Popular Baby Boy Names for 2009

As a pregnant woman's birth date draws closer, the matter of choosing a baby name is at the top of their to do list. For those having a boy, visiting popular baby boy name lists and baby name meanings websites can help in the selection process.

An accurate review of the most popular baby boys names can be found at the Social Security Administration (SSA) website. Listed among the Top Ten baby boys names for 2007 are Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Joshua, Daniel, Christopher, Anthony, William, Matthew and Andrew. Data for the year end of 2008 has not yet been submitted. The SSA also lists the Top 5 baby boy names in the last 100 years as Michael, Robert, John, James and Jacob. The SSA website also allows mothers to input a specific name to see how popular it has been.

Another popular website to reference is Babynames.com where they reveal the latest polls on the most popular baby boy names submitted by their members. Currently they have the Top 10 popular names for 2008 as Aiden, Ethan, Noah, Kaden, Caleb, Brayden, Jacob, Landen, Liam and Lucas. However, their 2007 list only has Ethan and Jacob listed among the correct Top 10 baby boy names as compared to the SSA - which reveals that most mothers stick to more traditional names than those choosing unique baby boy names.

When a mother makes a list of baby boy names she also checks its meaning when deciding on a final selection. A popular site to visit is NameMeanings.com, these type of sites makes it easier to choose a name based on a mother's intuition of what the baby's personality will be or how they want their child to be perceived. For example, Jacob comes from the Hebrew word supplanter and Ethan comes from the Hebrew word for strong or firm. Michael comes from the Hebrew word to be like God, Joshua from the Hebrew for Jehovah saves, Daniel from the Hebrew for God is my judge, Christopher from the Greek for christ-bearer, and Anthony from the Greek for worthy of praise. As you can see many common baby boy names have very religious meanings that one would not think would be associated with the name. Many mothers may pick such names in order to have their son to have a blessed life, to be influenced by religious practices or for the simple fact that they like the sound of the name.

There are many resources available to a mother looking for baby boy names and to find the applicable meanings. Other sites that can be visited are: www.parents.com/babynames, www.behindthename.com and www.yeahbaby.com.

Sources

Popular Baby Names - Social Security Administration http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames

Most Popular Baby Boys Names 2008 http://www.babynames.com