Welcome to the family, Henry and Madeline, and Jack and Eliza, and – wait, is that another Jack? These are among the most popular names given to the babies born at Chippewa Valley hospitals during the past year. As 2020 drew to a close, these hospitals highlighted the bouncing, babbling bright spots of a challenging year by releasing their annual lists of top names. While the overall most popular names are difficult to calculate (some of the hospitals release only ranked lists, not the number of babies with each name), some trends can be spotted.

For boys, classic one- and two-syllable names seemed to prevail, with Jack and Henry popping up frequently, along with other names that wouldn’t have looked out of place on birth certificates a century ago. Between Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire and Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Cedar in Menomonie, the No. 1 name for boys was Levi, which has been growing in popularity nationwide as well (jumping from No. 172 to No. 25 over the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration).

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For boys, classic one- and two-syllable names seemed to prevail, with Jack and Henry popping up frequently, along with other names that wouldn’t have looked out of place on birth certificates a century ago.

For girls, the consensus favorite for 2020 – perhaps in homage to the little storybook schoolgirl or the Lake Superior island – was Madeline. That moniker was No. 1 among babies born at both Mayo Clinic and Marshfield Clinic in Eau Claire and No. 2 among those born at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital. Other classic-sounding names such as Eliza and Charlotte also popped up, as did some more contemporary choices like Brynlee and Aliyah.

Overall, 2,354 children were born at the four hospitals during 2020. Below are lists of the top male and female names by hospital. Spellings sometimes vary, and a number of names tied in popularity.

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HSHS Sacred Heart (Eau Claire)

Girls

1. Eliza

2. Madeline

3. Ava

4. Lucy

5. Isabella

Boys

1. Jack

2. Oliver

3. Benjamin

4. Wyatt

5. Wesley

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Marshfield Clinic Health System (Eau Claire)

Girls

1. Madeline/Madelyn/Madilyne/Maddilynn (5)
2. Eleanor/Eleanore (4)
3. Aliyah/Allia, Amari, June (tie, 3)

Boys

1. Grayson/Greyson (6)
2. Henry, Jack, and Jackson/Jaxon/Jaxson (tie, 5)
3. James (4)

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Mayo Clinic Health System (Eau Claire)

Girls

1. Madeline (8)

2. Brynlee, Ellie, Hadley, Natalie, and Nora (tie, 7)

3.  Charlotte and Everly (tie, 6)

4.  Addison, Nova, and Olivia (tie, 5)

Boys

1. Henry (8)
2. Brooks, Jack, and Owen (tie, 7)
3. Asher, Leo, Theodore, and William (tie, 6)
4. Hudson, Jaxon, Levi, and Liam (tie, 5)
   
   

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Mayo Clinic Health System–Red Cedar (Menomonie)

Girls

1. Evelyn and Nora (tie, 4)
2. Adalyn (3)
3. Harmony and Neveah (tie, 2)

Boys

1. Jackson and Levi (tie, 4)
2. Alexander and Easton (tie, 3)
3. Avery, Landon, Lincoln, Silas, Steven, and William (tie, 2)