Top baby names in NYC were Liam, Emma in 2018, officials say

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A baby plays with toys before racing in the NYC Triathlon's annual Diaper Derby, July 14, 2017, in New York City. Around 30 infants raced in several heats across a 12-foot course as their parents urged them on from either end. / AFP PHOTO / DOMINICK

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NEW YORK (AP) — The most popular baby names in New York City last year were Liam and Emma, according to data released by city health officials Monday.

Of the babies born in New York City in 2018, there were 779 Liams and 501 Emmas, according to the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's birth certificate records.

The number of births in the city decreased from 117,013 in 2017 to 114,296 in 2018, according to the city's data. Manhattan led the five boroughs, with 42,945 births, while Brooklyn followed second with 28,270, Queens third with 23,963, Bronx fourth with 13,452 and Staten Island last with 5,666.

Liam has been the top name for boys since 2016, and Emma has been the top name for girls since 2017. The Health Department's birth certificate records show 501 Emmas and 779 Liams were born in New York City in 2018.

In Manhattan, Emma and Noah were the most popular names for girls and boys, while in the Bronx it was Isabella and Liam. In Brooklyn, Ester and David were the most popular names, in Queens Mia and Liam led the way, and in Staten Island, Mia and Michael were used most often.

Some New Yorkers opted for rarer names: There were a handful of girls named Aminah, Ida and Zadie and boys called Bentley, Lucian and Warren.

Nine of the top 10 boy names from 2017 remained on the list in 2018. Jayden was dropped from the 2018 list while Alexander was added as the tenth most popular name.

Eight of the top girl names stayed on the top 10 list for 2018. Amelia and Chloe joined the list as the ninth and tenth most popular names in 2018 respectively.