You likely named him Jacob. NickMom made these helpful geographical maps (also below) that show which baby names dominated each state in 2012. The analysis is based on a recent data dump by the Social Security Administration. Emma came in second to Sophia for girls’ names, and though more states chose Emma than Sophia, there were still more Sophias born in places like Illinois. Isabella came in third, and was the most popular name in Florida.
For boys, while Jacobs dominated the birthing rooms (18,899) in 2012, Mason was the top name in 16 states and many western states loved Liam. Those in the south preferred William. (Liam is, of course, an abbreviated form of William, so science tells us we can attribute this to the ongoing wildness of the west.)
As you’ll note, the northeastern states also jumped on the Mason bandwagon (so did Wisconsinites), but a smattering of states preferred Michael, and Massachusetts went totally rogue with its preference of Benjamin.
How do these naming trends compare to those of previous generations? Big Think’s Frank Jacobs posits this: “Until the mid-20th century, the popularity of baby names was less prone to variation and fluctuation. Fitting in was a greater priority than standing out: if you weren’t named after a family member of a previous generation (often your godfather and/or godmother), you were still most likely stuck with a name from a canonical list of biblical and classical names.”
This might explain Florida – always one to buck a trend – and its preference for Jayden. But if there were a combined 80,000 children given the four most popular names in 2012, perhaps sticking out is the new fitting in.
United States of Sophia.
We couldn’t come to national agreement on this one.
