Community Corner

Here Are The Most Popular Baby Names in Connecticut

The list for boys and girls is much different than 50 years ago — not to mention there appears to be a staggering drop in numbers.

What's in a name?

For a lot of parents, everything.

My wife and I labored over names for months while our son was just a bun in the oven. We checked all those baby name websites and kept a list until we finally arrived at the one that felt right (actually two, and we picked the one after we got a look at our little guy). We did the same about two years later for our daughter. 

There are so many things to take into account, right?

Should it be traditional or uncommon, what about the different spellings and possible nicknames, ah, yes, the meaning, after a relative? Oh, and don't forget about those random people from your past who totally ruined a name for you. 

Whatever your motivations or deciding factors, here's a list of the top 10 most popular baby names for boys and girls in Connecticut in 2013, according to applications for Social Security cards (the number next to each represents the number of applications/babies born with that name):

Girls

  1. Olivia (235)
  2. Isabella (230)
  3. Emma (212)
  4. Sophia (210)
  5. Ava (188)
  6. Mia (159)
  7. Emily (151)
  8. Charlotte (135)
  9. Madison (132)
  10. Abigail (112)

Boys
  1. William (207)
  2. Mason (198)
  3. Jacob (193)
  4. Noah (192)
  5. Michael (187)
  6. Liam (184)
  7. Ethan (180)
  8. Joseph (178)
  9. Ryan (171)
  10. Dylan (169)

To see the top 100 for both boys and girls names in Connecticut for 2013, or any year dating back to 1960, check out this page from the Social Security Administration

So what were the most popular names more than 50 years ago, say in 1960? Here are the top 5 for both boys and girls in Connecticut, according to the Social Security Administration (note the staggering difference in the numbers compared to 2013):

Girls
  1. Susan (789)
  2. Mary (682)
  3. Lisa (628)
  4. Donna (626)
  5. Karen (565)

Boys
  1. John (1,386)
  2. Michael (1,374)
  3. Robert (1,336)
  4. David (1,299)
  5. James (1,016)



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