Playing the Name Game in San Jose

The San Jose Mercury reports:

On playgrounds around San Jose, the name Jose is now more popular for toddlers than Michael. Aditya may be heard as often as Timothy and Paul. Boys called Angel outnumber boys called John, a name that sailed over on the Mayflower.

The roll call of names here is more varied than ever, drawing on a jumble of traditions and trends. And the names parents choose are a reflection of Silicon Valley's changing demographics. By looking at birth certificates for 2003, broken down by ethnic groups, it is clear that who we are dictates what we're called.

In Santa Clara County, for the first time, Jose cracked the Top 10 list, coming in as the ninth-most-popular boy's name overall. Another Latino name, Angel, is 13th. These new favorites may reflect the Latinization of the county, which is 24.6 percent Latino, an 18 percent increase in the past decade.

A trend.