What makes parents who grew up with people named Jacob, Anthony and Daniel want to name their newborn boys Liam? Or choose Olivia for their baby girls even though women of child-bearing age are more likely to be familiar with Ashley, Samantha and Emma?
Sometimes it’s literature or old-fashioned names, particularly for girls.
The names for boys tend to be less volatile from year to year, with a perennial emphasis on those found in the Good Book. Think Old Testament prophets and figures like Daniel and Noah and New Testament disciples and saints like James and Sebastian.
But why are there sudden shifts? Who knows?
Consider: This year in Arizona the ninth most popular name for new boys was Ezekiel. Five years ago, it came in at 96; in 2011 it didn't even crack the Top 100.
Or, for girls, Gianna. Five years ago is placed only No. 80. This year it rose to No. 12.
But the bigger shock comes when looking back to when the new parents of today were being named by their parents. Or even when their parents — the current crop of grandparents — were choosing names for them.
Oh, sure, some names withstand the test of time.
Some 45 years ago, more Arizonans chose Michael for their new baby boy than any other. And while its popularity has waxed and waned over the years, it still is in the Top 20 this year.
But Liam? How many parents in 1976 were choosing that for a name for a newborn?
Instead, William was in the top 20, as were more “traditional” names like David, Robert, Joseph, Mathew, Richard and Anthony.
Even 20 years later the list of the most popular names had not changed a lot, though there were some less traditional ones starting to sneak in, like Tyler, Austin and Brandon.
And they didn’t last long, with nary a Tyler, Austin or Brandon anywhere in this year's Top 100.
Instead, after Liam, we get Noah, Mateo, Oliver and Sebastian rounding out the top of the list.
For girls, however, the situation is much different -- and much more subject to change.
Let’s start with this year’s crop of new grandparents.
Back in 1976, their parents chose names for them like Jennifer, Melissa, Amy, Michele and Heather.
None of those names even cracked the Top 100 this year in Arizona.
Want to talk more recent? Let's talk about what happened when all those Jennifers, Melissas and all grew up?
If they were having babies in 1996, they chose names like Ashley, Samantha, Emma, Mia and Emily for their newborn girls.
And now? Of those, only Emma and Mia are still in the Top 10. And you won't find an Ashley in the entire Top 100 list.
Anyone want to guess what this year's crop of newborns will be naming their kids in, say 2041?
Top Names for Arizona girls born in 2021
1 -- Olivia
2 -- Emma
3 -- Sophia
4 -- Camila
5 -- Isabella
6 -- Mia
7 -- Charlotte
8 -- Amelia
9 -- Ava
10 -- Luna
11 -- Penelope
12 -- Gianna
13 -- Aria
14 -- Scarlett
15 -- Evelyn
16 -- Emily
17 -- Sofia
18 -- Mila
19 -- Layla
20 -- Abigail
21 -- Harper
22 -- Eliana
23 -- Ella
24 -- Elena
25 -- Victoria
26 -- Avery
27 -- Leilani
28 -- Aurora
29 -- Elizabeth
30 -- Ellie
31 -- Zoey
32 -- Violet
33 -- Isla
34 -- Lily
35 -- Natalia
36 -- Emilia
37 -- Grace
38 -- Ivy
39 -- Nova
40 -- Madison
41 -- Riley
42 -- Hazel
43 -- Addison
44 -- Everly
45 -- Nora
46 -- Eleanor
47 -- Leah
48 -- Aaliyah
49 -- Athena
50 -- Ximena
51 -- Willow
52 -- Maria
53 -- Natalie
54 -- Delilah
55 -- Lucy
56 -- Chloe
57 -- Kennedy
58 -- Brooklyn
59 -- Valentina
60 -- Naomi
61 -- Ruby
62 -- Genesis
63 -- Hannah
64 -- Nevaeh
65 -- Stella
66 -- Iris
67 -- Serenity
68 -- Ariana
69 -- Claire
70 -- Madelyn
71 -- Hailey
72 -- Arya
73 -- Paisley
74 -- Zoe
75 -- Alice
