Liam, last year's most popular baby name for boys born at Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, may be on its way to becoming the new Michael.
According to the Social Security Administration's website, Michael was the most popular name given to boys born in the United States every year from 1961 to 1998.
The site said the honor was then held by Jacob from 1999 to 2012, Noah from 2013 to 2016, and then Liam took over and has held it ever since.
Last year, 11 boys were named Liam at Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, said hospital spokeswoman Mollypat Eyestone.
She said Charlotte was the most popular girl's name in Stormont Vale last year and was given to nine babies born in Stormont Vale in 2023.
Why is Liam such a popular name for baby boys?
According to the website nameberry.com, the name Liam became more popular toward the end of the last century, as movie actor Liam Neeson and former rock band Oasis singer Liam Gallagher gained recognition.
The name's popularity suggests it has also benefited from former One Direction singer Liam Payne's recent fame.
According to the Social Security Administration, Liam first ranked among the nation's top five baby names in 2013, when it came in at No. 3. He then took second place in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
According to nameberry.com, Liam is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning “resolute protection.”
Why is Charlotte a popular name for baby girls?
Charlotte ranked among the top five most popular baby names in the United States for the first time in 2020, coming in at number four, according to the Social Security Administration.
It then ranked third nationally in 2021 and 2022, the latter being the most recent year for which numbers are available.
Charlotte (the name of the Duchess of Cambridge, born in 2015 to Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge) is “the latest classic name to join Sophia, Emma, Olivia and Isabella at the top of the popularity rankings”. . nameberry.com said:
Charlotte is a girl's name of French origin, meaning “free person”.
What were Stormont Vale's other most popular baby names?
Stormont Vale spokesperson Mr Eyestone said that after Liam, the most popular names for boys at Stormont Vale last year were:
• Asher, Henry, Hudson, Noah, 9 each.
• Hayes, Levi, Oliver, eight each.
• Joseph, Mason, Parker, Sedor, 7 each.
For girls, Eyestone said the most popular names given to baby girls besides Charlotte were:
• Evelyn, 8 people.
• Amelia, 7 people.
• Northern lights, six.
• Avery, Mia, and Olivia, 5 each.
• Aspen, Ava, Caroline, Harper, Hazel, Josie, Nova, Remi, Charlie, and Renly, 4 each.
How did Topeka's results in 2023 compare to its results in 2022?
According to records kept by Stormont Vail and the University of Kansas Medical Center's St. Francis campus, the most popular names for girls born in Topeka in 2022 are “Charlotte” and “Eva,” tied for The name was given to 14 babies.
In 2022, 11 girls named Eva were born in Stormont Vale and 3 in St Francis, and 8 girls named Charlotte were born in Stormont Vale and 6 in St Francis.
James was the most popular name for boys born in Topeka in 2022, and was given to 20 infants born here that year, including 12 in Stormont Vail and eight in St. Born in Frances.
Based on these records, Liam was not among Topeka's top five most popular baby boy names for 2022.
Numbers for 2023 were not available from St. Francis.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared in Topeka Capital-Journal: These were Topeka's most popular names for newborns in 2023
