First Baby Names of 2012: Name Candy's State-by-State List

Each year NameCandy.com rings in the New Year with the year's first baby names across America. It's a future-looking time capsule of parents' tastes, hopes and dreams.

What does the 2012 crop of New Year's babies foretell? A quick glance will confirm that when it comes to the new generation of American baby names, creativity rules there's no longer such a thing as "normal." The first babies of the year include an Daytona, an Akier and an Envy (yes, Envy), but nary a John or Mary to be seen.

Biblical names are still well-represented, but this year they're making a bolder style statement. Take baby Ezekiel from Rhode Island, or Shekinah from Texas. (The Hebrew word Shekinah refers to the divine presence.)

The hot initials for New Year's babies are A, as in Adrian, Anya, Aubrey, Austin and Ava, and K, as in Kayla, Karis, Kay'lyn, Kristiana and Kyren. Several parents customized familiar names to get those desirable initials, with names like Khloe and Adelyn. In West Virginia, the first new parents were still struggling with their customization when the name announcement went out: their New Year's baby is either Adian or Jadian.

Here's the nationwide list of First Babies. Which names leap out at you as signs of the year to come? And how are new baby names looking where you live?

State-by-State First Baby Names of 2012:

Alabama: Karis, 12:13 am

Alaska: Mathea Jeannine , 12:02 am

Arizona: Eviana Maye, 12:00 am and Cooper Jones, 12:01 am

Arkansas: Wesley Ren, 12:20 am

California: Sophia, 12:00 am

Colorado: Aubrey Faith , 12:01 am

Connecticut: Ava Jade, 3:38 am Carolyn, 12:02 am

Delaware: Austin Dean, 2:20 am

Florida: Marcos Jarett Dante 12:01, 40 sec

Georgia: Thatcher James, 12:00 7 seconds

Hawaii: Faith Erin, 12:02 am

Idaho: Melissa, 12:30 am

Illinois: Adrian Karol , 12:00 am and Lamaya 12:00 am + a fraction of a second

Indiana: Michael Joseph Lee , 12:00 am

Iowa: Elliot Mitchell, 12:33 am

Kansas: Adelyn, 12:46 am

Kentucky: Kay'lyn , 12:54 am

Louisiana: Kristiana Louise, 12:03 am

Maine: Kyren, 5:54 am

Massachusetts: Grace Kathleen, 12:10 a.m. and her twin Luke Christopher 12:11 am

Michigan: Gabriela, 12:09 am

Mississippi: Carmon McKynli , 7:05 am

Missouri: Tucker Zane, 12:00 am

Montana: Jackson, 1:46 am

Nebraska: Aubrey Ann

Nevada: Envy Essence-Faye, 12:00 am

New Hampshire: Vincent Andrew, 6:01 am

New Mexico: Daytona Jaymes, 2:12 am

New York: Nicole and Rania (both arrived "at the stroke of midnight" in different hospitals)

North Carolina: Collin Matthew, 12:01 am

North Dakota: Wyatt, 12:52 am

Ohio: Anya, 12:10 am

Oklahoma: Haiden Noelle, 10:22 am

Oregon: Zoey Antoinette, 12:27 am

Pennsylvania: Akier, 12:18 am

Rhode Island: Ezekiel, 12:21 am

South Carolina: Grace Marie, 12:09 am

South Dakota: Kalylah, 1:37 am

Tennessee: Charlotte, 12:09 am

Texas: Shekinah Rain Shanice, 12:00 am

Utah: Jayden, 12:00 am

Vermont: Conner, 7:09 am

Virginia: Lucas Robert, 12:26 am

Washington: Hannah Elizabeth, 4:32 am

West Virginia: Adian/Jadian, 3:19 am

Wisconsin: Bella Rose, 1:09 am

Wyoming: Khloe, 8:28 am

(No name reported: Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey)

To see how the 2012 first baby names compare to previous years, click the links below:

-- J.B. + L.W.