Top Baby Boy Names in Minnesota
Jacob, Ethan, & Logan Top the MN State Popularity Charts in 2007
Baby boy names in Minnesota buck the trends of popular names in the nation as a whole. Here's a list of top 20 male names in 2007.
Minnesotans do things differently. In a state that brought the Governor Jesse Ventura, Prince, and that unforgettable quasi-Scandinavian accent (you betcha!), it's no wonder the list of top baby boy names in the state looks fairly different than the nationwide list. Sure, the top name in Minnesota is also the top name nationwide-- that's Jacob-- but there are a surprising number of unique names on the list and omissions from the national list.
According to the U.S. Social Security Baby Name Index, here are the top 20 names for little Minnesota boys from 2007.
- Jacob
- Ethan
- Logan
- Jack
- Samuel
- Alexander
- Benjamin
- Gavin
- Noah
- Andrew
- William
- Joseph
- Mason
- Jackson
- Isaac
- Carter
- Evan
- Matthew
- Owen
- Tyler
One of the most notable things about this list is how many names on there are not nearly as popular in the country as a whole. Jack, ranked all the way up at #4 in Minnesota (and climbing), was only ranked #38 nationwide. Another puzzler is Carter, which was ranked at #16 in Minnesota, but was all the way down at #80 on the national list. Other names on the Minnesota top 20 list that were not nearly as popular in the rest of the country were Samuel (#5 in Minnesota, #25 nationwide), Gavin (#8 in Minnesota, #32 nationwide), Mason (#13 in Minnesota, #37 nationwide), Jackson (#14 in Minnesota, #33 nationwide), Isaac (#15 in Minnesota, #41 nationwide), Evan (#17 in Minnesota, #40 nationwide), and Owen (#19 in Minnesota, #56 nationwide).
In addition, a surprising number of names on the top 20 national list were not on the Minnesota list. The most notable of these names is Michael, which is ranked #2 in the U.S. as a whole, but only ranked at #23 in Minnesota. Other national top 20 names that didn't make the list in Minnesota were Joshua, Daniel, Christopher, Anthony, David, Ryan, Jayden, John, and Nicholas.
Another trend that Minnesota resists: although the names on the top 20 lists for most states don't shift all that much from year to year, Minnesota's list shows a fair amount of movement. The biggest climber was Evan, which jumped all the way from #30 in 2006 to #17 in 2007. Other big climbers were Alexander (#13 in 2006, #6 in 2007), Gavin (#14 in 2006, #8 in 2007), and Isaac (#22 in 2006, #15 in 2007). Names that fell the furthest were Owen (#12 in 2006, #19 in 2007), Tyler (#15 in 2006, #20 in 2007) and Nicholas (#19 in 2006, #29 in 2007).
One name that's been pretty consistent: Jacob. It's been on the top of the list since 1994-- except for in 2005 and 2006, when Ethan snuck in and overtook Jacob. In 2007, Ethan fell back down to number two, ready for a rematch next year. However, both names better watch out for Logan, Jack, and Samuel, which are gaining ground quickly and may eventually take the prize.
