There are two ways to look at naming your baby. One group loves to choose unique, unusual, sometimes even a little bit odd, baby names. They want their baby to have a name which in individually theirs, not shared by many other kids. The other group loves common baby names. They do not want their baby standing out like a sore thumb in school. They want a name which is enjoyed and loved by everyone. Both groups have some great arguments, but do you really know what names are in common usage?
The USA Social Security administration keeps track of common name usage, and has created a great list of names showing the top 200 most common names for boys and girls during the decades. Of course, choosing a name at the top of the list means there is much more chance of your son or daughter having another person with the same name in their school classes. Picking from the bottom part of the list reduces the odds greatly.
How much difference is their between the top and bottom of this list? At the top of the most common names for boys we have Jacob with almost 273,000 boys adopting this name during the last 10 years. At the bottom of the list is Martin, with less than 19,000 boys. Both names seem like very normal names, but as you can see their is a wide difference in popularity.
For girls the difference is almost as dramatic. At the top of list is Emily with over 223,000 girls getting this name in the most recent decade. All the way at the bottom of the list is Jasmin, with less than 17,000 girls. Both very beautiful girls names, but a wide difference in popularity.
To give you a quick idea of the types of names for boys and girls, here are the top 10 and the bottom 10 names for each gender:
Top 10 Most Common Baby Names for Boys in 2000-2009:
Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew, Daniel, Christopher, Andrew, Ethan, Joseph, and William
Names 191 to 200 on the Most Common List for Boys:
Gregory, Abraham, Elias, Leonardo, Sergio, Donovan, Colby, Marco, Bryson, and Martin
Top 10 Most Common Baby Names for Girls in 2000-2009:
Emily, Madison, Emma, Olivia, Hannah, Abigail, Isabella, Samantha, Elizabeth, and Ashley
Names 191 to 200 on the Most Common List for Girls:
Mackenzie, Veronica, Lily, Abby, Jazmin, Adrianna, Karina, Delany, Ellie, and Jasmin
By looking at these samplings from the lists you can see how common these names are in our society. Even the names in the bottom of the list are highly popular, and have been for many years. The names take twists and turns through the decades moving up and down the popularity charts. Another striking thing is how prevalent Bible names are in the list. You can find common baby names which will fit your baby perfectly, but do not need to choose the ones most people are using today, to give your baby a little individuality.