Brooklyn Again Welcomes City’s First Baby

January 3, 2022 Jaime DeJesus

Newborn Leyla Gessel Tzunun Garcia.

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What’s In a Name: If You’re a Newborn, It’s a Lifetime Tag

The new year, as every year, has also welcomed the first-born babies of Brooklyn

At exactly midnight on Jan. 1, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island said hello to the city public health system’s first baby, Leyla Gessel Tzunun Garcia. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 6.3 ounces, and measured 19.5 inches.

Their parents, Irma Garcia and German Tzunun, are from Gravesend. The newborn is their first child.

According to NYC Health + Hospitals, the Coney Island-area hospital on Ocean Parkway has held the title for the third straight year as the home of the city’s first baby.

Mayor Eric Adams tweeted about the birth.

“Welcome to the world, Leyla! We’re so glad you’re here,” he said. “When we talked about fighting for a brighter future, we’re talking about our newest and littlest New Yorkers like you. Happy birthday!”

Irma Garcia and German Tzunun with newborn Leyla Gessel Tzunun Garcia. Photo courtesy of NYC Health + Hospitals Coney Island

Over at Maimonides Medical Center, staff announced baby Marilyn Ruth (no last name given) as its first newborn of 2022. Born at 12:58 a.m., she weighed in at seven pounds and 11 ounces.

Baby Marcelle was born at Maimonides Medical Center Photo courtesy of Maimonides Medical Center Facebook

NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull also celebrated its first baby of the new year. Rosa Yauri arrived at 12:07 a.m.

Rosa Yauri arrives at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. Photo courtesy of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull

As far as names go, on Dec. 23 2021, the New York City Health Department announced that Emma and Liam were the most popular baby names in the city in 2020 (apparently, figures for 2021 were not yet fully calculated). Liam has been the number one name for boys since 2016, and Emma has been the top name for girls since 2017.

The Health Department’s birth certificate records show 442 Emmas and 682 Liams were born in New York City in 2020.

Rounding out the top 10 names for boys were Noah, Jacob, Ethan, Lucas, Joseph, David, Aiden, Alexander and Daniel.

For girls, the other top names were Sophia, Mia, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Leah, Sarah, Chloe and Amelia.

According to the Health Department, nine of the top 10 girls’ names from 2019 also stayed on the top 10 list for 2020. Charlotte dropped off the top 10 list in 2020. Sophia moved up to second, and Olivia fell to fourth. Mia moved up one spot to be third. Sarah returned to the list at the eighth spot.

Eight of the boys’ names from 2019 stayed on the list for 2020. Matthew and Michael were dropped from the list, and Joseph and Alexander were added in 2020. The top two names remained the same from 2019. Jacob and Ethan swapped positions to third and fourth. Both Aiden and Daniel dropped in the rankings to seventh and eighth.

“The year 2020 was a challenging year, but these babies were bright spots,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi. “We are thrilled to celebrate our newest New Yorkers and welcome them to the world.”

Story has been updated to list new name.