When the day finally arrives and you hear your daughter's first cries in the delivery room, you may already know the name she will carry for the rest of her life. How will you choose that name? Some parents are moved to rake the branches of their family tree and memorialize a cherished ancestor. Others choose the names of favorite celebrities. Still others will choose names whose very sound or meaning resonates with them.
As expectant parents, we most wanted to capture a little piece of family lore, my grandmother's Aunt Hulda, who had come to Boston as a young woman, saved her wages as a mill girl, and later paid the way for my grandmother and her mother to come to the U.S.. Halfway through our pregnancy, we looked at each other. Hulda? No, we just couldn't do it. With twenty weeks left in the pregnancy, we scoured the Internet for help and discovered the U.S. Social Security Administration's Popular Baby Names database. We also discovered that Hulda, as popular in the 1880's as Kristen or Julie are today, was last a Top 1000 name in . . . the 1920's. No, Hulda just wouldn't work.
We set ourselves down with the database's list of most popular names and discovered many timeless classics, shown below, that turned out to be quite well-represented in each of our family trees. So, what are these ten most popular names? Last year's ten most popular U.S. baby girl names, according to Social Security Administration data, are listed below:
Emma: Parents chose the name Emma more than any other when naming their daughters in 2008, returning the name to levels of popularity not seen since the 1880's. During the intervening 120 years, the name's popularity plummeted hard through the 1970's before it began its renaissance among parents of girls born in the 1980's. Emma, which originates from the German word for whole, entire, or universal, first came to English in the early years of the eleventh century with Emma of Normandy, the wife of two kings of England. Adding to its rich history, Emma also claims literary connections, its most famous in Jane Austen's 1815 romance novel, Emma.
Isabella: Best known in history as one of the two Catholic Monarchs (los reyes catlicos) of Spain responsible for financing Christopher Columbus and the expedition that resulted in his discovery of the Americas, Isabella is the second-most popular name of 2008. Isabella is another form of Isabel, which itself is a form of Elizabeth. The name, which means pledged to God, has also become attached, in recent years, to actress Isabella Rossellini.
Emily: This decade's most popular name and 2008's third-most popular name, has become steadily more popular since the 1950's. The name, meaning industrious, has aged better than its rare male counterpart, Emil, a name which today primarily survives as Emilio and Emiliano. Emily entered the English-speaking world with the ascent of the German House of Hanover, and Princess Amelia Sophia (known affectionately as Emily), to the British throne in 1714. Like Emma, Emily can also claim literary roots in its history. Several literary greats named Emily, from Poet Emily Dickinson, to the Novelist Emily Bront, to etiquette maven Emily Post, have popularized this name.
Madison: Who could have guessed that Splash, a movie produced some twenty-five years ago, could have resulted in the transformation of Madison from a dusty, old name of gray-haired men and our country's fourth president to a hip, classy name for little girls? In the 1984 movie, a mermaid, played by Daryl Hannah, washes ashore at Liberty Island, meets the man of her dreams, played by Tom Hanks, and then chooses Madison as her name, so inspired when she finds herself walking on New York City's Madison Avenue. Since 1984, the name has grown steadily in popularity, becoming the forth-most popular name for girls in 2008. The name originally meant son of Maud.
Ava, meaning life, desired or radiant one, appears to have developed in the nineteenth century as a variant of Eva, itself a Top 50 name in 1880. Until recently, Ava Gardner, a U.S. actress of the 1940's and 1950's, was its most famous bearer. In the late 1990's, Heather Locklear and Reese Witherspoon each named their daughters Ava, likely contributing to the name's meteoric rise, from a Top 500 name in the 1990's, to #180 in 2000, to #25 in 2004, and lastly, to #5 in 2008.
Olivia: Few names as old as Olivia can be traced to their individual creators. Olivia is the exception. In his play Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare gave the name to a rich countess, who is being courted by a duke named Orsino. Until recently, Olivia Newton John may have been the first to come to mind when mentioning this name. By the time your daughter reaches grade school, you will likely know many more Olivias.
Sophia: Greek for wisdom, Sophia was the seventh-most popular name in 2008. At the peak of its popularity now, the name suffered a gradual decline in popularity through the late 1800's and into the twentieth century, before skyrocketing to fame in the 1980's, 1990's, and into this decade. One famous Sophia is Sophia Loren, the famous Italian mid-century actress.
Abigail: Another name with biblical roots and the eighth-most popular name in 2008, Abigail descends from a Hebrew name meaning her father's joy. In the Old Testament, Abigail is the third wife of King David. Most recently, and with many of today's parents, the name Abigail brings to mind Abigail Van Buren, writer of the Dear Abby column for all those years. In its distant history, the name suffered a nearly fatal blow when the hugely successful 17th century play The Scornful Lady featured a waiting woman named Abigail who became so well-known that her name became a synonym for servant women. In recent years, the name has enjoyed a revival in its popularity.
Elizabeth: Last year's ninth-most popular name, Elizabeth, was a favorite name for girls throughout last century and even into the nineteenth century. Surpassed in popularity by its close relative Isabella only recently, Elizabeth still makes a strong showing today. Two English monarchs have carried the name and American actress Elizabeth Taylor has helped to immortalize it in the American psyche. The many nicknames available for Elizabeth also add to its allure. The wide range of nicknames includes such classics as the Victorian Bess, the mid-century Betty, and the rejuvenated Libby.
Chloe: A new addition to the top ten list and the #10 name in 2008, Chloe did not become a top 100 name until 1998 and had steadily risen on the Social Security Administration's Top 1000 list since reappearing on the list after a 40-year hiatus in 1982. Chloe derives from the Greek for verdant or blooming as these words refer to new growth on plants, especially in the Spring. The name also claims fame in that it is a title carried by the Greek goddess Demeter, who is the goddess of earth and fertility.
Names, like fashions, come into, and go out of, vogue. Some names, like dear Hulda, seem best left to family trees and dusty bibles. Choosing others, like these top ten names above may well relegate your daughter to being one of two or three (or more) Emma's or Madison's in her kindergarten class. The choice of a name for your daughter should carefully consider all of the elements that you, as parents, consider important in the naming decision. For some parents, this will mean capturing a cherished legend of family lore; for others, a name that sounds a certain way or has a certain meaning will be more important. For still others, none of these factors will be important and one name may just feel right when you meet your daughter for the first time.