NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Emma and William are the most popular names chosen by new Tennessee parents for their babies born in 2016. Names chosen for babies are recorded and tallied by the dedicated team in the Tennessee Department of Health's Office of Vital Records, which registers some 240,000 new records of births, deaths, marriages and divorces every year.

William has remained the top name chosen for baby boys born in Tennessee for a decade, coming in as the most popular choice for 10 straight years. Emma has been the most popular name for Tennessee baby girls since 2011. There are ties for the top choices in three slots on the list of boys' names this year.

The top 10 names Tennessee parents chose for their new babies born in 2016, which is still considered provisional data, are as follows:

Girls:

Emma

Olivia

Ava

Harper

Isabella

Amelia

Elizabeth

Ella

Charlotte

Abigail

Boys:

William

Elijah, James (tie)

Mason

Noah

Jackson, Liam (tie)

John, Michael (tie)

Benjamin

Aiden

Jacob

Carter

Both the boys' and girls' name lists include new entries in the top 10 this year: Amelia, Ella and Charlotte are all new additions to the top 10 names for girls in Tennessee. Michael, Benjamin and Aiden are all newcomers in the top name choices for baby boys. All other names on the 2016 Top Ten list are unchanged from the previous year, although some have moved in the rankings. The top four choices for girls' names in 2016 are the same as in 2015. The boys' names in the top five spots for 2016 were those in the first seven spots on the 2015 list.

Data on Tennessee's most popular baby names are pulled from birth certificates, which are issued by the TDH Office of Vital Records. The Tennessee Office of Vital Records is charged with maintaining the integrity of approximately 15 million records, which can include issuance and amending records such as birth and death certificates and records of marriages and divorces that occur in Tennessee. The Office of Vital Records processes an average of more than 14,000 requests for such certificates every month, providing service to an average of 650 customers each week. Vital Records staff members handle an average of 15,000 phone calls every month and issue more than 700 certificates every single day. This office registers approximately 240,000 new records of events for birth, death, marriage and divorce annually.