List of popular names has changes

Every parent knows that choosing a baby name can be a daunting and difficult task. Couples peruse the internet and baby name books; they take suggestions from family and friends and create lists which they systematically eliminate names from until only one remains.

“Picking out a name is very difficult" says Casey Barber Johnson of Naselle. Johnson anticipates the birth of her fourth son very soon.

"As we are thinking of names we play rhyming games to see what words rhyme (therefore how he could get made fun of). We also are trying to pick a strong name that will be unique to him and fit whatever he decides to do with his life.

"It is so hard to pick out a name without knowing who our baby is, what he looks like, what his personality will be, etc. With this little guy being our fourth, I also know that when we hear the name, we will just know that it is right.”

“It is hard,” agrees Angela Metcalf of Salmon Creek who is pregnant with her second child. “The names that I like, my husband doesn’t and vice versa.”

For over a decade now, the Social Security administration has helped provide anxious parents-to-be with popular baby names. Social Security started compiling baby name lists in 1997, and the agency’s website (http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/babynames2011-pr.html) offers lists of baby names for each year since 1880.

Social Security is a reliable source for most popular baby names because parents supply this information to the agency when applying for a child’s Social Security number at the time of the child’s birth.

Last week, Social Security released the top baby names of 2011: Jacob and Sophia take top honors as America’s most popular baby names.

This is the 13th year in a row that Jacob topped the list for boys and the first year for Sophia, who knocked Isabella to number two after sitting at the top of the girls’ list for two years.

The only new name in the top 10 on either list this year is Mason. The name Mason rocketed to number two from outside of the top ten to replace Anthony on the boys’ side.

Top girls names are Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Emily, Abigail, Madison, Mia and Chloe.

Top boys names are Jacob, Mason, William, Jayden, Noah, Michael, Ethan, Alexander, Aiden and Daniel.

Though some parents seek a name that is unique only to their child, others choose to follow name trends.

“Jacob is a good name,” says fifth grader Jacob McCoy. “It’s an easy name. And with more than one Jacob in my class, we have this Thing One and Thing Two theme going."

Jacob is one of several boys named “Jacob” in attendance at Wendt Elementary and enjoys the popularity of his title.