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2021's most-popular baby names — and media's hot takes on them

City of College Station
16 min read

By Jay Socol, Public Communications Manager

Apologies, dear reader: College Station experienced so many births in 2021 that I had to call in reinforcements to highlight the most eye- and ear-catching names of our newest citizens. Boy, was that the right decision!

A quick reminder that St. Joseph Health no longer delivers babies in Bryan, which means virtually every baby born in Aggieland now occurs in a College Station hospital. That’s why our numbers jumped so much.

After I share a few statistics, along with the most-popular boy and girl names, you’ll get to enjoy the favorite names selected by some of our local newspaper, radio, and television friends. They did an amazing job!

Let’s get to it. Oh, and enormous thanks to Deputy Local Registrar Yvette Dela Torre, who supplies me with this data every year. I’ll share her favorite names from 2021, too!

 BirthsGirlsBoysTwinsTriplets
20132,1591,0661,09336 sets 
20142,4601,2641,19630 sets1 set
20152,4941,2451,24950 sets 
20162,3071,2061,16444 sets 
20172,3981,1681,23048 sets1 set
20182,0169701,04627 sets 
20191,55677278422 sets 
20201,64084080021 sets 
20213,6531,8221,83143 sets1 set

More 2021 birth stats

Most popular GIRLS’ first names

Most popular GIRLS’ middle names

Most popular BOYS’ first names

Most popular BOYS’ middle names

And now, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy some media analysis of the 3,653 newest names in Aggieland.

WTAW-AM, The Infomaniacs: Scott Delucia, Chelsea Reber, and Zach Taylor

Did you know some broadcasters have an "on-air" name? Some are simple switches like Adam to Brad. Others are a little more obvious -- no, his name isn’t actually Frito. And sometimes a last name has too many dang syllables, so it gets changed to "Smith." 

The Infomaniacs, who we cannot confirm are or are not using their given names, went through the list of 2021 College Station baby names and picked out their nominees for "Future Infomaniacs." 

Zach's pick: Chazz Diesel because it's a great sports name. Sounds like a future linebacker to me. And if he doesn't make it to the league, he's got a promising job in sports broadcasting with a name like that!

Chelsea's pick: There were several names that stood out to me, so I narrowed it down by making it personal. But there was not a single baby named Chelsea last year. So, I started looking for my middle name, Ann. Several beautiful names stood out, but I chose Hazel Ann - all three of you. Cheers to your future radio careers! 

Scott's pick: Working in radio requires having tough skin because not everyone loves what you have to say. As a show host, you're a leader. You must be strong, fearless, and maybe even a little rebellious. My pick for the Future Infomaniacs is Rebel Garrett. 

Bryan-College Station Eagle, Rob Clark, managing editor

Olivia, Liam among top local baby names in 2021

John Wayne, James Dean and Thomas Jefferson came to College Station in 2021, in the names of three baby boys.

Those are among the 3,645 babies born last year at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and CHI St. Joseph Health, along with eight home births, according to a list of first and middle names released by the city this week. That’s up from 1,640 College Station births in 2020. CHI St. Joseph Health moved its women’s services, including labor and delivery, from Bryan to College Station in February 2021.

There was a tie for the most popular girl name, with 21 babies named Olivia, Sophia and Adalyn (with five different spellings). Olivia was also the 2020 champ. For middle names, Rose was No. 1 with 83, then Grace (74) and Marie (57). Those middle names have been in the top three each year since 2016.

For boys, Liam came in at No. 1 with 19, followed by Oliver (16) and Elijah (15). Last year’s champ, Noah, didn’t make the top three. James was the top middle name with 53, followed by Lee (40) and Alexander (37). James has been the top middle name each year since 2014, with Lee, Alexander and Michael usually following.

A deeper look at the list revealed some fun name patterns and trends. Palindromes, for example: Ada, Anna, Asa, Ava, Eve, Hannah and Otto.

A royal procession includes Majesty, Kamiyah Royal, Royal Ray, Royalty Renee, Triniti Vella-Royalty and Charm Royal Legacy.

Names with an international flair: Kenya, Geneva, Berlin, Paris, London, England, Scotlyn and Sicily. Closer to home are Brazos, Austyn, Dallas and Abilene. Much farther out: Venus, Marz and Jupiter.

The list reveals a love for Shakespeare: Romeo, Juliette, Ophelia and Octavius. (Lady Macbeth was snubbed yet again.)

From ancient Greece and mythology we find Achilles, Artemis, Athena, Atreus and Leonidas on the list. From Rome, there’s Marc Anthony (close enough to Mark Antony) and Cesar (Caesar). There’s a Marcus and an Aurelius, along with a Roman King for good measure. And mythology meets Marvel with one local baby boy named Loki and one with the middle name Thorr.

“Game of Thrones” fans will recognize Khaleesi, Daenerys and Arya among the girls’ names. For boxing aficionados, there’s Tyson and Evander. And Dallas Cowboys fans can appreciate Zeke Emmett, Cooper Elliott and Landry Kate.

Music nerds will enjoy the boy names Cash Hendrix, Kane Hendrix and Hendrix Floyd. There’s a boy named Zeppelin and one named Kashmir. There’s a Selena, an Adelle, a Townes and a Waylon Rebel. Baby girls that can expect to hear their names in songs forever include Jolene, Layla, Elvira, Rhiannon and Caroline.

Religious and biblical names are common, including Jesus, Genesis, Messiah and Judah. Several girls were named Nevaeh (read it backward).

Seasonal entries include Summer, Autumn and Winter. (Sorry, spring.) There’s also Sunny, Snoh, Haven Rain and Stormi Reign.

