Oh, baby!
West Penn Allegheny Health System has revealed the most popular names out of the 3,400 babies born at West Penn Hospital and Forbes Regional Hospital through November 2012.
This year’s top monikers run the gamut of the literary, the Biblical, the distinguished-sounding, the traditional and those that reflect parental creativity.
For girls, the no. 1 name on everyone's lips was Olivia. The top name for boys was Noah.
West Penn Allegheny parents came up with about 700 different girls’ names and 600 different boys’ names, and many of them had no duplicate, according to the hospital.
Sometimes, parents created their own name. Often they added a creative spelling or flourish to an old name, the hospital said.
“A” is expected be a popular ladies’ monogram in the coming years, according to West Penn. More than 100 of the 700 girls’ names given in 2012 started with the letter “A.”
Pittsburgh parents also stayed in tune with national trends. A recent survey by Baby Center found Sophia, Emma and Olivia ranked as the top three girls’ names nationwide, according to West Penn. Aiden, Jackson and Ethan were the top three boys’ names. Aiden and Ethan also were popular in Pittsburgh but didn’t quite crack the top 10.
And if you’re looking to catch on to a trend in the early stages, consider these up-and-coming names: Aaliyah (also spelled Aleah), Harper, London and Kennedy for girls, and Wyatt, Sawyer, Myles and Lincoln for boys.
Without further ado, here is West Penn Allegheny Health System’s list of most popular baby names for 2012.
Girls:
- Olivia
- Sophia
- Emma
- Aubrey/Aubree
- Isabella
- Madison
- Lily/Lilly
- Abigail
- Addison
- (tie) Victoria, Ava
Boys:
- Noah
- Jackson/Jaxon
- Mason
- Brayden/Braden
- Michael
- Owen
- Gavin
- Elijah
- (tie) Alexander, Colton, Dylan, Lucas
- (tie) Declan, Logan
Did you become a parent in 2012? Was your baby's name on the list of Pittsburgh's most popular names? Were you surprised by any of the entries? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
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