First Baby Names of 2012: Name Candy's State-by-State List
Each year NameCandy.com rings in the New Year with the year's first baby names across America. It's a future-looking time capsule of parents' tastes, hopes and dreams.
What does the 2012 crop of New Year's babies foretell? A quick glance will confirm that when it comes to the new generation of American baby names, creativity rules there's no longer such a thing as "normal." The first babies of the year include an Daytona, an Akier and an Envy (yes, Envy), but nary a John or Mary to be seen.
Biblical names are still well-represented, but this year they're making a bolder style statement. Take baby Ezekiel from Rhode Island, or Shekinah from Texas. (The Hebrew word Shekinah refers to the divine presence.)
The hot initials for New Year's babies are A, as in Adrian, Anya, Aubrey, Austin and Ava, and K, as in Kayla, Karis, Kay'lyn, Kristiana and Kyren. Several parents customized familiar names to get those desirable initials, with names like Khloe and Adelyn. In West Virginia, the first new parents were still struggling with their customization when the name announcement went out: their New Year's baby is either Adian or Jadian.
Here's the nationwide list of First Babies. Which names leap out at you as signs of the year to come? And how are new baby names looking where you live?
State-by-State First Baby Names of 2012:
Alabama: Karis, 12:13 am
Alaska: Mathea Jeannine , 12:02 am
Arizona: Eviana Maye, 12:00 am and Cooper Jones, 12:01 am
Arkansas: Wesley Ren, 12:20 am
California: Sophia, 12:00 am
Colorado: Aubrey Faith , 12:01 am
Connecticut: Ava Jade, 3:38 am [Update: Carolyn, 12:02 am]
Delaware: Austin Dean, 2:20 am
Florida: Marcos Jarett Dante 12:01, 40 sec
Georgia: Thatcher James, 12:00 7 seconds
Hawaii: Faith Erin, 12:02 am
Idaho: Melissa, 12:30 am
Illinois: Adrian Karol , 12:00 am and Lamaya 12:00 am + a fraction of a second
Indiana: Michael Joseph Lee , 12:00 am
Iowa: Elliot Mitchell, 12:33 am
Kansas: Adelyn, 12:46 am
Kentucky: Kay'lyn , 12:54 am
Louisiana: Kristiana Louise, 12:03 am
Maine: Kyren, 5:54 am
Massachusetts: Grace Kathleen, 12:10 a.m. and her twin Luke Christopher 12:11 am
Michigan: Gabriela, 12:09 am
Mississippi: Carmon McKynli , 7:05 am [Update: Genevieve Leigh, 12:31 am]
Missouri: Tucker Zane, 12:45 am [Update: Hailey Elizabeth, 12:02 am]
Montana: Jackson, 1:46 am
Nebraska: Aubrey Ann
Nevada: Envy Essence-Faye, 12:00 am
New Hampshire: Vincent Andrew, 6:01 am
New Mexico: Daytona Jaymes, 2:12 am [Update: Amari, 12:29 am]
New York: Nicole and Rania (both arrived "at the stroke of midnight" in different hospitals)
North Carolina: Collin Matthew, 12:01 am
North Dakota: Wyatt, 12:52 am
Ohio: Anya, 12:10 am
Oklahoma: Haiden Noelle, 10:22 am
Oregon: Zoey Antoinette, 12:27 am
Pennsylvania: Akier, 12:18 am
Rhode Island: Ezekiel, 12:21 am
South Carolina: Grace Marie, 12:09 am
South Dakota: Kalylah, 1:37 am [Update: John Jr., 12:03 am. His twin Kylee was born at 11:59 pm]
Tennessee: Charlotte, 12:09 am
Texas: Shekinah Rain Shanice, 12:00 am
Utah: Jayden, 12:00 am
Vermont: Conner, 7:09 am [Update: Wells, 12:25 am]
Virginia: Lucas Robert, 12:26 am
Washington: Hannah Elizabeth, 4:32 am
West Virginia: Adian/Jadian, 3:19 am
Wisconsin: Bella Rose, 1:09 am
Wyoming: Khloe, 8:28 am
(No name reported: Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey)
To see how the 2012 first baby names compare to previous years, click the links below:
-- J.B. + L.W.
[Ed. Note: names indicated as [Update:] were reported after the original list was produced]
Comments
I really dislike Envy Essence-Faye. I wonder if they'll call her Envy, V or maybe Faye?
wow Envy is definitely not something I would name a child but to each their own of course.
I love Thatcher James, my fav on the list!
Way too many word-internal y's. Aubrey Ann and Elizabeth Hannah are fine . . . about the only ones whose resumes I won't immediately throw in the "later" pile 25 years hence.
