Each year, Baby Center polls parents to find out what they named their newborn. In 2018, more than 742,000 parents answered.

Based on that data, here are the top baby names for 2018.

Girls:

1. Sophia 2. Olivia 3. Emma 4. Ava 5. Isabella 6. Aria 7. Riley 8. Amelia 9. Mia 10. Layla

Boys:

1. Jackson 2. Liam 3. Noah 4. Aiden 5. Caden 6. Grayson 7. Lucas 8. Mason 9. Oliver 10. Elijah

Sophia celebrates her ninth consecutive year as the top choice for girls, while Jackson remains the most popular name for boys for six years running. Oliver and Layla both jumped into the top 10, pushing out Logan and Zoe. The fastest climbers of 2018 include Everly, Isla, Leo, and Carson.

These are the top ten, head to Baby Center to see all 100 top baby names for 2018. If you click on a name, you can discover its popularity over the years (data FTW!). Baby Center also offers predictions of future trends in baby names (inc. sneakers, gender-swaps, and Southern states), as well as alternatives to popular names.

Previously: Heather used to be a popular baby name

(Neatorama)

image via Classic Film Read the rest

Dan Kopf charts the epic rise and fall of the name "Heather".

A Quartz analysis of US baby-name data that goes back to 1880 finds that no name in history has become so popular and then flamed out quite like Heather. At its peak in 1975, more than 24,000 girls were named Heather, making it the US’s third most popular girls name, after Jennifer and Amy. In 2017, it was the 1,129th most popular name, given to only 219 girls born that year.

Read the rest

Zip through 105 years of popular baby names in this interactive map by Mike Barry. Toggle for boys or girls. We've come a long way from John and James and Helen and Mary. Read the rest

It's not super scientifically perfect but it's a fun tool.

US parents are weaponizing their babies, christening them with names associated with killing and maiming. Here's a sample of baby names, many of which are on the rise: Danger, Arrow, Rebel, Pistol, Arson, Gunner, Cannon, Trigger, Shooter, Caliber, Magnum, Pistol, Mace, Blade, Saw, Dagger, Archer, Arrow, Chaos, Rambo. "There has also been a rise in the use of gun manufacturers such as Barrett, Remington, Kimber, Ruger, Wesson, Browning, Benelli and Beretta," reports the Independent. Read the rest

"Ace: It's bad enough when people name a boy Ace. Ace the boy has long bangs and the world's most punchable face. Ace the girl is stuck with a name that screams out to the world, 'Daddy wanted a boy, and he wanted that boy to be a fighter pilot.'" Drew Magary at Gawker has compiled some of BabyCenter's extra-specifically weird names that actual people gave their actual babies in the Year of Our Lord 2012. Hint when naming a baby: Don't use the wrong part of your brain to name a child. I'm talking to you, parents of Kaixin and Pawk. (via Gawker)

Previously: Top Baby Names of 2012 include "Mac," "Siri," and "Mars" Read the rest