News Release Archive
BUSINESS/CONSUMER SERVICES--THE NAME GAME ----------------------------------------------------------------- Almost any first grade teacher in the year 2002 will be able to say "Brandon, please come to the front of the classroom" and get a response. Because, by that time, the 160 boys born in Nova Scotia in 1996 and named Brandon will be entering the school system. In fact, Brandon was the most popular name for the last three years -- for a grand total of 520. Emily will also be a popular name on the roll-call sheet as there will be 119 of them turning six that year. Jessica and Sarah complete the top three girl's names, followed by Taylor, Samantha, and Rebecca. Following Brandon, the other popular boy's names are Matthew, Nicholas, Ryan and Alexander. The 1996 baby boom in the province totalled 10,475. This information comes from the Vital Statistics section of the Department of Business and Consumer Services which began automation of its records in 1992. As a result, records analysis is now much faster. This is important for medical research as new insights can be gained into the population's health and demographics by examining birth and death records over the years. Besides, vital statistics are just plain interesting, as this analysis of names of children born in Nova Scotia indicates. Canadians may be separated by geography but apparently they think alike -- if baby names are any indication. The most chosen baby names in British Columbia for 1995 were Matthew, Brandon and Ryan for boys and Jessica, Emily and Sarah for girls. Sound familiar? And did you notice that biblical names are coming back into vogue? Consider Joshua, Jacob, Benjamin, Samuel, Jesse, Noah, Luke and Matthew which all appear on Nova Scotia's list of popular baby names. Biblical women are also well represented: Hannah, Rachael, Mary and Elizabeth. Some names fall into the "sounds the same but spelled differently" category, such as Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Caitlyn and Caitlin. And, if name has anything to do with destiny, at least one of the 16 Shania's born in 1996 will likely excel in music class. MacDonald is still the most common surname in the province, followed by Smith, Brown, MacNeil and LeBlanc. -30- Contact: Louise MacDonald 902-424-0394 NOTE TO EDITORS: The complete list of most popular names for 1996 is available by calling 1-800-670-4357 or 424-4492. trp Apr. 7, 1997 - 12:45 p.m.