Jacobs, Ethans, and Abigails Flood Pre-School
Hebrew-derived names are still among the most popular
May 06, 2011
Jacob receives his father’s blessing.(Wikipedia)
The Social Security Administration’s list of the most popular names for new American babies in 2010 reads like something out of Hebrew school, particularly on the boys’ side. Jacob is number one; Ethan, 2; Noah, 6; and Daniel, 7. Stephen Prothero reports that you can also throw Michael (3) and Jayden (4) into the mix of names derived from Hebrew, giving such titles an astounding six of the top ten. (Plus, Joshua looms at 11! And David, Joseph, Gabriel, Benjamin and even Elijah [!] all appear in the top 25.) On the girls’ side, there is less dominance, with the only Hebrew-derived names in the top 10 being Isabella and Abigail.
There was no data on whether the American public had come to its senses and stopped betraying their children by bestowing on them the horrific “Mark” spelling.
Call Me Jacob (Again): Hebrew Baby Names Still Tops in 2010 [CNN]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
