Most Popular Baby Names of 2011: The List

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Parents are always on the lookout for something new when it comes to baby names, says one baby-name expert. (Image credit: Dreamstime)

The Social Security Administration just released the most popular baby names of 2011, with Sophia bumping Isabella to a No. 2 spot for girls, and Jacob holding its top spot for the 13th year in a row.

The Social Security started compiling baby name lists in 1997, with the agency offering lists of baby names for eacy year going back to 1880.

Parents supply this information to the agency when applying for a child's social security number at the time of the child's birth, meaning the agency has a constant supply of data. [Read full story about 2011's most popular baby names]

Here are the top 50 most popular girl and boy names for 2011:

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Jeanna Bryner
Managing editor, Scientific American

Jeanna Bryner is managing editor of Scientific American. Previously she was editor in chief of Live Science and, prior to that, an editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Bryner has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species, including the gorgeous Florida Scrub Jay. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is a firm believer that science is for everyone and that just about everything can be viewed through the lens of science.

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