During 2018, William and Ava continued to be the most popular baby names across Alabama.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Division of Statistical Analysis, William was the most popular boy’s name while Ava was the most popular girl’s name for children born throughout last year.

Based on preliminary data as of Dec. 3, 340 boys were named William while 259 girls were named Ava. William is English-based and means "resolute protector" or "determined protector." Ava can be a variation of Eve. According to www.babycenter.com, the name could have its Latin root in "avis," which means "bird."

William and Ava have been the most popular baby names in Alabama since at least 2016, the oldest records made available to The Tuscaloosa News.

In the Tuscaloosa County area, William was the most popular boys name in 2018, while Emma was the most popular girls name. During 2017, Ava was the most popular girls name in Tuscaloosa County, but dropped to being the second-most popular girls name during 2018.

As of Dec. 3, 18 boys were named William in Tuscaloosa County throughout the year while 16 girls were named Emma.

Director of the ADPH’s Division of Statistical Analysis Xuejun Shen said the local numbers were based on births to mothers who were residents of Tuscaloosa County, although the births could be in other hospitals statewide.

According to the Baby Center, Jackson and Sophia were the most popular baby names nationwide for 2018.

The ADPH has not yet released the number of births in Alabama for 2017 or 2018. However, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports there were nearly 58,941 children born in Alabama in 2017 and 59,151 children born statewide in 2016.

Top 15 baby names in Alabama

Boys

1. William

2. James

3. John

4. Elijah

5. Noah

6. Liam

7. Mason

8. Jackson

9. Grayson

10. Carter

11. Samuel

12. Michael

13. Benjamin

14. Jaxon

15. Jacob

Girls

1. Ava

2. Olivia

3. Harper

4. Emma

5. Amelia

6. Elizabeth

7. Charlotte

8. Isabella

9. Abigail

10. Ella

11. Mary

12. Avery

13. Caroline

14. Madison

15. Skylar

Top Baby Names in Tuscaloosa County

Boys

1. William

2. James

3. John

4. Kingston

5. Aiden

6. Carter

7. Elijah

8. Grayson

9. Liam

10. Alexander

11. Brayden

12. Hayden

13. Hudson

14. Kayden

15. Lucas

Girls

1. Emma

2. Ava

3. Harper

4. Ella

5. Addison

6. Kinsley

7. Olivia

8. Avery

9. Caroline

10. Elizabeth

11. Mary

12. Genesis

13. Khloe

14. Piper

15. Serenity

Reach Drew Taylor at drew.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0204.