William, Madison rule in S.C.

Social Security Administration reveals most-popular baby names

Call for Katie at the O'Quinn School, and you could start a stampede.

There are, to say the least, a few of them.

"You have to say 'Katie C.' or 'Katie E.' — that's the only way to do it," says Carolyn Lloyd, who processes the applications at this James Island preschool. "I'll bet we've had at least 10 Katies in the last few years."

Here on the front lines of baby-naming trends, the folks at O'Quinn have seen it all. Ask about the list of Top 10 South Carolina names released by the Social Security Administration Tuesday, and they know them all, collect 'em like baseball cards.

Emma (No. 2)? Got it. Ava (No 5)? Oh yeah. Abigail (No. 4)? You bet.

Or the boys: William (No. 1), James (No. 2), Ethan (No. 7)? Of course.

Katie, meanwhile, is shorthand for several popular names, such as Kaitlyn (No. 34), Katherine (No. 47) and Katelyn (No. 56).

"We're excited because we have an Addy Lou coming," Lloyd says.

A rarity.

The Social Security Administration has been releasing the most-popular baby names for years, a list that has informed many parents what to name, or not to name, their children. The national Top 10 list for this year is quite similar to South Carolina's list, only the order has been changed.

Despite certain cultural influences — Elvis (No. 636) remains vaguely popular — it seems parents are choosing more old-fashioned names, such as Emma (No. 2) and Olivia (No. 6) for girls. For boys, biblical names remain in vogue, with Jacob (No. 6) and Michael (No. 4) among the state's Top 10.

Of course, you would think that given the Lowcountry's sensitivity to flooding, Noah (No. 10) might not be so popular. Maybe it's a defensive measure.

Imitation is the purest form of flattery. A name's popularity can snowball. Patti Patterson, the regional communications director for the Social Security Administration, says people use the list to both pick a name, and pick against it — they don't want their child to be one of 10 kids named Jackson (No. 12) in their class.

By comparing the changing lists over the years at the Social Security Web site, you can watch a name's rise and fall in popularity — consider Lois, one of the most popular names in the 1930s and '40s, virtually missing from the list these days.

One of the more-surprising trends is the popularity of Nevaeh (No. 20) as a name for a girl. It is, simply, "Heaven" spell backward.

Jennifer Moss, founder of BabyNames.com, an online naming consulting firm, isn't particularly keen on Nevaeh. She advises parents — who seek her help when they are overloaded by choices or sick of criticism from family members who don't like their choices — to stick to names they like, are easy to pronounce, easy to spell and are suitable for someone to carry all their life.

"I had one family that wanted to name their daughter Pixie," Moss says. "They expected her to stay small, cute and fairy-like all her life. I said, what if she wants to be a CEO or a construction worker? Is Pixie going to help?"

Both nationally and in the state, the list of boys' monikers is laden with names that rhyme with maiden: South Carolina rankings include Jayden (No. 8), Aiden (No. 38), Hayden (No. 46), Jaden (No. 51), Braydon (No. 53), Kaden (No. 73), Ayden (No. 88), Aidan (No. 90) and Caden (No. 92). Why is this?

"We did a survey, and most of them just like the sound of it," Moss said.

And while celebrity can contribute a bit — you have to figure Santiago (No. 200) is an homage to "The Old Man and the Sea" — many people are sticking with the family names from way back. Moss says for girls, people are even picking surnames, such as Madison (No. 1) and Mackenzie (No. 89).

Lily (No. 40) is one of the more popular of the beautiful, and old-timey, names. Just be sure to use her last name when calling for her at O'Quinn.

"I think we have seven of them coming this year," Lloyd says.

Reach Brian Hicks at 937-5561 or bhicks@postandcourier.com.