The year 2003 was a complex year! The United States was reaching amazing heights in popular culture and technology, while the political spectrum was becoming increasingly complicated.
On one hand, the United States was preparing to enter the war in Iraq. On the other hand, musicians such as Shania Twain, Elton John, Nelly, Beyonce and Norah Jones provided a national soundtrack on a newly launched iTunes as we sang along and tried to forget our concerns.
The top 2003 names for babies definitely reflects the alternating highs and lows America was experiencing during the year.
Traditional Popular 2003 Boy Names
When studying the contrasting emotions happening in the United States during 2003, one needs to look no further than the most popular names from 2003 for little boys.
Several of the most popular 2003 boy names included very traditional names that regularly appear as beloved names for newborn baby boys. Here's the full list of popular boys names from 2003:
Most Popular Boy Names in 2003
Less Traditional Names for Boys in 2003
But these names were also joined by a new crop of unique names that exploded in popularity in 2003 and had a unique flavor to them. These names included Ethan, Dylan, Zachary, Brandon, Jose, Jesus, Cole, Mason, Aiden and Cameron.
Additionally, old favorites that had fallen off the list of favorite baby names for boys were suddenly making the 20003 baby names list. These included names such as Robert, Richard, Caleb and Luis.
The 2003 boy names certainly showed a strong yearning for a traditional and more simple time, while also expanding to new and uncharted territory. This seems very appropriate in a year in which Michael Jackson was arrested and J.K. Rowling published her fifth book.
Traditional Popular 2003 Girl Names
Girl names in 2003 also seemed to be waging a war between tradition and creative new names to call their daughters. On the traditional side, names such as Hannah, Abigail, Elizabeth, Olivia, Samantha and Isabella made up the top 20 most popular names for little girls in 2003. Here's the full list of popular girls names from 2003:
Most Popular Girl Names in 2003
Less Traditional Popular 2003 Girls Names
Less traditional names such as Haley, Morgan, Ella and Mackenzie helped to make up the top 50 most popular girls names in that year.
Older names that had fallen out of favor for a while also made a strong come-back strong as the most popular 2003 baby names for girls. These included such standards as Stephanie, Faith, Paige and Allison.