BATON ROUGE – When new parents tell family and friends they're expecting, one of the first questions they often receive is if they've decided what they're going to name their baby.

According to Baton Rouge General (BRG) Hospital, quite a few of Louisiana's parents are replying to that question with one of two names, 'Emma' or 'Grayson.'

BRG issued a Tuesday morning news release stating that Emma and Grayson are the most popular baby names of 2020 at its location.

Not far behind were the names Brooklyn, Serenity, Faith, and Hope, for little girls. The hospital noted that such peaceful and nearly spiritual names may have been selected as a result of the challenges parents faced during 2020.

It's likely that throughout a year marked by an unprecedented viral pandemic, economic crisis, and a record-breaking hurricane season many parents found strength in focusing on developing their own serenity, faith, and hope, the very qualities that they've named their infant daughters. 

BRG also notes that some of the most popular boy's names included James, Wyatt, and Josiah.

A list of BRG's Top Five most popular names for both baby girls and boys can be found below. 

Girl

1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Charlotte and Scarlett (tie)
4. Sophia
5. Serenity

Boy

1. Grayson
2. Jacob
3. James
4. Wyatt
5. Josiah

Dr. Candee Moore, chief of OB/GYN services at BRG, says their team expects a busier January than usual for births, in part because of the pandemic.

For more information on BRG’s Birth Center, click here or call (225) 763-4141.