CITY HALL — What's in a name? Apparently a lot if it's Isabella or Jayden.
Mayor Bloomberg announced Wednesday that, for the third straight year, Isabella and Jayden are the most popular baby names in the city.
More than 600 Isabellas and more than 800 Jaydens were born in New York in 2011, the Health Department's birth certificates show.
“This is a wonderful place to raise your children,” Bloomberg said. “More and more families come here and stay here.”
Jayden was followed in popularity by Jacob, Ethan, Daniel and Michael as the most popular boy names. Sophia, Olivia, Emma and Mia were the most popular girl names after Isabella, the mayor announced.
Among the celebrity fans of the name Jayden include Wil Smith's son as well as Britney Spears' son — and Bella has soared to popularity since it was used for the leading lady in the vampire trilogy "Twilight."
Babies born in the city have a life expectancy of 80.6 years—compared to the national average of 78.2—in large part because of the city's public health initiatives and improvement in the delivery system, Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg was joined at City Hall by 11-month-old babies Jayden Marthone, of Crown Heights, and Isabella Pal, of Borough Park.
“A baby born in New York City has a life expectancy 2.5 years longer than the national average,” Bloomberg said. “This means we can expect to see many of the very popularly named Isabellas and Jaydens—like these two little ones with us today—more than 80 years from now.”
The numbers of babies born in the city dipped from 124,791 babies in 2010 to 123,029 in 2011. Brooklyn gave birth to more babies—41,303—than any other borough.
Isabella’s mother, Natalia Lattanzio, said she has always loved her daughter’s name. But she had no idea everyone else was as fond of it.
“I always thought when I had a girl, her name is going to be Isabella,” Lattanzio said. “For me, it’s a surprise it’s so popular.”
