Distinctive baby names reflect entirely personal choice

The boom produced 27,030 boys and 25,368 girls last year, Bhullar said, topping the previous record of 51,505 births in 2009. You’d have to go all the way back to 1983 to find similar high numbers, when 45,000 babies were delivered.

Part of the boom can be attributed to the 2.7-per-cent job growth and the population spike of 60,000 in the province, Bhullar said.

Alberta also boasts a younger population, with a median of 36.5 years versus a national median of 40.6 years.

Edmonton produced 15,236 births last year, which wasn’t enough to surpass Calgary’s 18,000 newborns. Red Deer was third with 2,650 births.

The Vital Statistics branch of Service Alberta recorded 5,979 distinct boy names and 7,158 distinct girl names, based on reports from hospitals and birthing centres.

Liam remained the reigning champion of boy names for the third year in a row, with 281 newborns sporting the moniker. Meanwhile, 299 families opted for Emma, which topped the girl’s list after staking out the No. 3 spot last year.

After Liam, the top 10 for boys included Ethan, Jacob, Logan, Mason, Benjamin, Lucas, Alexander, Carter and Noah.

For girls, Emma topped Olivia, Emily, Sophia, Ava, Lily, Ella, Isabella, Abigail and Chloe.

And much farther down the list were the one-of-a-kind names. There was Skeeter, Rhaney-Day and Shy-Angel for the precocious gals.

The boys were just as daring, sporting names like Thunderbolt, Horizon and, fittingly, Brave.

“People in Alberta have boldness and they live with gusto,” Bhullar said. “There are people who want to name their children Brooklyn and people who want their name their children Shy-Angel and maybe they are shy angels. Let people enjoy and express themselves in whatever way makes them happy and really allows their young ones to express all of who they are.”

Despite having just named her newborn, Elvira Berezowsky, manager of the south side Gymboree Play and Music, is eager to start using the new app.

“I’m going home and downloading it and running every family name through it. My name, my parents’ names, my husband’s name,” Berezowsky said with a laugh.

She might not find as many results for her 11-week-old daughter, Inara, who she said was a challenge to name.

“I was reading an online article about one of our favourite shows, Firefly, and the name Inara jumped out at me. And I emailed my husband and I was like ‘I’ve got it’ and that was that.”

Since then, Berezowsky has only run into one other Inara at a pediatrician’s office in what she called a “one-in-a-million” encounter.

But although Inara might be rare, how about Divinity, Cedar or Minaj? Such names shouldn’t be dismissed, Berezowsky said.

“It’s such a personal choice that it’s totally to each their own. What one person may think is a great name, another person may think, ‘What? That’s a terrible name.’ ”

Shauna Roughley followed the same train of thought by opting for a distinctive name for her three-month-old son, Callum Danger.

“My husband’s English so he wanted a British name, and it’s Scottish,” Roughley said. “It took us some time. We went to a lot of websites and had to look at quite a few and find one that didn’t have an association with another person and that was unique to him.”

Some parents like Candace LeClair aren’t fans of first names that can be shortened. That’s why she settled on the name Kendra Elizabeth for her 16-week-old daughter. Still, LeClair said she has a fondness for traditional names.

“I’m fond of Liam. A few friends have Liams. It is a classic for our generation. Emily is also a traditional name, and I really like those.”

Service Alberta said final numbers and a complete list of names will be available once all the information is collected and compiled later this year.