Liam, Emma top the lists of baby names in Arizona this year

PHOENIX — Are many new parents just star-struck?

If the top names for boys and girls in Arizona this year is any indication, new moms and dads are paying homage to those they admire on stage and screen.

Among boys born so far this year, Liam takes top spot, nudging aside Noah from its No. 1 position last year.

It comes the year Liam Payne, who gained fame as a member of One Direction, struck out on his own.

And Liam Hemsworth, who first caught major public attention in the “Hunger Games” films, got back before audiences this year with the sequel to “Independence Day.” Then there has been his on-again, off-again, on-again relationship with Miley Cyrus.

On the girls’ side of the ledger, Emma claimed the top spot, moving up from No. 3 last year and nudging aside Sophia.

Could the soaring career of Scottsdale-born Emma Stone, of “Spiderman” fame, have anything to do with that? And will her name get a boost into next year with the critically acclaimed release of “La La Land”?

While figuring out what boosted Liam and Emma to the top spots in Arizona baby names may be a matter of speculation, what is not is that the record shows an ever-changing attitude among new parents on what to name their offspring.

Especially girls.

Consider: Just 20 years ago, Ashley topped the list of most-popular names for girls born in Arizona. As late as a decade ago, it was No. 5.

And this year? It barely cracks the list of Top 100 names calculated by the state Department of Health Services, coming in at No. 97.

Going back even further, remember when it was hard not to run into a toddler named Jennifer or Jessica? They were top names for girls born in Arizona in 1976 and 1986, respectively.

This year? Not anywhere among the 100 most popular.

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What’s replaced all of them are Sophia (and Sofia), Olivia, Mia and Isabella.

The changes among boys names over the last 40 years is far less radical.

Sure, you would have been hard-pressed to find a Liam among the most popular names even a decade ago. But the closely linked William was No. 12 in 1976.

Biblical names have been perennial favorites.

Even with Noah being a relatively new addition to popular baby names, Daniel and Michael have been more or less mainstays at the top of the list.

But the same period in the 1970s and 1980 that brought us the streak of J names like Jennifer and Jessica also produced a bumper crop of Jasons and Justins. And those names, too, are nowhere on this year’s Top 100.

The annual list may also show some demographic shifts.

A decade ago, before Arizona approved one of the harshest laws in the nation aimed at those here illegally, names like Angel, Jose, Jesus and Juan were among the Top 20. In fact, in 2005 Jose was the top name for all boys born in the state.

Now Angel has dropped to 26, Jose to 34, Jesus to 37 and Juan to 78.

It’s also important to note that some names may be more popular than their rankings seem.

The health department compiles the list based on spellings. So even minor differences show up on different places on the chart.

Consider that 148 parents named their newborn boys Grayson while another 90 chose the spelling of Greyson. Separately, they’re at the No. 51 and No. 96 slots on the Top 100. But combined, they would be enough to put the name in the Top 20.

And if Arizona parents could agree on whether it’s Sofia or Sophia, that would have been the top name for girls this year.