Local parents not following the trend

While Isabella and Jacob were the most popular names for babies in 2009, that trend is not reflected among TIMES NEWS readers.

Of the nearly 90 birth announcements submitted to the TIMES NEWS last year, not one baby was named Isabella or Bella, and there were no Jacobs, or even a Jake.

Most of the names were original, with few duplicates.

For girls, one of the most popular names locally was Macey, although it came in three different spellings, including Maisie and Macy.

Caroline and Sophia were tied for the second most popular name, but there was also a Julia and Juliana.

For boys, the most popular name was Alexander and Alex, followed by Evan and Connor. Also popular, but with different spellings were the following names: Davan and Devin; Brendan and Brandon; Lukas and Luke; and Ayden and Aiden.

Several of the baby names are standard, more common names, particularly for the boys, who are often named after their fathers.

However, local parents, overall, appear to be more creative when naming their babies, especially the girls