D.C. Parents Preferred Refreshingly Plain Names in 2009

Meet William and Allison, the most popular baby names in D.C. in 2009.

Nothing fancy. Nothing exotic. Nothing completely made up.

Thankfully, at least in D.C., tried and true names -- our parents' names and their parents' names -- survive. William was followed by Michael, James, Alexander and Daniel; Allison by Sophia, Ashley, Katherine and Abigail, according to the Social Security Administration.

How boring, right?

Well, while some may decry the lack of creativity, we've grown so tired of the Apples and Suris of the world, or any unusual names likely to lead to scholastic years marred by bullying, which has become life-threatening in recent years. We'll take Mike and Jim, Abbie and Kathy any day.

Remember, names are like tattoos -- practically permanent. You might think it's cute or clever to name your boy Sue, but you'll want eyes in the back of your head when he's grown tough and mean.

Somehow, Madison, a name first popularized by the mermaid in the movie "Splash," topped the list for girls in Maryland and West Virginia and was second in Virginia. And it seems Maryland is home to a number of Britney Spears fans gone mom in 2009 -- Jayden, the once uncommonly spelled name of the pop star's second son -- was the second most popular name for boys, behind Michael.