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Noa, Noam top baby names for 2012

Popular names remain in top spots, according to numbers released Monday

Illustrative photo of a newborn baby (photo credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90)
Illustrative photo of a newborn baby (photo credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90)

Noa for girls and Noam for boys were the most popular names for Jewish babies born in Israel in 2012.

Israel’s Central Bureau for Statistics released the list of names Monday.

Noa, of biblical origin, was followed in order by Shira, which means song; Tamar, a biblical name and a date; Talia, which means a female lamb; and Maya. Rounding out the top 10 are Yael, Sarah, Adele or Edel, Ayala and Michal.

Noam, which means pleasantness, was followed by Uri or Ori, which means my light, and the biblical names Itai, Yosef and David. Rounding out the top 10 are Yehonatan, Daniel, Ariel, Moshe and Eitan.

Itai had been the top name of 2011, but was overtaken by Noam. Noa has been the top name for girls since at least 2010.

Among Muslims, Maryam was the most popular name for girls and Mohammad for boys. For Christians, the winners were Maria for girls and George for boys.

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