The Jewish Daily Forward
Nathan Jeffay
http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/146490/Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics has just published a table of the most popular names from last year. It features names that are today unisex, like Eden (ranked 8 on the boy's list) and Adi (ranked 13 on the girl's list). But it also shows something more interesting: Even when people go for gender-specific names, they are looking for a similar sound with boys' and girls' names. That is, a two-syllable format with a modern feel that has a vague Biblical sound without sounding traditional. And so, believe it or not, it all comes down to one letter (whether you are writing the names in Hebrew or English). The most popular female name, given to 3.6% of girls, is Noa, and the most popular male name, given to 3% of boys, is Noam.
