WASHINGTON - Talk about high expectations for a newborn: King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names for American boys.
They're just a little behind Major, the boy's name that jumped the most spots on the Social Security Administration's annual list of popular baby names.
Jacob is the most popular for boys — again — and Sophia is the top name for girls, according to the list released Thursday.
It was Jacob's 14th straight year at the top. Next were Mason, Ethan, Noah and William. Liam cracked the top 10 for the first time, coming in at No. 6. Daniel slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1998, to No. 11.
It was Sophia's second year in a row at the top for girls. Next were Emma, Isabella, Olivia and Ava.
But what about those rising boys' names?
Typically, says Laura Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard" and founder of Babynamewizard.com, "You don't get a lot of Messiahs. You can have a lot more Majors."
"I have no doubt Major's rising popularity as a boy's name is in tribute to the brave members of the U.S. military, and maybe we'll see more boys named General in the future," said acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn W. Colvin.