Emma Top Girls' Baby Name Yet Again
For the sixth straight year, Emma was the most popular name given to baby girls in the province.
Figures from Nova Scotia's Vital Statistics office also show that in 2007 Noah replaced Ryan as the top name for boys.
The top five names for girls last year were Emma (82), Emily (76), Ava (68), Olivia (65), and Madison (60). Emma and Emily were also the top names for girls across Canada.
All but Emily were on Nova Scotia's top five list for 2006. Emily moved from seventh spot last year to number two this year, while Hannah, which made the top five list 2006, dropped to seventh in 2007.
For boys, the top five names in 2007 were Noah (82), Ethan (67), Jack (66), Liam (65), and Logan (64). While Ethan, Noah, and Liam made the top five list in 2006, Jack moved up from ninth position to third , and Logan moved from 16 to number four in 2007.
Ryan remained in the top 20 for 2007, but fell from first spot in 2006 to 15. Jacob fell from second to seventh over the same time period.
Baby names for boys tend to stand the test of time more so than those for girls. Six names on the most recent list (Matthew, Ryan, Nicholas, Jacob, John, and Alexander) also appeared on the 1987 list. Three names (John, William, and Alexander) appear in the top 20 as far back as 1925.
In contrast, only two girls' names (Sarah and Emily) appear on both the 2007 and 1987 list. No girls' names from 1925 made the 2007 top 20.
"It's less likely that one name would remain the most popular for girls this many years in a row," said Liz Crowley Meagher, deputy registrar general of Vital Statistics at Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. "It'll be interesting to see if Emma can stay at the top of the list again next year."
There were 8,932 births in Nova Scotia in 2007 -- 4,614 boys and 4,318 girls. That is 400 more than the 8,532 births recorded in 2006.
NOTE: Following are the top 20 baby names for boys and girls born in Nova Scotia in 2007, with the number of times the name was registered.
BOYS
Noah (82) Ethan(67) Jack (66) Liam (65) Logan (64) Owen (63) Jacob (57) Alexander (56) William (55) Nicholas (51) Cameron (49) Matthew (49) Nathan (49) Benjamin (48) Ryan (47) Connor (43) Lucas (43) Carter (40) Joshua (40) John (39)
GIRLS
Emma (82) Emily (76) Ava (68) Olivia (65) Madison (60) Chloe (53) Hannah (52) Abigail (51) Ella (46) Sophia (44) Grace (42) Sophie (36) Brooke (35) Sarah (33) Brooklyn (32) Hailey (31) Julia (30) Anna (28) Jenna (27) Lauren (27)