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Noah and Emma still top Social Security's list of most popular names in America
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Noah and Emma were the most popular names given to babies in 2016, a position they held the year before, as well. - photo by Lois M. Collins
Lois M. Collins
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Sep 15, 2017, 7:49 AM
Noah and Emma were the most popular baby names in America in 2016, according to the Social Security Administration's annual reckoning. Noah has topped the list of boy names since 2013, while Emma held on to its No. 1 spot since she bested Sophia in 2014 for girl names.

The boy names rounding out the top five are William, Liam, Mason and James. The other top names for girls are Olivia, Ava, Sophia and Isabella.

The Social Security Administration has published the list since 1997, when actuary Michael W. Shackleford compiled the first list. But the agency's popular names lists going back several decades are available.

Mapping the most popular name for each state shows some interesting patterns. Ava plays big in the south, for example, while Mia's the main moniker for girls in California, Nevada and New Mexico. Oliver and Liam are at the top in scattered states, while William is primarily popular in the South.

Utah has one of the really striking top name pairings: For boys, Oliver. For girls, Olivia. It would certainly simplify naming boy-girl twins.

There are a lot of different ways to play the name game and the Social Security Administration offers several of them, including a list of the "most improved" names, which are those that jumped the most in popularity between 2015 and 2016. Kylo moved from No. 3269 to No. 901 the biggest leap among boys. For girls, the biggest surge in popularity was for Kehlani, from No. 3359 to No. 872. Royalty and Creed made similar but less dramatic leaps.

Jonael lost the most ground, while Caitlin and three other variations of the name were the top four for losing popularity among girl names.

In explaining the rankings, the administration notes that "different spellings of similar names are not combined. For example, the names Caitlin, Caitlyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaitlynn, Katelyn, and Katelynn are considered separate names and each has its own rank." None of them made the top 20.

Solid, time-tested names on the girls' top 20 list include Abigail (No. 7), Emily (8), Charlotte (9), Elizabeth (13), Evelyn (15), Grace (19) and Victoria (20). The more traditional names on boys' list were Jacob (4), William (5), Ethan (6), James (7), Alexander (8), Michael (9) and Benjamin (10). Daniel (12), Matthew (15) and David (18) remained in the top 20.

A number of names haven't budged, including Hezekiah, which sat steady at 677 for boys, while Rivka stayed No. 860 for girls.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.