Jacob’s long reign is finally over in Ohio. And Isabella’s time on top came to an end after only two years.

The most popular baby names in Ohio last year were Mason for boys and Emma for girls, according to the Social Security Administration. Mason dethroned Jacob, which had been the most popular name for newborn baby boys in the state since 1995. Isabella only enjoyed two years as top name for girls. Emma reclaimed the top honors after a few down years.

Parents have many motivations for choosing what to name their children.

Biblical names are very common. Family names are always in style. Popular culture also has considerable influence on trends for baby name.

But parents increasingly are inventing new names or choosing traditional names with creative and uncommon spellings.

Unusual may be the new normal. In Ohio, Hayden, Ayden, Jaxson, Gage and Camden all made the top 100 most popular names for baby boys. Trinity, Makayla, Rylee, Alaina and London all made the top 100 list for baby girls.

“Parents are now less willing to give their children common names, most likely because they want them to stand out,” said Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of “Generation Me.”

There are lots of people named Michael in Ohio. That’s because the name was the most popular one for boys born in the state between 1962 and 1994, according to Social Security Administration data.

Michael had an impressive run, but Jacob bumped it from the top spot in 1995. Jacob remained on top until last year. 2011 was the year of Mason.

Emma was the most popular name for baby girls born in Ohio between 2003 and 2006. But then Ava won the popularity contest

In 2009, Isabella stole the title, and held it again in 2010. But then Emma had a resurgence.

Of course, the popularity of certain baby names changes over time.

Lisa was popular in Ohio in the 1960s. Jennifer was big in the 1970s. Ashley was dominant between 1984 and 1994. Emily had a nice run after that.

For boys, Michael, David, James, John and Robert led the pack in the 1960s and 1970s. While the popularity of Michael and David extended into the 1980s, the others lost support.

Names such as Matthew, Christopher and Jason became more common. By 2000, Tyler, Austin, Ethan and Andrew entered the picture in a big way. Later, Logan and Noah saw their popularity soar.

Many children are named after family members.

Dayton resident Tim Shaffer said he named his daughter, Jane, because it is his both his wife’s and grandmother’s middle names.

“This name selection was especially important for us since my grandmother is very ill,” he said. “We wanted ‘baby Jane’ — as everyone refers to her — to share in this legacy of amazing women.”

Jane has not made the list of top 100 names for girls in Ohio in decades.

But many of the most popular names are from the bible.

According to Parenting.com, Michael is derived from a Hebrew word that means, “who is like God?” St. Michael, the Archangel, is the leader of heaven’s armies against satanic forces, according to scripture. In the Old Testament, Jacob was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Masons were featured in multiple bible verses.

Nevaeh was the 26th most popular girl’s name in Ohio last year. It is heaven spelled backwards.

Celebrities and pop culture also contribute to interest in particular baby names.

The “Twilight” books were among the best selling novels of 2008 and 2009. The main character of the vampire-romance novels is Bella Swan. That fact certainly could have played a role in Isabella becoming the hottest baby name in Ohio in 2009 and 2010.

But one of the most prominent trends in naming children is the emphasis on uniqueness.

Nationwide last year, London was the 94th most popular girls name, Ximena was 215th, Kamryn was 312th and Amiyah was 361st. For boys, Grayson ranked 97th, Declan ranked 177th, Maximiliano ranked 289th and Iker was 379th.

In Ohio, Bentley ranked 43rd for boys, Levi ranked 62nd, Ayden ranked 77th and Kayden ranked 98th. For girls, Kennedy ranked 46th, Aaliyah ranked 58th, Rylee ranked 77th and Alivia ranked 98th.

The rise in individualism in America in the last six decades has corresponded with parents increasingly giving their children unique names, according to a study by Twenge that analyzed Social Security information for 325 million babies born between 1880 and 2007.

U.S. parents today are much less likely to give their children common names.

In 1950, more than 30 percent of U.S. boys had one of the top 10 most popular names. By 2009, that had fallen to about 9 percent.

“In previous, less-individualistic eras, parents gave children common names so they could fit in,” Twenge said.

Even fairly common names now can have elaborate or possibly counterintuitive new spellings.

Last year, Megan was the 164th most popular name for girls across the country. Meghan was the 739th most popular name.

But Casey Durrstein, 39, of Beavercreek, said her daughter’s name is Meghann.

Meghann was born about six weeks ago. Durrstein said the name comes from Margaret and Anetta, which are her grandmother’s first names.

“The spelling comes from the book ‘The Thorn Birds’ by Colleen McCullough,” she said.