With THON 2021 right around the corner, the dance marathon recently officially released the names of all 592 individuals who will participate in this year’s event.

While the number of dancers this year has seen a decrease of more than 100 registered participants, likely due to the pandemic, we decided to run the numbers to find the most popular names.

Emily and Sarah have reigned champion in years past. However, 2021 has presented a shocking new development.

Emily has secured first place in three out of the last four THONs. This time around, the name checks in at fourth place with only six Emilys (and one Emilee). Emily was the most popular female baby name from 1996-2007, so this is a real shocker.

Sarah, which was the second-most popular name at last year’s THON, brought home the gold this year. Nine Sarahs and two Saras will dance at THON 2021. That means 1.86% of all THON dancers this year will respond to the name Sarah.

Sarah (9) and Samantha (8) led the way for all dancers, while Alyssa/Emma/Julia (7) took home the bronze medal.

Girl names dominate THON this year. John and Kyle are tied for the most popular guy names, coming in with a measly four dancers each.

Despite all the repeat names, there are actually 228 unique dancer names participating in this year’s event. There are seven Alyssas, but there’s only one Alysa. And while there are eight Samanthas, only one Sam is dancing this year.

We’ve been keeping an eye on some of the most popular names over the years, too. It’s easy to see the general drop in registrants for THON 2021. Despite there being fewer Sarahs this year, there’s more Sarahs-per-100 than in THON 2020.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

While dancers won’t stand for 46 hours in the Bryce Jordan Center this year, the show must go on! Good luck to the Sarahs, Samanthas, Johns, and everyone else dancing in THON 2021.