WASHINGTON — Emily again topped the list of most popular baby girl names last year, registering as No. 1 for the 12th straight time. Jacob led among names for boys for the ninth year in a row.

Only one name — Elizabeth — is new to the top-10 list in 2007, returning after a two-year absence. Samantha, which previously ranked 10th, dropped to No. 12, according to the latest list released yesterday by the Social Security Administration.

Biblical names continued to dominate the boys' list. Besides Jacob, other top picks for boys were Michael, Joshua and Matthew.

For girls, Isabella, Emma and Ava came after Emily, which has been the most popular female name since 1996.

Rounding out the top 10 for girls, in order, were Madison, Sophia, Olivia, Abigail, Hannah and Elizabeth.

The boys' list also includes Ethan, Daniel, Christopher, Anthony, William and Andrew.

Experts have said the staying power of the top names may have something to do with appealing to multiple ethnic or religious groups and having no widespread negative connotations. Emily also has literary associations, including Emily Dickinson, evoking images of a woman who is both beautiful and smart, professors say.

For twin boys, parents were most likely to combine Jacob with Joshua, Matthew with Michael and Daniel with David. The most popular combination for twin girls was Ella and Emma.

Also popular in 2007 were names for girls that were based on spiritual and philosophical concepts. Rising to No. 31 was Nevaeh, "heaven" spelled backward; it previously ranked 43rd. Also represented were Destiny (No. 41), Trinity (No. 72), Serenity (No. 126), Harmony (No. 315), and Miracle (No. 461). Cutting against the trend was Armani (No. 971).

Parents were less likely to name their sons based on ideal concepts, although the 2007 list includes Sincere (No. 622) and Messiah (No. 723).

Social Security began compiling the name lists in 1997. The agency offers lists of baby names for each year since 1880 at its www.socialsecurity.gov Web site.