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FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2013 file photo, a couple with a baby stroller cross the street in the Park Slope neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The rise in popularity of Brooklyn as a name for girls parallels the borough’s renaissance through the gentrification of neighborhoods, an influx of tech firms, the construction of the Barclays Center as an entertainment hub and the relocation and rebranding of the New Jersey Nets basketball team. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, FILE)

Is Brooklyn the new Madison? Borough is a popular girl’s name, but locals say ‘fuhgeddaboutit’

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Maybe it’s the ultimate sign that New York City’s up-and-coming borough has finally arrived: Brooklyn is now one of the nation’s most popular baby names.

Over the past two decades, Brooklyn as a name for girls has surged from No. 912 to the top 30 in each of the last three years. Some credit soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, for naming their son Brooklyn. Some cite actress Brooklyn Decker. Others point to “Girls” and the other TV shows and movies that tap into the borough’s gritty, cool vibe.

But one thing is clear: Of the 41 states where Brooklyn is now the most popular girl’s name beginning with B, New York is not among them. Real Brooklynites say naming your child Brooklyn is strictly for out-of towners.

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