ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The most popular names given to newborn boys and girls at Lehigh Valley Health Network in 2023 have been at or near the top for several years, the hospital network said Wednesday.
But while LVHN’s most popular girl's name was the same at St. Luke’s University Health Network, that hospital system said it had a different most popular boys name.
In 2023, the most popular overall choice at Lehigh Valley Health Network was Noah, which was selected for 45 newborn males as of mid-December, LVHN said.
The most-chosen girls name at LVHN in 2023 is Isabella, picked by 32 parents for their child.
At St. Luke’s, the most popular for girls also was Isabella, but the most popular boys name was Liam for deliveries at St. Luke’s Allentown, Anderson and Upper Bucks campuses, the health care system said.
LVHN said both Noah and Isabella have been entrenched near the top of its new-baby names list there for several years.
Last year, Noah was No. 2 behind Liam at its 13 hospital campuses in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, East Stroudsburg, Hazleton, Pottsville, Lehighton and Dickson City.
Isabella came in second last year to Charlotte, which remains in the top four in 2023.
National trends
Nationally, Noah also took over the top spot from Liam for boys, according to babycenter.com. Olivia (at No. 1) and Emma hold the top two spots for girls.
Names.org predicts that Olivia and Liam will be the most popular baby names in 2023, with 18,000 girls named the former and 20,600 boys receiving the latter moniker.
Isabella is a variation on Isabel, meaning “devoted to God.” Liam means strong-willed warrior and protector. This year, Isabella was closely followed in popularity by Emma, while Noah was next most popular to Liam.
Oliver and Cameron are other boys’ names selected most often, while on the girls’ side Sophia and Olivia continue to be popular choices.
One naming trend that could be unique to the region among the more than 6,200 births at LVHN in 2023 seems to be tied to the success and popularity of the Philadelphia Phillies the past couple of years.
The club’s playoff runs that included a World Series appearance two seasons ago might have sparked the parents of 16 newborn girls to name their child Harper this past year.
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper is the team’s superstar and among its most popular players. Last year, Harper was the most popular girls’ name at Lehigh Valley Hospital Schuylkill–E. Norwegian Street, leading the way with six.
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.
Valley parents just 'Shake It Off'
But the local connection to the Phillies seems logical when you also consider seven families chose to name their son Bryce in 2023. Fourteen boys born at LVHN hospitals were named Bryson. Bryson Stott is one of Harper’s teammates and also a fan favorite.
Babycenter.com also reports that with the record-breaking success of performer Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” there’s been a boost in popularity for names inspired by Swift songs.
They include Betty, Marjorie, Summer and Ivy, all climbing the ranks among popular names this year.
That has not been the case among newborns at LVHN, the health network said.
This year the only name among the four proving more popular in mother-baby units across the five sites that deliver was Ivy, with nine. Two Summers, one Marjorie and one Taylor round out the “Swift list” at LVHN.