Curious how Mathea is pronounced... like "Mattie" maybe? I like Thatcher. Not enough to use it, but it's probably the best on that list... and I'm highly disappointed with my Indiana's name- how BORING! On the other hand, boring is better than Envy Essence-Faye. Blech.
I think the majority of names here are fine. Lots of great, classic names.
Poor Envy of Nevada lost out, name-wise.
I really like Mathea, Wyatt, and Ezekiel! But baby Mississippi's middle name - McKynli - drives me crazy! why do people think that by giving an uber popular name a crazy spelling they can make it magically unique? If you like the name enough, face the fact that it is extremely common, otherwise pick something else :P
Did they name Envy after the state's initials? NV?
Envy might be a nod to Scott Pilgrim's infamous ex, Envy Adams.
Tessa,
Part of it is trying to make it unique, but I agree that it gets a little out of hand some times. I think it was in the Freakonomics movie that they brought up some stat of no less than a hundred different spellings of the name Unique/Uniq/Uneek/... In California in one year alone. Crazy.
I wish parents would think harder before naming their kids. A lot of these names will haunt the kids throughout childhood--other kids will make fun of them. And remember: There are billions of people on the plant; chances are that "unique" name is not!
Oh how I hate the name "Adelyn." A friend of mind named her daughter "Adalyn" and to me it sounds like a nice pharmaceutical mixture of Adderal and Ritalin. Potent stuff, but not a good name. Why not Madaleine, which is clearly the basis for this dumb name?
Yo! To the idiot who compiled this list...New Jersey is a state, so include it in the listing!
Anonymous: The post clearly states that no name was reported for New Jersey. That is why it is not included in a list of names.
do you have updated info?
Good luck sending out resumes in twenty years................
Eh, in 20 years, these names won't seem that odd. Besides, most of them are fairly ordinary (Charlotte, Michael, Grace, etc).
We have a Cooper Jones born in 2009! Love it!
New Mexico is wrong! Per KRQE, Amari Scott was born at Lovelace Women's Hospital at 12:29 am.
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/central/first-baby-of-2012
Would someone please tell me how to pronounce that pitiful name from PA "Akier". Is it Achier, like my bones are achier today than yesterday? Why don't people give their kids names that can be respected and admired? Not made fun of. Good grief, what that poor child has in store once in school....
@Anonymous(January 6, 2012 12:24am) - I am from Pittsburgh and recognized that picture from our local news stories! It is pronounced "uh-keer" (rhymes with "a pier")! ;-)
No matter what you all say, or how you all feel about the names, the parents chose the names, and that is what they wanted to name their children. So, congratulations to all the new parents of 2012. May your children, whatever their names may be, be happy, healthy and live long, wonderful and beautiful lives. God bless!
A girl I went to high school with had the first NJ baby. Cooper Jackson was born at 12:10 am.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/first_saint_barnabas_baby_born....
i like Envy It is different
No one will copy my daughters name!! Her name on her birth certificate is June Bug....yes her middle name is Bug, and YES she LOVES it!!! She is super proud of it and tells everyone :) We named her June after my grandmother. As a child or any other June, they are nicknamed June Bug, so why not make it official? June Bug totally fits her personality too...we love it!
sounds like a stripper... Nevada... Vagas, maybe?
Envy Essence-Faye???? Who in their right mind would name their baby that. Don't know if I should laugh or if I should cry. That little girl is going to be made fun of for the rest of her life.
To answer ur question, my daughters name is Mathea and we pronounce it ma tay ah. Hope that helps.
I weep for the future.
The way we pronounce Mathea is Ma-thay-ah.
I think its pretty cool that the twins from South Dakota actually have different birthdays.
I love the name Adalynn. My neice was born in Nov and her name is Adalynn. It is a classic, sweet name. I am sure there are a lot of other names out there that you can find that are far worse.
Why is there not a name for Maryland?
Actually, Adelyn has been around since at least the late 1800's, and it's a version of Adeline. Just because it's gaining popularity now doesn't mean that it's a rip-off of another name.
If only mom and dad might believe more challenging prior to identifying their own children. Many of these brands can bother the children all through childhood--other children can make enjoyable of these. Please remember: You will find vast amounts of individuals over the put; probably exclusive title is not really!
I really like title Adalynn. My neice was born within November and the girl title is actually Adalynn. This is a traditional, fairly sweet title. I am certain there are a great number of various other labels out there that you could discover that are generally considerably even worse.
She is super proud of it as well as informs everyone: ) All of us named her June right after the grandmother. As a child or some kind of other June, they may be nicknamed June Pest, so why not allow it to be standard? June Pest totally suits her personality too... all of us love it!
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