These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2016

Sophia

This name, which boasts a variety of spelling options and multiethnic appeal, leads the girls for the seventh year in a row!

Jackson

This boy's name, which some choose based on historical significance, is topping the boys' list for the fourth straight year.

Girls:

Boys:

Most people wouldn’t think to turn on Nightmare on Elm Street or Rosemary’s Baby when looking for baby name inspiration, but millennial parents came of age during the Scream franchise phenomenon and actually identify with characters on today’s popular TV horror series. Whether they’re rooting for Tyreese, Hershel, or Carol on The Walking Dead or found inspiration in a Netflix binge session of Stranger Things (Joyce, anyone?), these scarier character names are all on the rise.

Naming kids after superheroes isn’t exactly new, but it’s one thing to pay homage to good guys like Superman (a la Clark or Kent) and another thing to seek monikers from less squeaky clean personas. Deeper, darker characters, like DC Comics’ Harley Quinn or Banner from Hulk fame are seeing spikes on baby name lists. “These are complex characters grappling with their humanity and their powers," said BabyCenter editor Linda Murray. "They appeal to moms and dads who are used to seeing the best and worst sides of people on social media and who appreciate an animated world that reflects their own.”

This year, STEM-related jargon is emerging as a major name influencer. Cloud, for instance, is up 76 percent! Apple is another rising choice as are the names of new virtual assistants like Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa. Some of the individual thought-leaders in Silicon Valley are also creating some naming shifts, like Tesla’s founder Elon, and more historical figures – including scientists Darwin, Newton, and Edison – are seeing double-digit growth.

Although gender-neutral baby names have been gathering steam for a few years now (they were a key trend in last year’s list of most popular baby names), 2016 saw many stereotypical boys' names going to girls (and vice versa). The trend likely saw a boost considering popular celebrities such as Mila Kunis and Blake Lively recently gave their daughters — Wyatt and James, respectively — traditional boys' names.

Feminists unite! This has most definitely been a year in which parents actively chose names that reflect of-the-moment female newsmakers and politicians . . . from both sides of the aisle. Hillary is up 64 percent, and Ivanka is up 39 percent. “We've been naming boys after titans of politics, sports, and business for thousands of years," said Murray. “Today's parents want their daughters to be strong and successful."