114 Olivers but just 1 Lucifer: Here are Idaho’s most popular and unusual baby names of 2017
Expect to meet even more Emmas, Olivers, Olivias and Liams in the future. For the fifth year in a row, they topped the list of most common names Idaho parents gave their babies, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
In a report released last month, the department listed the most popular baby names of 2017 — as well as some unusual ones.
The top five names for baby boys in 2017 were Oliver, Liam, William, James and Lincoln, each of which has had a spot in the top 10 over the past several years. The same was true for the most popular baby girl names. In 2017, Emma remained No. 1, followed by Olivia, Charlotte, Evelyn and Amelia.
A handful of new names made the most popular list, too. Samuel came in at No. 6 for boys, along with Jackson (No. 9), Michael (No. 19), Ryker (No. 21), Alexander (No. 22), Cooper (No. 24) and Aiden (No. 25). Lillian joined the list of popular girls’ names at No. 12, followed by Aria (No. 15), Piper (No. 19), Aurora (No. 20) and Hannah and Addison, which tied for 25th.
There may be dozens of kiddos with those names, but Health and Welfare also pointed out some unique monikers and spellings.
Many of those names made reference to nature, such as Everest, Hiker, Obsidian, Harvest, Heartland, Island, Leaf, Moon, Solstice and Petal. Others, like Desirejoy, Destined, Messiah, Adventure, Delight, Epic, Flawless and Royalty seemed aspirational while Lucifer, Sinister and Maleficent veered into darker territory.
The most popular boy name made both lists thanks to the unusual spelling Olyvr. The department also highlighted Airrickah, Chantz, Ilijah, Raygan and Jood for their unique spellings.
Our favorite might be Helvetika — here’s hoping she’s a writer.
