eHealth Saskatchewan released the top 20 baby names in 2015 earlier this week.  Liam was the most popular name for baby boys for the sixth year in a row and Olivia was the most popular name for baby girls.  The second most popular names were Noah and Emily.

There were 69 baby boys named Liam in 2015, followed by Noah, Benjamin, Lincoln and Lucas.  There were 80 baby girls named Olivia, followed by Emily, Emma, Ava and Avery.

Perhaps the royal family’s newest addition influenced some parents in Saskatchewan, as Charlotte was one of the top 20 girl names in 2015 for the first time.  Last May, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, introduced the world to their baby girl named Princess Charlotte.

In 2015, 15,497 live births were registered in Saskatchewan.  This number does not include Saskatchewan mothers who gave birth outside of the province.

For more information on the most popular baby names, and to see the lists of popular names from previous years, visit the eHealth Saskatchewans website at www.ehealthsask.ca/vitalstats/births/BabyNames/Pages/default.aspx

While 2016 new babies are being celebrated already by many families, our hearts go out to the Surine and Romanowski families of Unity who lost the second of their twin girls earlier this week. Addison joins her sister Emma in heaven. The girls suffered from a rare disorder, spinal muscular atrophy, SMA. Donations for research into a cure for this horrible disease that afflicts babies may be made at curesma.ca,