What's in a name? Ask Liam and Olivia

Babies born in this province are more likely to have familiar names, according to statistics just announced by the Vital Statistics branch of Service Alberta.

When it comes to Alberta’s kids, Olivia and Liam are still No. 1 with new parents: Olivia coming in at the top spot for girls for the second year in a row while Liam held on to its third year running for boys.

Samantha Duffy was one of the 309 parents who gave their son the most popular name for boys. Her son Liam was born July 1 last year. She suggested that there wasn’t much rhyme or reason for the choice other than it’s a good name.

“I don't have any interesting reason for choosing the name, besides that I liked it. My husband and I both have Irish heritage, and this name is much easier to pronounce and spell than a lot of other Irish names.”

She noted that her sister-in-law DyLana has a daughter named Olivia, a name that was chosen for 310 new baby girls in 2014.

All told, there were 55,587 babies born in Alberta in 2014, with 27,147 girls and 28,440 boys. The press release notes that this figure marks an ongoing five-year “baby boom.”

Angel Moroz also named her son Liam and, like Duffy, suggested that it was a kind of luck that she and her husband decided on the popular name. In fact, they were aiming for the exact opposite.

“As an expecting mom I did not want a super popular name for my child. I intentionally avoided baby name books and lists ... my husband suggested Liam, and since I didn't know anyone named Liam aside from two celebrities, I thought it would be a great option,” she began.

“It was about two weeks later that I heard it was the No. 2 name that year, and has continued to be well used since. I guess I should have looked at at least one list. Go figure.”

Richenia Ridgway has a friend who had twin girls in 2013. She named them Olivia and Grace, No. 1 and No.18 on the popular list that year.

“If you go through the Alberta baby name list for the last few years you will see the same names over and over. You can almost tell when a person was born by their name.”

The press release also made special notes of some of the most unusual names that were used by new parents for their children last year. Pop culture likely provided the inspiration for Tyrion, Aragon and Olivander on the boys’ list while Primm, Sookie and Khaleesi stood out on the girls’ side.

Then there were boys’ names Thunderboy, Ă©lan, Zaxxon, Huckleberry, and Innocent, as compared to Valkyrie, Meadow, Uniquee, Wynter-Rose, and Bandit for girls.

Albertans can use the free Alberta Baby Names app that has more than 95,000 Alberta baby names dating back to 1980. It’s available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Vital Statistics recorded 6,110 distinct boy names and 7,409 distinct girl names in 2014.

“Alberta is a vibrant and thriving province with a growing number of young families and an exceptionally bright future. Our government is working every day to ensure that all parents are able to share the benefits of a prosperous future with their children,” noted Deron Bilous, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Service Alberta, in a prepared press release.