"Emma" and "William" take Top Spots as Tennessee's Most Popular Baby Names for 2011

NASHVILLE – William’s the winner for five years running, but Tennessee parents of new baby girls have put Emma back in the top slot on the list of most popular names for children born in 2011.

While the most popular names for both girls and boys born in Tennessee remain largely unchanged from the previous year, new names have made their way into the top 10 on both lists this year. The top 10 names Tennessee parents chose for their new babies born in 2011* are as follows:

Rank	Girls	Boys
1	Emma	William
2	Isabella	Mason
3	Ava	Elijah
4	Olivia	Jacob
5	Madison	James
6	Addison	Jackson
7	Abigail	Jayden (tie)
		Noah (tie)
8	Sophia
9	Chloe (tie)	Aiden
	Emily (tie)
10		John (tie)
		Joshua (tie)

*provisional data

William has been the top choice for boys’ names in Tennessee since 2007. Emma has reclaimed the top spot on the 2011 list, after ranking number two in 2010. Emily broke into Tennessee’s top 10 name list this year, moving up from the 11th spot on the list last year. The 2011 top ten list for boys includes three new entries: Mason, making a giant leap from number 14 in 2010 all the way to number 2 this year; and John and Joshua, which both just missed the top 10 list last year.

“As we celebrate the births of these children, we want to remind all Tennesseans that the best way to ensure a healthy baby is to start with healthy parents,” said Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, director of Maternal and Child Health. “Preconception health is vital to positive pregnancy outcomes.”

Provisional birth data show the average age of Tennessee women giving birth in 2011 as 26.7 years. Nearly 60 percent of women who had babies in Tennessee in 2011 had previously had a child, and just over 41 percent were first-time mothers. Only 3.2 percent of the births were multiple deliveries such as twins or triplets. The vast majority of Tennessee births in 2011, 98.9 percent, took place in a hospital.

“All women of childbearing age should take a multivitamin that includes 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, even if they are not planning to become pregnant. Folic acid helps reduce the risk certain birth defects, including spina bifida and anencephaly, if taken in adequate amounts before becoming pregnant and during the very early weeks of pregnancy,” Warren said.

Although all enriched cereals and grain products in the United States are fortified with folic acid, only one third of American women of childbearing age consume the recommended daily amount. Taking a multivitamin with folic acid every day is a simple way for women to get the optimum dosage.

Stopping tobacco use is another important part of improving overall health for prospective parents. The Department of Health offers smoking cessation support at all Tennessee county health departments, and places a special emphasis on assisting pregnant women who smoke. For more information, contact your local health department. County health department locations and contact information can be found online at http://health.state.tn.us/localdepartments.htm.

The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine also offers free counseling and support to all Tennessee residents who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco products. Learn more about this service by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visiting www.tnquitline.com.

Standing water provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, and flooded areas in Tennessee could easily cause populations of these disease-carrying pests to flourish. The Tennessee Department of Health is reminding the residents working to clean up homes, businesses and other facilities in Tennessee to take steps to help prevent illnesses associated with mosquitoes.

“As families work to clean out and restore their homes in the days and weeks ahead, it’s very important that mosquito repellents be used and other precautions be taken to protect individual health,” said Abelardo C. Moncayo, PhD, director of the Vector-Borne Diseases program for TDOH.

Recent flooding positions the state to see a significant increase in mosquito activity. Tennesseans should take precautions to protect themselves from West Nile Virus and other diseases transmitted by mosquito bites. Mosquitoes most likely to transmit WNV bite at dawn and dusk. The best way to prevent WNV infection is to avoid mosquito bites. These simple tips can help.

• If you must go outside at dawn or dusk, use insect repellent or wear long sleeves, long pants and socks.
• If possible, eliminate standing water near your home. Many containers, even those as small as a bottle cap, can hold enough water for mosquitoes to breed.
• Keep windows and doors closed or cover them with screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
• Use insect repellent containing either DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535.

There are guidelines for using the suggested insect repellents. Neither DEET nor Picaridin should be used on infants younger than two months old. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children younger than three years of age. DEET at 30 percent concentration is the maximum level recommended for children and infants over two months old. None of these products should be applied around the mouth or eyes at any age.

“Mosquito populations in Tennessee are at their peak May through October. We are calling on everyone to prevent mosquito bites and control the insects around homes if at all possible,” said John Dunn, DVM, PhD, public health veterinarian with TDOH.

Mosquitoes become infected with WNV by feeding on infected birds, and can then transmit the virus through their bites. Symptoms may include fever, head and body aches, and usually last only a few days. The virus cannot be spread from one person to another.

WNV can cause severe infections, which occur in less than one percent of human cases. These severe infections may cause meningitis or encephalitis and result in high fever, neck stiffness, stupor or disorientation. Severe cases may also cause muscle weakness or paralysis.

For more information about West Nile Virus, visit the TDOH website at http://health.state.tn.us/ceds/WNV/wnvhome.asp.