Learning how to tell someone your name, “Hello. My name is ______________”, is often one of the first lessons people learn in English. This lesson is followed quickly by learning how to ask someone else what their name is, “What is your name?”

Obviously names are very important. They are part of who we are and how other people know us. They are given to us by our parents and often have special meaning. Names also are connected to culture and time and place, and names that are popular (or common) changes over time. Here is a list of the top 5 most common boy and girl names in English in the United States now:

Boys: Jacob, Mason, Ethan, Noah, William
Girls: Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia, Ava

But look how different this is compared to 50 years (1963) ago in the United States:

Boys: Michael, John, David, James, Robert
Girls: Lisa, Mary, Susan, Karen, Linda

None of the most popular names are the same!

Name choices have changed a lot over time in the United States. In fact many parents now are trying to find names to give their children that are more and more unique. In some English speaking countries, like New Zealand, very unique names are even banned* because parents have gone too far. You can read more about this here. No names are banned in America, but here is a list of some of the less popular names for babies in the United States in the resent years.

Boys: Kylen, Graeme, Apollo, Foster, Augustine
Girls: Hayleigh, Riya, Aubriana, Ashtyn, Landry

A lot of English language learners pick an ‘English name’ for themselves when they start learning English. If you have done this you might want to check and see how popular the name you picked for yourself is by checking out the list I have been referring to. You can see the most popular names right now in the U.S. by clicking here. Or if you have never picked an English name for yourself and you want to, here is your chance. This list has the most popular 1000 boys and girls names from 2012 in the United States.

*banned = not allowed