Top New Jersey Baby Names

Are you looking for a New Jersey name for your baby girl or boy? Traditional names were tops in New Jersey in 2009, according to the Social Security Administration’s annual list of the most popular baby names. While the nation’s top name for girls, Isabella, was also tops in NJ, the top name for boys in the US -- Jacob -- didn’t even rank in the top 10. Read on to find out what was at the top of the New Jersey baby name list and how it compared to the United States overall!

Traditional Baby Names

 
Michael was the top name for little boys in New Jersey. Michael is one of the longest-standing traditional names in the country. It has been in the top of the national list for decades and never strays too far from the number one spot in any given year. It is followed by several other traditional names -- Matthew came in at #2, Anthony at #3, Daniel at #6, Joseph at #7 and Christopher at #8. Other traditional boy names that were hugely popular in New Jersey were Alexander (#9), Nicholas (#10), David (#15) and Andrew (#18).

Love traditional names? Check out our list of the Top 50 Traditional Girl Names and Top 50 Traditional Boy Names.

 

Modern, Trendy Baby Names

 
Most of the traditional names on the NJ list were boy names -- girl names seem to trend more to modern names than traditional names. Isabella, the most popular girl name, is a good example of that. It has shot upwards in popularity over the last 10 years, peaking this year (perhaps due to the massive pop culture success of the Twilight films). Ava (#4) and Mia (#6) are two other trendy names gaining popularity, as well as Madison (#8), Kayla (#16) and Chloe (#21). For boys, Jayden came in at #4 and continues to lead the trendy boy names. Aiden, a similar-sounding trendy name, came in at #22.

For more ideas, check out our list of Modern Baby Names for Girls and Boys.

Classic Baby Names 

There were quite a few classic names for both sexes. William, coming in at #17, is a solid classic boy name. James is another boy name that has jumped in popularity in recent years -- in 2009 it was #24. While traditional names were more apparent with boys than girls, there are more classic names in the girl list. Emily is a beautiful, classic name and it came in at #5. Other classic girl names appearing in the New Jersey list were Emma (#7), Grace (#14), Victoria (#22) and Ella (#24).

For more ideas, check out Top 50 Classic Baby Girl Names and Top 50 Classic Baby Boy Names.

 

New Jersey Names vs. Top USA Baby Names

 
While there were similarities between the New Jersey list and the United States as a whole, there were also some differences. Most startling is the fact that the most popular name in the US, Jacob, ranked #11 on the New Jersey list!
 
Other comparisons:
 
Michael (#1 NJ, #3 US)
Matthew (#2 NJ, #13 US)
Alexander (#9 NJ, #4 US)
Justin (#14 NJ, #46 US)
Kevin (#25 NJ, #44 US)
 
Samantha (#9 NJ, #15 US)
Brianna (#17 NJ, #24 US)
Leah (#18 NJ, #24 US)
Olivia (#2 NJ, #3 US)
Julia (#19 NJ, #50 US)

Check out the complete list of Social Security Administration's Top 100 Baby Name.

Top Boy Names in New Jersey

Top Girl Names in New Jersey

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Top Baby Names by State

Quiz: What's Your Baby Name Style? 

Unique Baby Names and Meanings

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