Jacob Continues Its Reign

I didn't set out to write about baby names all week, but there's been a lot of material lately.

The Social Security Administration released its list of the top 2010 names yesterday, revealing some surprises.

Well, maybe not too many surprises. The most popular boy's name remains Jacob (yes, the mystery continues), followed by Ethan, Michael, Jayden and William. The leading girls name are Isabella, Sophia, Emma, Olivia and Ava (the same five led in 2009, in a slightly different order).

Alice leapt from No. 258 to 172, while Elliot lost ground (what?), falling to 301 from 297. I thought Elliot was poised for breakout success — I guess not.

Elliot is only one notch higher than Frank. When's the last time you met a baby named Frank?

For boys, the fastest climbers were Bentley (despite being recently named as a "hated" name), Easton, Mason, Kellan and Grayson. For girls: Maci, Quinn, Khloe, Kinley and Giuliana.