Baby talk for Mother's Day

In time for Mother's Day, which is only right since mothers supply the nation's babies, the Social Security Administration has released a list of the most popular babies' names for the previous 12 months.

In 2008, Jacob was the most popular boy's name and Emily was the most preferred for girls. Jacob is a repeat favorite but Emily knocked off Emma for the top spot in the rankings (Emma is now third favorite name and Isabella is a repeat in the No. 2 spot).

The Social Security Administration also reports that Barack is rising fast as a name but still hasn't cracked the top 1,000. Barack rose from number 12,535 in 2007 to 2,409 in 2008 - which is believed to be a record for advancement.

Traditionalists will be glad to learn that Elvis retains a spot in the top 1,000. Still, there is cause for concern. Elvis sank in the charts to No. 713 compared with 673 in 2007. Mothers, don't be cruel.

All this information is available on the SSA Web site.

You can look up your own name, which is especially fun if you have a goofy name like I do. Reg is a contraction of Reginald (not Regis or Regular, as often supposed). While Reginald is in the top 1,000, it has fallen from 372 in 2000 to 557 in 2008. Still, this is better than Elvis.

The name Reg does not figure in the top 1,000 for any year since 2000. Serves it right.

You can also look up the most popular name in the year of your birth. In 1948, when I came into the world, the most popular boy's name was James. As my older brother already had been Christened James, I guess my parents panicked.

They are gone but I forgive them. Reginald is a better name than Jacob - a baby might as well be named Boring.

Happy Mother's Day to all who carry the babies who need to be named.

Congratulations to all who participated in the name-the-new-GOP-cult-figure contest (see last post). In their wittiness, the entries were too close to call. However, Toadsly, I do not think PghGirl deserves any further piling on. After all, she may be a mother.