most popular names were Michael, David, John, James and Robert for boys, and Lisa, Mary, Susan, Karen and Linda for girls, according to the federal government agency.