Most Popular Baby Names
of 2008

Parents.com has unveiled the top baby names of 2008. According to site visitors, Isabella is the top girl's name and Aidan is the top boy's name for 2008.

Parents-to-be picked these names from the nearly 10,000 names in the Parents.com Baby Name Finder which enables visitors to search for unique names and find baby name meanings.

Liz Zack, Executive Editor of Parents.com, said, "The votes for 2008 are in! According to our parents-to-be, Aidan is at the top of the list of baby names for boys for the second year in a row, while Isabella skyrockets to #1 on our list of baby names for girls for the first time ever. Read the rest of the names our readers love as well as our take on the top trends -- and get inspired."

Parents.com is the online home of Parents magazine, Family Circle magazine and American Baby magazine.

The top baby girl names of 2008 are:

1. Isabella

2. Ava

3. Emily

4. Elizabeth

5. Abigail

6. Madison

7. Emma

8. Addison

9. Madeline

10. Olivia

The top baby boy names of 2008 are:

1. Aidan

2. Jayden

3. Jacob

4. Michael

5. Ethan

6. Caden

7. James

8. Caleb

9. Andrew

10. Matthew

Zack also provided some insight into the top trends in baby names and the best baby names for 2009:

Presidential Baby Names: Barack Obama won the presidency - but did he also start a name trend? Malia, Michelle and Barack -- which previously wasn't even in the top 500 -- all rose in popularity from 2007 to 2008 (although Sasha fell in popularity), and we see them continuing to climb the charts after the inauguration.

Ooops She Did It Again--The Britney Comeback Effect: Parents are embracing the first and middle name Spears chose for her second son, Jayden James. Jayden is #2 and James is #7.

The influence of TV: The boob tube can affect baby names - witness the popularity of Aidan (#1), Carrie's loveable boyfriend on Sex and the City, or Addison (#8), the name of the Grey's Anatomy doc who got her own spinoff, Private Practice, this year.

Last Names as First Names That Can Be Used For Boys and Girls: Avery, Logan, Riley and Peyton are all climbing the lists. Last names as first names suggest power, prestige and tradition.

First Timers Making the List: Aalyiah (#28) and Teagan (#44) made their debuts on the list for girl's names. On the boy's side, Micah (#41) and Tristan (#49) showed up on the list for the first time.

Book it: Twilight fever has hit the baby name world too, as Edward and Bella, the names of the star-crossed lovers in Stephanie Meyer's vampire series and now the feature film, both rose in popularity last year. Other names inspired by popular fiction are Madeline (#9) and Olivia (#10).

"M" Names: Girl names starting with "M" rank high on the list, like Madison (#6), Madeline (#9), Makayla (#19), Mia (#21), MacKenzie (#22) and Michelle (#31).

Losing steam: Trendy boy names like Grayson took a nosedive this year, from #3 in 2007 down to #14 in 2008. Another name on the downswing? Kendall, which fell from #7 in 2007 to #45 in 2008.

Parents.com is the premier parenthood site on the Web, and the interactive companion to Parents magazine, Family Circle magazine, and American Baby magazine. With its stable of easy-to-use, helpful tools like the baby name finder, the growing belly tool, the activity finder, and the Birthday party planning tool, Parents.com serves moms and dads, providing everything every parent needs to raise happy, healthy families from crib to college - how, when and where they need it.

---

---