So where have all the Jessicas gone?
Ditto Ashley, Samantha, Sarah and Amanda.
Those were the most popular names for girls born in Arizona 30 years ago.
And now?
The Arizona Department of Health Services shows they were replaced, in order, by Olivia, Isabella, Emma, Mia and Camila.
In fact, the shift is so significant that only one of what were in the Top 5 names in 1993 remains in the Top 100 in 2023. And that is Samantha, which logged in — barely — at Number 97.
The movement is not exactly unexpected.
What Arizona parents have chosen for their newborn girls has fluctuated wildly over the decades, whether it's related to television — consider the Twilight Saga and the character of Bella, a variant of Isabella — or to pop music stars like Olivia Rodrigo.
And then there have been fads.
Consider Neveah. It rocketed into the Top 20 in 2007 out of nowhere after singer Sonny Sandova of the Christian rock group P.O.D. chose that for his daughter.
It's popularity has waned since then. But it still was No. 76 this year.
Even a decade can make a difference.
Ten years ago, Sophia was at the top of the list — and by a large margin. And that doesn't even consider that a different spelling — Sofia — was at No. 7.
This year, they were at No. 6 and 13, respectively.
Abigail was popular enough in 2013 to clock in at No. 8. A decade later, it had slid to No. 40.
Conversely, Olivia, the top choice for mothers this year, was only in fifth place in 2013.
And Luna, which rounded out the Top 10 this year, was just at No. 88 a decade earlier.
Now, boys? That's another matter.
Sure, there have been shifts. Names like Liam, Mateo and Noah, the Top 3 this year, were virtually unheard of three decades ago.
But there have been constants. And many of them surround the Bible.
Michael, the most popular name in 1993, just barely slid out of this year's Top 20.
Other top Biblical names 30 years ago are still among the Top 100. But even some of these have fallen out of favor.
Christopher clocked in at No. 2 in 1993. By this year it had dropped to 57.
Joseph, which was the 10th most popular three decades ago, was right behind it at 58. And Joshua, which had been the fifth most poplar choice of parents in 1993, now registers at just 71.
That volatility over time, however, really shows up among non-Biblical names.
For example, there were enough parents naming their newborn boys Tyler in 1993 to have it be the fourth most popular name that year. And this year? It didn't even crack the Top 100.
Other popular names from three decades ago that have all but disappeared include Ryan, Zachary, Nicholas and Brandon.
