New Yorkers Favorite Baby Names for 2011 Announced

NEW YORK—New Yorkers’ top favorite names for newborns remained pretty much the same in 2011, according to data released Wednesday, with Jayden and Isabella remaining the most favored names.

More than 800 Jaydens and more than 600 Isabellas entered the world in New York City last year.

The top 10 names for girls had only one difference from 2010: Sarah was replaced by Sofia. Two new names, Aiden and Alexander, replaced Joseph and Joshua in the boys’ top 10.

Fewer babies were born in the city in 2011 (123,029) compared with 2010 (124,791). 

The number of boys born dropped by almost 1300, from 64,076 in 2010 to 62,808 in 2011. The number of girls born in the city also dropped, by a smaller margin of almost 500, from 60,715 in 2010 to 60,221 in 2011.

Birth and baby name statistics are published annually, but are a year behind. 

Brooklyn remained the borough with the most babies born within its boundaries, with 41,303 births in 2011. Staten Island had the fewest births, 5,519.

The city’s different cultures favor different names, though both Blacks and Hispanics choose Jayden as their top boys’ name. Hispanics chose Isabella the most for girls and Blacks chose Madison the most for girls. Asians’ and Pacific Islanders’ top choice was Ethan for boys and Sophia for girls, while Caucasians chose Michael the most for boys and Esther for girls. 

Geographic places and celebrities may have inspired some names, such as London (second choice for Blacks for girls, and number 45 for girls overall); Sofia (number 10 in girls top 10); and Angelina (number 33 for girls). 

In 2002, the earliest year favorite baby name statistics are available on the Health Department’s website, Michael was the most popular male name (from 1956–2006), with more than a 1,000 babies named, and Ashley the most popular girl name—for the eleventh straight year—with 567. 

Elected officials marked the occasion by joining parents of one of the Isabellas and one of the Jaydens at Coney Island Hospital Wednesday. 

“A baby born in New York City has a life expectancy 2.5 years longer than the national average, in no small part due to our bold public health initiatives,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a release. “This means we can expect to see many of the very popularly named Isabellas and Jaydens—like these two little ones with us today—more than 80 years from now.”