Mason, Sophia top names in ’11

EVERETT – So you think the baby boomer-era hippies gave their kids unusual names? Well, it’s happening again.

The state Health Department just released its annual list of popular baby names, and the most notable thing about the list is that the most popular names are not all that popular.

The top names in 2011 were Mason and Sophia.

However, Mason was given to only 1 percent of baby boys in Washington and Sophia was bestowed on only 1.1 percent of baby girls.

A state Department of Health spokeswoman said parents today are choosing more creative names than their own parents did in the 1980s.

The name Mason moved to the No. 1 slot from the 11th most popular name for baby boys in 2010 and Liam moved to second place from eighth place. The top 10 list for baby girls is nearly the same as in 2010. Sophia is ranked No. 1 and Olivia is No. 2, a switcheroo from the previous year.

At the end of each year, the state releases the list of top 100 baby names from the year before.

So, in 2011, the top 25 boys names in Washington were:

Mason, Liam, Alexander, Ethan, Jacob, Daniel, Noah, William, Logan, Benjamin, Jackson, Michael, David, Gabriel, Aiden, Jayden, Samuel, James, Elijah, Andrew, Wyatt, Landon, Lucas, Owen and Henry.

The top 25 girls names given in 2011 were:

Sophia, Olivia, Emma, Isabella, Emily, Ava, Abigail, Madison, Chloe, Elizabeth, Ella, Natalie, Grace, Evelyn, Mia, Brooklyn, Lily, Amelia, Addison, Samantha, Zoe, Zoey, Lillian, Audrey and Charlotte.