Yet again, there are not too many surprises in the top 10 baby names for boys with the most recent stats from the Social Security Administration.
There are two new entries to the most popular boys' names in the US this time round - Jayden and Noah.
Jacob keeps his number one ranking for the eleventh year in a row!
Christopher and Matthew drop out of the top ten.
And among the rest of the top boys' names, it's a case of everyone shuffling around a little :)
Want to pick a popular boy's name? With this group, you can be almost certain they aren't going to lose their popularity any time soon. Just take a look at how long some of these names have been in the top rankings!
Let's take a look at the stories behind the names, and see what's happening in the world of the most popular boys' names in the US:
Top 10 baby names for boys in the United States:
1. Jacob It's Jacob's eleventh year as the number one boy's baby name in the United States. And he's also in top spot yet again as a twin boy's name paired with Joshua.
Jacob's still looking pretty strong in that top spot, so it's hard to see him losing his crown next time round, unless Ethan can manage to dethrone him.
2. Ethan Ethan's progress is slow but sure. After two years at number 3, he's up one place this time round. He ranked 25th in the year 2000 - so he has done extremely well so far. It's clear he's hungry for that top rank. We wish him success!
3. Michael Michael has a proud pedigree - 38 years at number one, ten years at number two - and only now dropping to third place.
4. Alexander Alexander was a new entry to the boys' top 10 baby names last time, ranking 6th. And for 2009, he's jumped two places - this is impressive! Alexander was already in the top 100 list as far back as 1880, when records began. He's popped in and out of that group over the following 100 years or so - but since 1977 has slowly been making his way up the charts.
At this rate, he may even threaten Ethan's attempt to capture top ranking. Verdict? "Shows great promise!"
5. William Amazingly enough, good old William ranked at number 2 non-stop between 1880 and 1920. He left the top 10 baby names lists in 1976, ranked 10 in 2006, has spent two years at number 8 and goes up three places for 2009. So - an old favorite, who's enjoying his newly found glory.
6. Joshua Joshua's been in the top ten since 1979, so he won't be too disappointed at dropping a couple of places from 4th place last time. He's keeping his cool, knowing that he could perhaps spend at least another ten years in this top group, unless there is a lot more action lower down in the top twenty - which doesn't seem to be happening at the moment.
7. Daniel Another incredibly popular name over time, Daniel has ranked in the top twenty since 1952. His current stretch in the top 10 began in 1999, and he's down 2 places this year.
8. Jayden Jayden entered the top 1000 names in 1994. By 2003 he entered the top 100, and continuing his lightning streak was into the top 20 by 2007. Ranked 11 last time, he's up three places in the latest stats. Now we wait... will he continue his fantastic progress, or will the dream come to a sudden halt?
9. Noah Noah's been pacing the halls of the top 1000 names since 1880, enjoying various levels of popularity. He broke into the top 100 names in 1995, and has been taking his time to enter the top ten. Now that he's here - he might decide now is make or break time, and give it all he's got for a higher rank!
10. Anthony Wow, here's another super trooper, with a presence in the top 100 since 1883. This is Anthony's seventh year in the top 10 baby names lists, and he's spent the last two years at his highest ranking, 7th place. Down three spots this time, it looks like Anthony may drop out of this elite group next year - but I guess he feels pretty comfortable about that given his track record.
