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Sophia Is No. 1 Among Girls' Names; Mason Soars To Near Top Among Boys

Sophia has pushed Isabella off the No. 1 spot among most popular names for girls born in the U.S., the Social Security Administration says.

Meanwhile, Jacob remained atop the list of boys' names, where it's been since 1999.

But Mason "rocketed to number two" last year from the No. 12 spot in 2010.

Here are the top 10 for each gender, from the agency's website:

Boys

1. Jacob
2. Mason
3. William
4. Jayden
5. Noah

6. Michael
7. Ethan
8. Alexander
9. Aiden
10. Daniel

Girls

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava

6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Mia
10. Chloe

Regarding Mason's surge, according to the Social Security folks, "some may attribute this year's rise to number two to reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian's son. We note, moreover, that Mason has been a regular top-five name in Wisconsin for many years, undoubtedly a tribute to strong-legged Green Bay Packer kicker Mason Crosby."

Sophia was No. 2 in 2010 and has been in the top 10 since 2006. Isabella (and Jacob) have been enjoying a Twilight-inspired popularity, as we reported last year.

The big news for some folks, though, may be that Elvis is back — sort of. From Social Security:

"We are pleased to report there has been an Elvis sighting! Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue is happy to announce that Elvis is back where he belongs, in the top 1,000. 'Last year I was all shook up when Elvis dropped way down below the top 1,000, but Elvis is back into the promised land of the top 1,000, and that's all right.' Elvis has been spotted at number 904 on the list."

As for other important names:

-- Mark moved up two spots! To No. 159.

-- Eyder still doesn't show up in the top 1,000, nor does Korva.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
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