The top 10 boy and girl baby names in New Jersey

Think you know Jersey guys and girls? Check out some of the most popular baby names in the state, according to the Social Security Administration (note, you've got to select New Jersey after you hit the link).They usually vary greatly from the national lists you see.

Top boys' names in 2014:

1. Michael
2. Matthew
3. Joseph
4. Liam
5. Daniel
6. Jacob
7. Noah
8. Alexander
9. Ethan
10. Anthony

Top girls' names in 2014:

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Olivia
4. Emma
5. Mia
6. Ava
7. Emily
8. Sofia (with an f)
9. Abigail
10. Madison

You'll notice nowhere on this list is the name we chose for our little boy last September ... Atticus. Let's check the top 100. Hmmm, no, nothing. Top 200? Oh fughetaboutit!

His name doesn't show up on national baby name lists until the 300s — so it's not exactly a popular name. He received his name from my wife's love of the book "To Kill A Mockingbird" and its hero Atticus Finch.

Then there's my name. Jeff. Or Jeffrey. Either way, no one is naming their kid that anymore, but at one point it was a top-10 name. That means it's destined to be an old man-sounding name like Ernie, Herbert, or Eugene. Someday everyone will know just by my first name that I'm a geezer.

I guess I shouldn't feel too bad. Nowhere on this list do I see "Big Bill" either.