Naming Characters: Most Popular Names Last Year

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about choosing character names. There's a lot that goes into picking a name. One thing you might consider is whether the name was popular when the character was born.

When our youngest was born, Jennifers, Ambers, and Melissas were popping up all over the place. I wanted something different which is how our daughter ended up with the name of Adina. In all the years since, I've only seen a few Adinas.

So if you want your heroine's name to stand out, do not choose one that was extremely popular in her birth year. If you want the name to be commonplace then pick one that was hugely popular.

Last year, 2017, these were the top 20 names chosen nationwide. You may find significant differences if you look for the top 20 in your state.

Trends come and go even in names. For decades, the name Michael was the #1 name given to baby boys. It has fallen in the last few years to #16.

RANK                      GIRLS                        BOYS

1                               Sophia                       Jackson
2                               Olivia                        Liam
3                               Emma                        Noah
4                              Ava                             Aiden
5                              Isabella                       Lucas
6                              Mia                             Caden
7                              Aria                            Grayson
8                              Riley                           Mason
9                              Zoe                             Elijah
10                            Amelia                        Logan
11                            Layla                           Oliver
12                            Charlotte                     Ethan
13                            Aubrey                        Jayden
14                            Lily                             Muhammad
15                           Chloe                           Carter
16                           Harper                          Michael
17                           Evelyn                          Sebastian
18                           Adalyn                         Alexander
19                           Emily                            Jacob
20                           Abigail                         Benjamin

Takeaway Truth

The thing I note most about last year's Top 20 names is the influence television and movies have on naming babies.