Ethan’s nine-year run as Alberta’s most popular name for baby boys ended in 2010 as Liam took the number one spot.
Emma also staged a comeback to the spot she held in 2003, 2004 and 2005, displacing Olivia as the most popular girl’s name.
For boys, Liam was the choice for 306 families. Emma was the top pick for girls, with 261 families giving the name to their newborn daughters.
For boys, the name Ethan came in second place followed by Logan, Alexander and Lucas, Jacob, Noah, Benjamin, Owen and Carter to round out the top 10.
For girl’s Olivia took the second spot followed by Emily, Isabella, Sophia, Ava and Chloe tied for sixth spot followed by Ella, Abigail, Alexis and Lily.
After three years in a row of record-number births, Alberta saw a slight decrease in 2010 with 50,602 babies – a 1.8% drop from 2009’s record-breaking total of 51,498.
The 2010 total is still higher than the prior records of 50,453 in 2008 and 48,589 in 2008 and 36% higher compared to the beginning of the decade in 2000 with 37,155 babies were born.
“Alberta has always been and will continue to be a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” said Heather Kimchuk, Alberta’s service minister. “Albertans recognize the great opportunities and potential for their children to realize their dreams. These numbers suggest that confidence in Alberta’s future continues to be high.”
The Vital Statistics branch of Service Alberta recorded births of 26,094 boys and 24,508 girls in 2010.
The names of celebrities, politicians and other famous people continued to be an influence with registrations including 64 boys named Lincoln; 37 named Nixon; 10 named Lennon; four named Hendrix; three each named Clinton, Elvis and Jagger; and one each for Thatcher, Santana and McCartney.
For girls, Danica was registered 44 times; Angelina 26 times; and Charlize 11 times. There were five girls named Brittany and one named Palin. There were also 44 girls and four boys who shared the name Harper.
Albertans showed a creative flair with unique names such as Gorgeous, Precious, Princess and Diva for girls; and Freedom, Viktorious, Famous and Canada for boys.
Parents’ values, ideals and the love of nature were also reflected in the choices of names such as Love, Serenity, Flower, Karma, Harmony, Destiny, Liberty, Justice, Ohm, Universe, Skye, Meadow and Ocean.
Families also chose such one-of-a-kind monikers as Bliss, Carisma, Diamond, Soda, Eclypse, Elektra-Lee and Infinity for girls; and Boomer, Brik, Duramax, Miracle and Holliday for boys.
-Fawcett
