Top Ten Baby Girl Names of 2006

Every year, expecting parents all over the world prepare for the arrival of their new child by choosing a baby name. For some, this is an easy task, and for others, it is an agonizing endeavor. A name is something that will be used to identify your child for the rest of their lives. Will it have positive or negative connotations? Will it help them be successful, popular, environmentally conscious, smart?

There is a lot to consider when naming a child, but recent findings from data cruncher and economist Steven Leavitt, author of "Freakonomics" suggest that names have very little to do with how a child will turn out.

Each year, there are names that rise to the top of the heap as the most popular baby names. Here are the most popular baby girl names for 2006:

Girls

1. Emma - German, it means "universal". Emma is also a shortening of Emily, another popular name. Emma could have gained popularity from it's use on the highly successful show "Friends, as the name of Ross and Rachael's baby girl.

2. Madison - Teutonic, meaning "son of Matthew". Madison has experiences a slow rise to the top over the last 15 years when "place names" started to gain popularity as baby names.

3. Ava - German, meaning "a bird". Ava is a name that harkens back to the glamour of old Hollywood with such stars as Ava Gabor and Ava Gardener.

4. Emily - Teutonic, meaning "industrious". Emily is a classic name that has remained one of the top 5 baby names for the last 15 years.

5. Isabella - Origins and meaning unknown. One famous Isabella was the former Queen of Spain, who, with her husband Ferdinand, helped to unify Spain. One possible origin of the name is Ysabel, or the Hebrew Elisth or Elisabeth.

6. Kaitlyn - Greek, meaning "pure". Kaitlyn is a good example of a name that has been changed and modified by various creative spellings. The more popular spelling variations include: Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Kaitlin, Katelynn, Katlyn, Kaitlynn, Katelin, Katlynn, Caitlin, Caitlyn, Caitlynn.

7. Sophia - Greek, meaning "wisdom". A classic and romantic sounding name, famous Sophias include Sophia Loren and Sophia Coppola.

8. Olivia - Greek, meaning "olive tree". Possibly a female version of the boy's name, Oliver, famous Olivia's include Olivia Newton-John and Olivia the Pig, star of many picture books by Ian Falconer.

9. Abigail - Hebrew, meaning "my father's joy". Abigails often go by the nick name "Abby" or "Abbie".

10. Hailey - Origins and meaning unknown. Variant spellings include Hayley, Haylee, Haleigh, or Haley. Hailey is also considered a unisex name.

Choose a name from this list and your child will be almost guaranteed the opportunity to know lots of other kids with her same name. This may result in your child having to come up with a nick name to differentiate themselves from all the other Kaitlyns and Emmas running around the playground.

However, choosing a name from this list will also ensure that very few people will be stumped by your child's name. They will not have to struggle to pronounce it, nor will it be easily forgotten.