2022 top baby names for NJ don’t always play by national trends

New Jersey doesn’t care what you think. Call us the armpit of America? We’ll laugh. Don’t know what Mischief Night is? We do. We have our own culture and our words for things (“down the shore” isn’t said elsewhere) and we don’t care what you think about it.

So if the national list of top baby names that was just put out happens to have some of our names on it? Good for you. If not? Good for us.

We’re not trying to be trendy. We’re being New Jersey. And there’s no trying. We just are.

So how many of the top 10 most popular baby boy names does New Jersey share? Only 4.

Now, first in fairness, they’re different sources. The just-released list comes from BabyCenter (which historically is pretty spot on) whereas the list of predicted most popular baby names for 2022 specifically in New Jersey comes straight from the Social Security Administration.

So the only boy names in New Jersey that match up with the national top 10 are Liam, Noah, Lucas and James.

New Jersey’s top 10 baby boy names

1.  Liam
2. Noah
3. Lucas
4. Joseph
5. Jacob
6. James
7. Benjamin
8. Michael
9. Matthew
10. Jack

But look at the national names

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Oliver
4. Elijah
5. Mateo
6. Lucas
7. Levi
8. Asher
9. James
10. Leo

You definitely see a difference in solid Catholic names such as Michael, Matthew and Joseph.

Not as huge of a gap on the girls' side.

New Jersey’s top 10 baby girl names

1. Olivia
2. Sophia
3. Emma
4. Amelia
5. Mia
6. Charlotte
7. Ava
8. Isabella
9. Luna
10. Mila

The national names

1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Amelia
4. Ava
5. Sophia
6. Isabella
7. Luna
8. Mia
9. Charlotte
10. Evelyn

9 out of 10! The rankings are different but all the national girl names are on the Jersey list too except for Evelyn. And Jersey’s Mila isn’t represented on the national top 10 list.

Does this mean Jersey boys are more stubborn than Jersey girls? Of course not. But are the parents? Still no. I wonder how much the passing on of a fathers’ names to sons affects this. Joseph the third, Matthew the fourth, etc.. Something that doesn’t come up with girls.

All we know is as Shakespeare wrote, a New Jersey baby by any other name would still not pump gas.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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