The winners: Owen for the boys and Hailey for the girls

Those are the most popular baby names in the past year in the Lewiston-Clarkston region in the 22nd annual Tribune Stork Report.

The tabulation of baby names is through midyear 2014 at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.

It’s a first time for Owen. It’s a repeat for Hailey, which was also most popular in 2011, 2009 and 2006.

Owen is No. 19 in the most popular U.S. boy baby names of 2014 and was No. 35 in 2013. Hailey is not in the 2014 top 40 but was No. 22 in 2013.

The other most popular baby names?

No. 2 for boys was a pair — Jackson (or Jaxon), eighth most popular in the U.S. in 2014 and No. 8 in 2013, and Jordan, not in the top 40. Each were used five times. Tied for fourth were four names: Alexander (with one spelling of Aleksandr), Carson (once spelled Karson), Jase (once spelled Jace) and Wyatt. Each was used four times.

For the girls, Emily was the second most popular with five. A trio tied for third: Chloe (also spelled Kloe and Khloe), Gracie (also Grace and Grayce) and Izabella (also spelled Isabelle and Isabella). Each were used four times.

The most popular baby names in the U.S. in 2014 are Liam and Olivia. In 2013, they were Jackson and Sophia.

Most popular in 2013 in Washington were Mason, Alexander, Ethan and Noah for boys, and Olivia, Sophia, Isabella and Abigail for girls. In Idaho? It was Wyatt, William, Samuel and Carter, along with Olivia, Sophia, Ava and Isabella.

The Head Stork’s most fun, in addition to the popularity count, is the ingenuity displayed by parents (and occasionally, grandparents).

Often, middle names help make the case. It was no exception in the past year.

The Stork’s favorites, incorporating middle names? For the boys, it is a pair, Damion Danger and Shyne Forever. For the girls, it’s a common name, Sierra, and a whopper of a middle name, Kalikomaikauwelaipilponokeka. That’s 28 letters, so we’ll just call her Baby Sierra.

On first names, the Stork gives plaudits to these creative names for boys: Akius, Beornhun, Brentrley, Daehyun, ‘Eeyewin, Kender, Kinzlee, Leonidis, Q’moni and Sa’qan.

For girls, they are Airyka, Emorie, Hidie, Larce, Pailynn, Semceamillia and Tanlee.

Six names are spelled the same for boys and girls alike: Avery, Payton, Ryland, Spencer, Taylor and Willow.

To the Stork’s liking are some names that have a Western flair of sorts, including Country for a boy and Divinity, Diamond, Harmonee, Stormy and Tawny for girls.

The Stork extends a warm welcome to the Lewiston-Clarkston valley’s first newborns, a trio from Lewiston, all delivered Jan. 2. Welcome to Ephraim Leionn Hogg, son of Christine and Grant Hogg; Jordan Wesley Kaufmann, son of April and Chad Kaufmann, and Novalee Elizabeth Phillips, daughter of Randee Pirrie and Joseph Phillips III.

The first baby born in the region? Jonathan David Carvin was the first, born to Lisa and Jonathan Carvin of Moscow and delivered at Pullman Regional Hospital. Dad Jonathan is the offensive line coach for the University of Idaho football team.

The Stork was excited, too, about more babies born in the past year, an increase of 22. But for the fourth consecutive year, we welcomed more boys than girls, and that may not be fair. Of the 707 babies reported at St. Joe’s, 357 were boys (50.5 percent) and 350 were girls.

Most exciting of all, however, is that nine sets of twins were born, an increase of one from a year earlier and tied with 2007 as the most in the past 22 years.

They are, in order of joining us, Akesis Orland and Areez Tiberius Montelongo of Lapwai; Joseph Eaglefeather and Timine Hummingbird Paul of Lewiston; Nora Jean Elizabeth and Aron Michael Eugene Egbert of Asotin; Emerson Avery and Harper Reagan Gossage of Clarkston; Maria Lynn and Elaina Aspen Baird of Genesee; Karson Liam and Jaxson Ryan Ramey of Clarkston; Kathryn and Evelyn Reedy of Clarkston; Averie McKrae and Kyler Declan Frawley of Lewiston; and Noah Sky and Naoma Sky Shawer of Lewiston.

Aren’t twins precious?

The Stork rests.

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Alford is president of Tribune Publishing, the parent company of the Lewiston Tribune. He may be contacted at alajr@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2250.