Names that Peaked in 2009

Kylah makes Kyla feel like an old biblical name, but it's only a reproduction, not a real antique.

With the still popular Allison ranking at Number 60 in the United States, and variant Alison sitting at Number 343—not to mention Allyson (Number 490 and Alyson (Number 835)—it makes sense that Alisson is still getting some attention from parents today, although it may unfortunately seem more like a spelling error than a legitimate name to some.

We'd prefer to stick with the more-familiar Cadence and avoid the overly trendy Kay- prefix.

A fast-rising variation of Abigail that was shooting up the popularity charts a few years ago, but whose star is now falling now that Abigail is not quite as hot as she once was.

Kaylynn follows a current trend in naming: add a -lynn or -lin suffix to a simple, single-syllable moniker. Alternate spellings include Kailyn, Cailin, and Kaylen. This variation has one too many Ys, and one too many Ns.

Janiyah’s star is definitely fading, but it will likely remain in the Top 1000 for years to come.

A creative spelling of Uriah, possibly without the negative connotation. Biblically, Urijah was a prophet mentioned in the book of Jeremiah.

A possible variation of Amia and Amaya. It has charted in the U.S. Top 1000 for most of the 21st century.

Kaylen is a little bit Kayla, a little bit Kay plus Lynn, and ultimately one of those modern names that is unlikely to survive the future.

This try-too-hard variation is just begging to be spelled at every turn.

Too trendy and too prone to needing to be spelled every time. Just go with the classic (and classy) accepted spellings: Madeleine, Madelyn, or Madeline.

Several hundred parents last year chose Jakayla, an elaboration of Kayla, or hybrid of Jacqueline and Makayla.