These celebrities may have inspired Topeka's most popular baby names in 2023
Liam, last year's most popular baby name for boys born at Topeka's Stormont Vail Health, may be en route to becoming the new Michael.
Michael was the most popular name given to newborn boys in the U.S. each year from 1961 to 1998, says the website of the Social Security Administration.
That distinction was then held by Jacob from 1999 to 2012 and Noah from 2013 to 2016 before being taken over by Liam, which has held it since, that site says.
Eleven baby boys were given the name Liam last year at Topeka's Stormont Vail Health, said MollyPatt Eyestone, spokeswoman for that hospital.
She said Charlotte was Stormont Vail's most popular name last year for girls, having been given to nine babies born there in 2023.
Why is Liam such a popular name for baby boys?
The name Liam rose in popularity toward the end of the last century amid the increasing prominence of movie actor Liam Neeson and singer Liam Gallagher, formerly of the rock band Oasis, said the website nameberry.com.
It suggested the name's popularity also benefited from the more recent fame of former One Direction singer Liam Payne.
Liam first entered the list of the nation's top five baby names in 2013, when it placed third, the Social Security Administration said. It then finished second in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Liam is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "resolute protection," says nameberry.com.
Why is Charlotte such a popular name for baby girls?
Charlotte first entered the list of the nation's five most popular baby names in 2020, when it placed fourth, the Social Security Administration says.
It then ranked third nationally in 2021 and 2022, with the latter being the most recent year for which figures are available.
Charlotte — which is the name of the Princess of Cambridge, born in 2015 to Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton — is the "latest classic name to join Sophia, Emma, Olivia, and Isabella at the top of the popularity list," said nameberry.com.
Charlotte is a girl's name of French origin meaning "free man," it said.
What were Stormont Vail's other most popular baby names?
Stormont Vail spokeswoman Eyestone said that after Liam, the most popular names given to boys last year at Stormont Vail were as follows:
• Asher, Henry, Hudson and Noah, each with nine.
• Hayes, Levi and Oliver, each with eight.
• Joseph, Mason, Parker and Thedore, each with seven.
Among girls, Eyestone said, the most popular names given to baby girls aside from Charlotte were as follows:
• Evelyn, with eight.
• Amelia, with seven.
• Aurora, with six.
• Avery, Mia and Olivia, each with five.
• Aspen, Ava, Caroline, Harper, Hazel, Josie, Nova, Remi, Charlie and Wrenley, each with four.
How did 2023's Topeka results compare to 2022's?
Charlotte and Ava finished in a tie as Topeka's most popular name for newborn girls in 2022, with each name having been given to 14 infants, according to records kept by Stormont Vail and the University of Kansas Medical Center's St. Francis campus.
Eleven girls named Ava were born in 2022 at Stormont Vail and three at St. Francis, while eight girls named Charlotte were born at Stormont Vail and six at St. Francis.
James was Topeka's most popular name for newborn boys in 2022, having been given to 20 infants born here that year, including 12 at Stormont Vail and eight at St. Francis.
Liam was not among Topeka's five most popular baby names for boys in 2022, those records showed.
Figures for 2023 weren't available from St. Francis.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: These were Topeka's most popular names for newborn babies in 2023
