Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Dec. 18, 2024) – The pick of the litter for baby names at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) hospitals remains consistent in 2024. For the fourth straight year you’ll find the same names for both girls and boys respectively at or near the top of the list among newborns.

This year’s most popular overall choice is Noah by a wide margin over the next most popular boy name, Liam. As of mid-December, with more than 6,200 births for the year so far, 53 boys were named Noah at LVHN hospitals in 2024 compared to 44 who received the name Liam. The most chosen girl name in 2024 is Emma, picked by 31 parents for their child. Isabella, which was the most popular girl name in 2023, comes in a close second this year (27) with Olivia (26) right behind.

Both Noah and Emma have been firmly near the top of the new-baby names list at LVHN for several years. Other boy names that continue to head the list are Levi, Lucas and James. Behind Emma, Isabella and Olivia, Sophia and Charlotte remain popular.

Nationally, Noah remains No. 1 according to babycenter.com. Like at LVHN, Liam also is the country’s second most popular choice for the second straight year. For girls, Emma comes in third nationally behind Olivia and Amelia.

A girl name that shows up more than you might expect with several spellings is Everleigh or Everly. Twelve girls were named Everleigh at LVHN hospitals in 2024, including six spelled Everleigh. Maybe it’s sheer coincidence, but the interest in the name could be connected to 12-year-old YouTube star Everleigh Rose Smith-Soutas, a young fashionista and social media influencer. Her mother, Savannah LaBrant, is a photographer and fashion blogger. Everleigh has her own Instagram account run by her mother and also shares an account called Forever And For Ava with her best friend, Ava Foley.

There also appears to be some Greek mythology influence behind a few of the names selected this year. Several one-offs among boys include Achilles, Atlas and Zeus. Five boys might have a legacy to live up to as their parents chose to name them Legend. And for the accounting audience, there is one Ledger. Or maybe the name was chosen because of the late Heath Ledger, who posthumously won several best supporting actor awards for his role as the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

There also are a Sol, a Soul, Serenitymoon, Glory and True among the rare names that made the list this year. There is one Beckham, possibly tied to the famous soccer star, and Harper continues to hold its own on the list, especially among girls. There are seven of them, all females. You might recall at LVHN in 2023 the parents of 16 newborn girls named their child Harper, possibly influenced by the recent success of the Philadelphia Phillies and slugger Bryce Harper, one of the team’s most popular players. That said, Harper became a hot new-baby name in 2016, cracking the Top 10 national list for girls for the first time. That year, Harper came in at No. 10, according to data from the Social Security Administration.

About Jefferson 
Lehigh Valley Health Network is now proudly part of Jefferson Health. Nationally ranked, Jefferson, which is principally located in the greater Philadelphia region, Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce, dates to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Brian Downs