The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Monday, December 31, 2018 04:29 PM

Top Ten Baby Names Released For State Of Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Do you know any newborns with one of these names?

"Ava" is the new number one name for baby girls born in Tennessee, rising to the top of the list of the most popular names for babies born in 2017. "William" maintained the number one spot as the most popular name chosen for baby boys in Tennessee for the eleventh straight year.

The top 10 names Tennessee parents chose for their new babies born in 2017* are as follows:

1. Ava for girls, William for boys
2. Olivia for girls, Elijah for boys
3. Emma for girls, James for boys
4. Amelia for girls, Noah for boys
5. Harper for girls, Liam for boys
6. Isabella for girls, John for boys
7. Elizabeth for girls, Mason for boys
8. Charlotte for girls, Jackson for boys
9. Ella for girls, Samuel for boys
10. Abigail for girls, Grayson for boys

*provisional data

"Ava" unseated "Emma," which until 2017 had held the top spot for names of baby girls born in Tennessee since 2011. All names in the top ten list for girls are the same as the top ten list from 2016, but have changed in ranking.

"Samuel" and "Grayson" were both new additions on the top ten list of boys’ names in 2017. The top two names, "William" and "Elijah," maintained their rankings from 2016. "James" tied with "Elijah" for the number two spot in 2016. Dropping from the top ten list since 2016, when there were ties for some rankings for boys’ names, were "Michael," "Benjamin," "Aiden," "Jacob" and "Carter."

Names chosen for babies are recorded and tallied by the dedicated team in the Tennessee Department of Health Office of Vital Records. This office maintains the integrity of approximately 15 million records, including issuance and amending records of births, deaths, marriages and divorces that occur in Tennessee.