The New York City Health Department has released data revealing the most popular baby names across the five boroughs for 2022 — and Big Apple parents are keeping things classic amid uncertainty and upheaval.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a serious spike in crime, new moms and dads found comfort in conservative and traditional names for their newborns.
According to an analysis of 2021 birth certificate records, Emma was the most popular female name for the fifth year running, with 434 couples giving their girls the moniker.
Meanwhile, parents of baby boys also opted for consistency, with Liam being the top male name for the sixth consecutive year. A whopping 703 sons were blessed with the Irish moniker, the records report.
“We are so pleased to welcome the Liams and Emmas and every other newborn, to our city and the world,” Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement on Tuesday. “The joy they bring will make for a happier 2023 and beyond.”
The data analysis revealed few further surprises, with other traditional names also proving popular.
For girls, Olivia came in the second spot, followed by Mia, Sophia, Leah, Ava, Isabella, Amelia, Luna and Sofia.
Of the top 10 girls’ names from 2020, eight of them remained on the top 10 list for 2021, indicating that new parents were rather resistant to change.
Only Luna and Sofia were new additions to the 2021 list, replacing Sarah and Chloe, which both fell out of the top 10.
There was also little movement among the top 10 boys’ names, with moms and dads happy to keep the classics — no matter how common they were.
After Liam, Noah proved the second most popular name for New York City newborns. Ethan landed in the third spot, followed by Lucas, Jacob, Joseph, David, Daniel, Aiden and Benjamin.
Nine of those top 10 names were the same as in 2020, with Benjamin booting Alexander from the top 10.
Elsewhere, the health department noted that parents appear to be seeking peace and tranquility through their choices of female baby names.
Identifying a trend, they noted that popular names such as Grace (No. 26), Angel (No. 51), Serenity (No. 70) and Faith (No. 97) all have a calming quality to them.
Meanwhile, the New York City Health Department also noted that there were fewer births overall in 2021.
The number of babies born across the five boroughs decreased by 0.07 percent between 2020 and 2021, from 100,022 to 99,262, with some city residents perhaps delaying plans to have kids due to the COVID pandemic.
