In honor of the release of the 2009 list of most popular New York City baby names, Nameberry’s newest intern, Deanna Cullen, presents to you some surprising top contenders that owe their ascension in the ranks to some serious star power.

　　New York City baby names are not so different from those in the rest of the United States, but more celebrity names reach the top spots, according to the newly-released 2009 popularity list.

　　The most popular New York City baby names for girls for 2009 were:

　　Isabella

　　Sophia

　　Mia

　　Emily

　　Olivia

　　Madison

　　Sarah

　　Ashley

　　Leah

　　Emma

　　Those that did not break the national top ten – Sarah (#21), Ashley (#20), and Leah (#28) – still came awfully close.

　　Same went for the boys.

　　The most popular New York City baby names for boys in 2009 were:

　　Jayden

　　Daniel

　　Ethan

　　Michael

　　David

　　Justin

　　Matthew

　　Joshua

　　Alexander

　　Christopher

　　Those that did not break the national top ten, such as David (#14) and Matthew (#13), again came close, with only the third, Justin (#46), coming from behind.

　　Jayden, a name that was virtually unknown as of the 1990 Census and #194 in 2000, now ranks #1 in New York City and #8 in the nation. Although there is a Biblical Jadon, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith brought the name to national attention when they named their son Jaden.Another famous Jayden is Britney Spears’ son, born in 2006. What more coverage can a kid – and a name – get than having Britney Spears as your mother?

　　Celebrities’ impact on naming trends is clear on the 2009 New York City baby names popularity list, which includes such names as:

　　Scarlett

　　Penelope

　　Usher

　　Rihanna

　　Peyton

　　Brady

　　Iman

　　Zahara

　　New York City is one of the few locales that tallies baby name statistics by ethnicity, yielding some interesting results.

　　The Top Ten names for blacks is totally different, for girls, than it is for the overall Top Ten, reflecting the popularity of several African-American celebrities. That list:

　　Madison

　　Kayla

　　Nevaeh

　　Jada (Pinkett Smith)

　　Malia (Obama)

　　Makayla

　　Aaliyah (the singer)

　　London

　　Arianna/Brianna

　　Destiny

　　The African-American boys’ list more closely resembled the overall list, with Jayden remaining in number one place. The names that are different on the list for black boys: Elijah, Jeremiah, Christian, Josiah.

　　Other names in the top ten that broke rank by ethnicity include, for Hispanics, Melanie and Genesis for girls and Angel for boys; for Asian-Americans, Tiffany, Fiona, and Vivian for girls and Ryan, Eric, and Kevin for boys; and for whites, Rachel, Leah, Esther, and Chaya for girls, Benjamin and Samuel for boys.

　　Deanna Cullen is a recent graduate of Fairfield University with a degree in English/Creative Writing. She currently works as copy editor for The Hudson Reporter, and is a freelance contributing writer for The Hoboken Reporter, International Watch Magazine, and njnewsroom.com, along with interning for nameberry.