Sophia and Jacob rule in America

Sophia is the new most popular baby name for girls in the United States, while Jacob is the top name for boys for the 13th straight year in the annual list of popular baby names.

Isabella, which had been the top girl’s name for two years, dropped to second place in 2011, according to the list released yesterday by the government’s Social Security Administration. Emma, Olivia and Ava rounded out the top five.

Mason jumped ten spots to become the second most popular name for boys last year, knocking Michael out of the top five for the first time in 63 years. Completing the top five were William, Jayden and Noah. Michael came in sixth.

The Social Security Administration provides lists of baby names dating back to 1880 on its website. Top girl’s names tend to be more volatile, changing from year to year, while the top boy’s names are more stable, it said.

The fastest rising name for girls was Briella, which jumped 394 spots, to No 497. Briella Calafiore stars in reality TV show Jerseylicious. Brantley was the fastest rising name for boys, jumping 416 spots to No 320, made popular this year by country singer Brantley Gilbert.