Noah Beats Jacob in Baby Name Battle of Biblical Proportions

In decades to come, 2013 will be known as the year that Noah beat Jacob. The Social Security Administration has identified Noah and Sophia as the most popular baby names of last year as part of the agency’s annual rankings. Sophia has held the top spot for girls for the third straight year, while a different version of the name — Sofia with an ‘f’ — climbs to the thirteenth spot. Noah beat out Jacob, which has reigned as the top boys name since 1999. Noah’s ascension — which the agency points out is not related to the 2014 Russell Crowe film of the same name — is also notable because it’s the first boys name that isn’t Jacob or Michael to top the list since 1960. Here’s the top 10 most popular names of 2013 for both genders:

BOYS

Noah

Liam

Jacob

Mason

William

Ethan

Michael

Alexander

Jayden

Daniel

GIRLS

Sophia

Emma

Olivia

Isabella

Ava

Mia

Emily

Abigail

Madison

Elizabeth

The agency uses the list to identify popular trends in naming, and this year shows it’s all about reality TV. The name Jayceon grew in popularity thanks to rapper The Game (it’s his birth name), who stars on VHI’s reality show Marrying the Game. For girls, Dalyza has grown in popularity, possibly because of a character of the same name who appears on Larrymania, a Spanish-language TV series that airs on mun2.

See the full list here.