Patch North Hills, PA --Mason and Emma are the most popular baby names in Pennsylvania for 2012, according to Social Security data.
Here are the top 10 in Pennsylvania:
Boys: 1. Mason
2. Liam
3. Jacob
4. Michael
5. Noah
6. Ryan
7. Ethan
8. Logan
9. Benjamin
10. John
Girls: 1. Emma
2. Sophia
3. Ava
4. Olivia
5. Isabella
6. Madison
7. Abigail
8. Emily
9. Mia
10. Aubrey
In all of America, Jacob and Sophia are repeat champions. It's the 14th year in a row Jacob tops the list for boys and the second year for Sophia.
Here are the top 10 boys and girls names in America for 2012:
Boys: 1. Jacob
2. Mason
3. Ethan
4. Noah
5. William
6. Liam
7. Jayden
8. Michael
9. Alexander
10. Aiden
Girls: 1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Isabella
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Mia
9. Madison
10. Elizabeth
There is a new couple in the top 10 this year—Elizabeth and Liam replace Chloe and Daniel. Elizabeth has been here before, but this is the first time Liam breaks into the top 10.
Perhaps Liam’s new found success can be attributed to Liam Neeson’s recent major roles in Battleship and the popular Taken, The Chronicles of Narnia and Clash of the Titans franchises.
This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 500 in America are Major and Arya.
The fastest riser on the girls’ list may have been influenced by the popular cable TV series “Game of Thrones.” Arya is the daughter of a leader of one of the Seven Kingdoms. She also is an expert sword fighter, so doubt her influence on the popular names list at your own risk.
For the boys, parents may associate Major with the military title. You also might trace Major’s increase in popularity to a cable TV show. “Home by Novogratz” is a popular home design show featuring Major Novogratz, the youngest son of designers Robert and Cortney.
The second fastest riser for boys was Gael, and for girls, Perla. Both names most likely are on the rise due to the increase in the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. Perla is the Latinized version of Pearl and is popular among Hispanic-Americans. Gael’s popularity could be tied to Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal.
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