Lawrence parents favor unusual baby names over the royal ‘George’

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge named their baby George, but that name won’t likely catch on in Lawrence.

Of the 523 babies born at Lawrence Memorial Hospital this year, not one has been named George.

That’s no surprise to new parents Macahiah Spence and Kevin Miles, who named their 11-month-old daughter Chaya.

Spence and Miles said people in Lawrence are likely to choose outside-the-box names like they did.

“People are unique here,” Spence said. “I wanted something unique and something with a good meaning.”

Spence said she found the name Chaya online. It means beautiful, radiant and living.

Jordan Noller and Steve Smaczniak also chose an original name for their 11-month-old: Scotlyn.

“It just sounded very unique,” Smaczniak said.

These parents said their children’s unique names fit their own individual lifestyles and personalities. And they are not alone in their quest to find a name that’s different and new.

Of the babies born at LMH this year, only 34 percent shared names with other babies born there this year. The majority, 347, had names exclusive to them.

But many of these names are ones most have heard, such as Abraham, Annabelle, Henry and Lucille.

Six babies have been named Cooper so far this year, making it the most popular name for boys. William, Michael and Joseph are other popular boy names at LMH, with Owen, Leo, Levi and Maxwell coming in close behind.

For girls, the most popular names have been Ayla, Claire, Emma, Lillian, Olivia and Sarah, with four babies carrying home each of those names.

“It seems like old-timey names are becoming more popular,” new mom Tandis Bidgoli said.

Bidgoli named her 9-month-old Sonia, and said that choosing a name was difficult. Bidgoli said that as an Iranian-American she decided on Sonia because the name is common in both the U.S. and Iran.

Monica Alm also considered her heritage when she named her 18-month-old Victoria. Alm said Victoria is her grandmother’s last name, and naming her baby Victoria kept the family name alive.