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COVID-19 pandemic contributed toward the change in the way families made decisions in 2020

DANVILLE, Pa. – Welcome to the world, Ava and Liam, Geisinger’s most popular baby names of the eventful year, 2020.

Liam climbed up one spot from last year and beat Noah to the No. 1 spot for boys, while Ava jumped over Emma, Olivia, Harper, Charlotte and Amelia to take the No. 1 spot for girls. 

Geisinger welcomed 4,945 babies in 2020 (as of Dec. 21, 2020) and has tabulated the most popular names. Babies are delivered at five Geisinger hospitals in Pennsylvania, including Geisinger Medical Center; Geisinger Community Medical Center; Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center; Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital and Geisinger Lewistown Hospital.

The top 10 baby names across all of Geisinger’s hospitals in Pennsylvania are:

Girls:
1. Ava
2. Sophia
3. Emma
4. Harper
5. Olivia
6. Evelyn
7. Aurora
8. Amelia
9. Charlotte
10. Isabella

Boys:
1. Liam
2. Mason
3. Noah
4. Owen
5. Oliver
6. Lucas
7. Wyatt
8. Jackson
9. Carson
10. Carter

Below are some of the top names at individual Geisinger hospitals:

Geisinger Medical Center, Danville – 1,821 babies 

Girls:
1. Emma
2. Harper
3. Charlotte
4. Riley
5. Isabella

Boys:
1. Liam
2. Oliver
3. Owen
4. Noah
5. Mason

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre – 1,749 babies

Girls:
1. Ava
2. Sophia
3. Madison
4. Ella
5. Luna
6. Harper

Boys:
1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Ethan 
4. Jacob
5. Wyatt
6. Lucas

Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Bloomsburg – 406 babies

Girls:
1. Evelyn
2. Harper
3. Aurora
4. Paisley
5. Piper

Boys:
1. Mason 
2. Lincoln
3. Benjamin
4. Grayson
5. Carson

Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, Lewistown – 496 babies

Girls:
1. Lilian
2. Anna
3. Ellie
4. Paisley
5. Piper

Boys:
1. Owen
2. Mason
3. Carter
4. Layne
5. William

Geisinger Community Medical Center, Scranton - 473 babies

Girls:
1. Aurora
2. Alice
3. Noelle
4. Abigail
5. Melanie

Boys:
1. Noah
2. Oliver
3. William
4. Jackson
5. Luca

These results combine different spelling variations of the same name. For example, the ranking for Liam includes variations like Liamm, and Oliver includes variations such as Olliver. 

At Geisinger, obstetrician/gynecologists and certified nurse-midwives work together to comfort and care for mothers-to-be and their babies, and expectant moms can tailor their birth plans according to their preferences. Midwives facilitate natural birth plans, and OB/GYNs will be on duty at all hours to intervene when needed.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic contributed toward the change in the way families made decisions in 2020.

“Most people are largely still afraid of becoming pregnant during this pandemic,” said Dr. J. Manuel Arreguin, chief of obstetrics and gynecology in Geisinger’s northeast region. “There’s so much that we are still learning from this virus. Unfortunately, there’s lots of misinformation, too, that dissuades our families from concluding that this is the right time to have more children.” 

With locations throughout central, northeast and western Pennsylvania, Geisinger’s pregnancy and childbirth team provides comprehensive care for moms and little ones. Visit geisinger.org/PregnancyHub to find out more. 

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

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