Chase in top 10 Missouri baby names in 2008

COLUMBIA — For the past three months, Chase Daniel has been doing three things:  eating, sleeping and crying.  

Not the former MU quarterback. Chase Daniel Scott is the infant son of Travis Scott of Independence, a 2007 graduate of MU , and his wife Kristin.

Yes, the baby was named for the standout player who led MU to champion seasons the last two years.

Before their son was born in May, the Scotts searched for a name that would have special meaning for them. They landed on one with strong MU ties.

“The entire roots of our relationship are based at Mizzou,” said Travis Scott, who met his wife while they both were working at Memorial Union. “It only seemed fitting.”

The name Chase has seen a surge of recent popularity in Missouri.  According to the Social Security Administration’s annual list of top baby names, it jumped from No. 48 in 2007 to No. 7 in 2008.

The list, released annually since 1997, includes the top 1,000 names chosen nationally, along with the top 100 in each state.

Jacob has been the No. 1 name for boys for 10 years in the United States and 15 years in Missouri. Nationally in 2008, Jacob was followed by Michael, Ethan, Joshua, Daniel, Alexander, Anthony, William, Christopher and Matthew.

For girls, it was Emma, Isabella, Emily, Madison, Ava, Olivia, Sophia, Abigail, Elizabeth and Chloe.

Emma has also been Missouri’s reigning name for girls since 2003. Its popularity could have been fueled by the name Jennifer Aniston gave her on-screen baby on the TV show “Friends.” Emma ended the 12-year reign of Emily as the nation’s most popular name for girls. 

Celebrities often prompt a baby-name rush. The name Miley, as in Disney star Miley Cyrus, for example, debuted on Missouri’s top 100 list in 2008, and jumped to No. 127 nationally.

The Internet has given parents the opportunity to search a world of names for children. Becca Teague of Columbia, mother of 2-year-old Lola, said she and her husband spent most of their naming efforts online.  

“I just wanted to find something really pretty to match her personality,” she said.  

Jennifer Moss,  author of “One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book,” said she also sees the Internet becoming more influential in naming trends of recent years.

“[Parents] are exposed to people, opinions and names that are not necessarily in their own socioeconomic and cultural circle.  This has had a huge effect on baby naming, causing parents to choose more unique names,” Moss said.

For those interested in looking up the popularity of certain names, the Social Security Administration provides lists of popular baby names dating back to 1880.

This year, the site debuted a new feature — the “Change in Popularity” page.  This allows people to search for and track the ranking changes of any name in the system.