Spelling differences and similarities are scattered throughout the list. Like Serenity, and also C’renity. There are several Paisleys, along with Paislee, Paisleigh, Paizley and Pai’slyn. There’s Ella, Bella, Della and Stella, along with Arabella, Celestabella, Isabella and Mirabella.

Among the boys: Ayden, Brayden, Hayden, Jayden, Kayden, Rayden and Zayden. Also Braxton, Daxton, Jaxton, Paxton and Zaxton.

And some names just have more pizazz. Here are 10 of the more memorable boy names: Legend Ace, Rex Bear, Adonis King, Midas True, Stryder Steel, Axel Creed, Chazz Diesel, Forrest Ranger, Rhett Krull and Maverick Dean.

And for the girls: Dream Love, Lexi Pearl, Birdie Adeline, Armani Samone, Harmonii Unique, Liberty Marie, Journee Naomi, Island Lan’e, Emerald Delane and Treasure Nicole.

KBTX-TV, Rusty Surette, evening news anchor

Kids that are going places

KBTX-TV, Shel Winkley, senior meteorologist

Disney princesses 

KBTX-TV, Megan Calongne, producer of First News at Four 

KBTX-TV, Meteorologist Max Crawford 

KBTX-TV, Josh Ninke, anchor/reporter

Names from a galaxy far, far away 

KBTX-TV, Heather Falls, producer of News 3 at Noon, Live at 5

Royal names

KBTX-TV, Fallon Appleton, anchor/reporter 

I was named after Fallon Carrington in the 80's TV show Dynasty (now also a Netflix reboot), so I am selecting names based on characters, who appeared in 20 or more episodes in the series. Unfortunately, no Fallons this year! 

KBTX-TV, Donnie Tuggle, reporter/multimedia journalist

Biblically rooted names 

KBTX-TV, Caleb Britt, multimedia journalist

Names meant for New York Fashion Week 

Girls:

Boys:

KBTX-TV, Assistant News Director Michael Oder

Star Trek names

No Kirk or Picard, but several Archers. Five boys and one girl are named Archer, obviously an homage to early Starfleet Admiral (and captain of the Enterprise NX-01) Johnathon Archer.

Young Kathryn Rae shares a name with one of the first female captains in Star Trek history, Kathryn Janeway (Voyager).

Only one girl shares a first name with famed starship counselor Deanna Troi (Star Trek TNG), Deanna Monienzuc Gayle.

Foreshadowing what could be a promising medical career, young McCoy Susannah shares a name with legendary medical officer Leonard McCoy, who served with Captain James Tiberius Kirk onboard the Enterprise.

Speaking of Kirk, Jordan Case Tiberius shares a middle name with the famed starship captain (and it’s an amazing middle name!).

While a bit long, Daxton Ahmad is very close to noted science officer Jadzia Dax, who served on Deep Space 9.

Let’s talk engineers; the most important people on Star Ships. Four boys share a first name with probably the most important engineer in Star Trek history, Miles O’Brien. No Geordie’s, but there is one Montgomery, which is the first name for Scotty, Captain Kirk’s engineer. No Scotty’s either, but one boy named Scott will do.

Young Tilly Lynn could draw inspiration from Ensign Silvia Tilly from Star Trek Discovery (airing on Paramount Plus). Her character learns to find confidence both in herself and in others, as the Starship Discovery is rocketed 900 years in the future.

While a female on Star Trek Lower Decks, six boys share the first name with Ensign Beckett Mariner. Both of her parents serve in Starfleet, including her mother… who is her commanding officer. Talk about family drama…

Finally, three boys share a first name with Wesley Crusher, son of Doctor Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wesley was extremely smart, serving as an ensign aboard the Enterprise 1701-D and catching the ire of Captain Picard.

KBTX-TV, Morgan Weaver, sports reporter/multimedia journalist

Ticktoker names

Basketball player names

Royal family related


KBTX-TV, Adrienne DeMoss, director of digital content 

Outer space


Greek mythology

KBTX-TV, Kathleen Ninke, anchor 

When I was born, my father wanted to name me something that “was feminine, but would sound good in a boardroom.” My parents settled on “Kathleen” for that job. Although I later chose the newsroom instead of the boardroom, I think it’s worked out rather well. 

With that, I was curious how many College Station parents had similar goals when naming their daughters. What next generation of strong females were christened in 2021? 

“Daenerys Athena” certainly strikes that tone. Take one part ‘Game of Thrones’ Queen of Dragons (and certified strong lady), add in a dash of Athena (the Greek goddess of wisdom and war) and you might just raise a lady who leads. Maybe “Khaleesi Jacqueline” will fight beside her–or the four girls named “Arya” this past year. The aforementioned Greek goddess makes another showing in “Sage Athena,” with “sage” offering an added dose of wisdom to this future woman. 

The potent mythological references continue with “Artemis Diane,” closely approximating both the Roman and Greek names of the goddess of the hunt. One “Scylla” invokes visions of the vicious, literally man-eating monster of the same name. Hopefully this College Station baby will instead use her powers for good. 

Finally, of the many girls’ with first names “Genesis,” one “Genesis Xiomara” stands out. “Xiomara” means “battle-ready” and “genesis” means origin or beginning–first. Perhaps this newly minted young lady will become the “first battle-ready” woman, prepared to lead all of our strong 2021 girls into their bright futures–whether in or out of the boardroom.

KBTX-TV, Clay Falls, senior reporter

Presidential-sounding names

Yvette Dela Torre, Deputy Local Registrar

Last, but certainly not least, our Deputy Local Registrar Yvette Dela Torre, whose award-winning vital statistics work (timely filing of birth and death certificates with the state of Texas; working closely with hospitals, funeral homes, and citizens) makes all this fun possible. Her favorite baby names from 2021:

About the Blogger


Jay Socol is in his 12th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several College Station-Bryan radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he was president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers from 2016-18.

@jaysocol

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