76 -- Alina
77 -- Bella
78 -- Jade
79 -- Kinsley
80 -- Liliana
81 -- Maya
82 -- Allison
83 -- Autumn
84 -- Sage
85 -- Savannah
86 -- Emery
87 -- Samantha
88 -- Audrey
89 -- Melody
90 -- Remi
91 -- Melanie
92 -- Rose
93 -- Amaya
94 -- Daisy
95 -- Lydia
96 -- Lyla
97 -- Peyton
98 -- Quinn
99 -- Amara
100 -- Eva
Top Names for Arizona boys born in 2021
1 -- Liam
2 -- Noah
3 -- Mateo
4 -- Oliver
5 -- Sebastian
6 -- Elijah
7 -- Benjamin
8 -- Santiago
9 -- Ezekiel
10 -- Julian
11 -- Alexander
12 -- James
13 -- Daniel
14 -- Ezra
15 -- Michael
16 -- William
17 -- Angel
18 -- Elias
19 -- Levi
20 -- Jesus
21 -- Aiden
22 -- Wyatt
23 -- Henry
24 -- Samuel
25 -- Anthony
26 -- Lucas
27 -- Logan
28 -- David
29 -- Gabriel
30 -- Theodore
31 -- Jackson
32 -- Luke
33 -- Joseph
34 -- Adrian
35 -- Ethan
36 -- Jacob
37 -- Mason
38 -- Jose
39 -- Isaac
40 -- Hudson
41 -- Asher
42 -- Isaiah
43 -- Grayson
44 -- Jayden
45 – Lincoln
46 -- Luis
47 -- Adriel
48 -- Luca
49 -- Leo
50 -- Jack
51 -- Andrew
52 -- Maverick
53 -- Jaxon
54 -- Josiah
55 -- Leonardo
56 -- Matthew
57 -- Christopher
58 -- Caleb
59 -- Damian
60 -- Carter
61 -- Axel
62 -- Dylan
63 -- Owen
64 -- Gael
65 -- Christian
66 -- John
67 -- Easton
68 -- Xavier
69 -- Giovanni
70 -- Jonathan
71 -- Joshua
72 -- Carlos
73 -- Dominic
74 -- Eli
75 -- Diego
76 -- Kai
77 -- Roman
78 -- Thomas
79 -- Cooper
80 -- Jeremiah
81 -- Miles
82 -- Emiliano
83 -- Hunter
84 -- Emilio
85 -- Nathan
86 -- Ivan
87 -- Ryder
88 -- Aaron
89 -- Antonio
90 -- Brooks
91 -- Lorenzo
92 -- Nolan
93 -- River
94 -- Weston
95 -- Andres
96 -- Greyson
97 -- Luka
98 -- Robert
99 -- Alejandro
100 – Carson
Boys top five names from select years
1976 / 1996 / 2011 / 2016 / 2021
1 / Michael / Michael / Jacob / Liam / Liam
2 / Jason / Jacob / Anthony / Noah / Noah
3 / Christopher / Daniel / Daniel / Daniel / Mateo
4 / David / Jose / Michael / Sebastian / Oliver
5 / Robert / Tyler / Angel / Alexander / Sebastian
6 / James / Joshua / Ethan / Michael / Elijah
7 / Daniel / Matthew / Noah / Julian / Benjamin
8 / John / Christopher / Aiden / Oliver / Santiago
9 / Brian / Anthony / Alexander / Benjamin / Ezekiel
10 / Matthew / David / Mason / Mason / Julian
11 / Joseph / Nicholas / Gabriel / Elijah / Alexander
12 / William / Joseph / Jayden / Jacob / James
13 / Jeremy / Austin / Julian / Aiden / Daniel
14 / Ryan / Brandon / David / Ethan / Ezra
15 / Joshua / Andrew / Benjamin / Mateo / Michael
16 / Richard / Jesus / Joseph / David / William
17 / Steven / Zachary / Liam / Anthony / Angel
18 / Eric / Ryan / Adrian / Gabriel / Elias
19 / Aaron / Christian / Isaac / James / Levi
20 / Anthony / Alexander / Matthew / Matthew / Jesus
Girls top five names from select years
1 / Jennifer / Ashley / Sophia / Emma / Olivia
2 / Melissa / Samantha / Isabella / Sophia / Emma
3 / Amy / Alexis / Emma / Olivia / Sophia
4 / Michelle / Taylor / Mia / Mia / Camila
5 / Heather / Emily / Emily / Isabella / Isabella
6 / Jessica / Sarah / Olivia / Ava / Mia
7 / Lisa / Hannah / Abigail / Emily / Charlotte
8 / Angela / Madison / Ava / Sofia / Amelia
9 / Stephanie / Alyssa / Elizabeth / Abigail / Ava
10 / Shannon / Maria / Chloe / Charlotte / Luna
11 / Christina / Elizabeth / Victoria / Amelia / Penelope
12 / Kimberly / Stephanie / Madison / Victoria / Gianna
13 / Rebecca / Amanda / Natalie / Evelyn / Aria
14 / Maria / Kayla / Sofia / Camila / Scarlett
15 / Monica / Brianna / Lily / Aria / Evelyn
16 / Amanda / Megan / Samantha / Scarlett / Emily
17 / Elizabeth / Victoria / Hailey / Harper / Sofia
18 / Veronica / Jennifer / Brooklyn / Penelope / Mila
19 / Andrea / Vanessa / Camila / Elizabeth / Layla
