More people in the U.S. named their babies Noah and Emma last year than any other baby name, both repeat champions. Along with no. 2 boy name -- Liam -- they represent the triumph of so-called "raindrop names." The smooth, liquid miniatures are noted as the ideal sounds of the moment.
Most popular girl names:
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Sophia
4. Ava
5. Isabella
6. Mia
7. Abigail
8. Emily
9. Charlotte
10. Harper
[Ads /]
Most popular boy names:
1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Mason
4. Jacob
5. William
6. Ethan
7. James
8. Alexander
9. Michael
10. Benjamin
The news on the girls' list is the top-10 debut of Harper. In a changing of the surname guard, this new-generation -er name displaces Madison. Harper's rise has been extraordinary. As recently as 2003, it didn't even crack the top 1,000.
On the boys' side, Benjamin makes its first top-10 appearance. Surprisingly, until the 21st Century, this classic had never ranked higher than 29.
Other notable name trends include:
--Fastest rising boys names include Joneal, Matteo, Riaan, Adriel, Kyrie, Killian, Mateo
--Fastest-rising classic names for girls are long, dignified and ladylike: Eleanor, Penelope, Charlotte, Amelia, Violet
--Classic rock on the rise: Hendrix, Lennon and Everly are particularly taking off (Lennon for both girls and boys), and Jagger, Axl and even Vedder coming up too
--The name Isis made an extraordinary plunge, far greater than the decline in the name Adolph during WWII
--Caitlyn fell by 28 percent, quite a large number given that Caitlyn Jenner's announcement came halfway through the year
--It was a hot year for young adult fiction and film. Tobias (Divergent), Hazel, Augustus and even the previously unknown Hazel-Grace (The Fault in Our Stars)
--Literal Hollywood Royalty: The names of Chris Brown's daughter Royalty, Lil' Kim's daughter Royal, and Kourtney Kardashian's son Reign are up a combined 87 percent