From contemporary to trendy, parents’ choice of baby name can be a personal decision, and one that reflects family tradition, cultural heritage, or just a favorite sound.
Each year, the US Social Security Administration (SSA) reveals the most common baby names across the country, based on new Social Security card applications from the previous year. The results show an interesting pattern for names that have been popular in their time.
Drawing on this data, the map below, was created by Newsweekshows the most common names for baby boys and girls born in the US in 2023.
The top 10 names for newborn boys, in order of popularity, are Liam, Noah, Oliver, James, Elijah, Mateo, Theodore, Henry, Lucas and William. For the girls, it’s Olivia, Emma, ​​Charlotte, Amelia, Sophia, Mia, Isabella, Ava, Evelyn and Luna.
Outside of the top spots, Izael is the fastest rising boy name and Kaeli is the fastest rising girl name. Kaeli, a name of Irish origin, experienced a drastic increase in popularity, rising from 2,370 in 2022 to 678 in 2023.
In a press release announcing the results, the SSA attributed this to the popularity of TikTok and YouTube lifestyle vlogger Kaeli Mae.
“Parents should smash the ‘like’ button for YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen (also known as Kaeli Mae),” the agency said, “who regularly promotes a clean, tidy, and neutral-aesthetic lifestyle.”
For boys, Liam’s dominance transcends countries, with 22 states from New York to Alaska listing him as the most common choice for parents in 2023. Liam is also listed as one of the five most common choices for parents in 42 countries.
This marks only a small change from 2022, when Liam was the most popular name in 20 countries and took a place in the top five in 24 others.
The second most-chosen boy’s name nationally is Noah, the most common choice in eight states, followed by Oliver, the top choice in 13 states.
Several new boy names entered the top 10 in 2023, with the Spanish name Mateo entering the list for the first time at number 6. Mateo was placed in the top five most common names in Arizona, California, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. . Another Spanish name, Santiago, was the top choice in four states: Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.
Only four countries are unique in the top selection of male names. William was the first choice in Alabama, Elijah was the most popular in Hawaii, John was the top pick in Mississippi and Henry was the top pick in Wyoming.
Image by Manny Carabel/Getty
For girls, Charlotte holds the top spot in 21 countries, followed by Olivia in 18 and Amelia in five.
Despite being the second most common baby girl name nationwide last year, Emma was the most common choice in only two states: New York and Texas.
Hawaii, again, is unique in its selection, with Isla’s name at the top of the country’s list despite not making the top five in other countries.
The fastest rising boy names in 2023 are Chozen, Eiden, Cassian and Kyren, while Alitzel, Emryn, Adhara and Azari are popular choices for girls.
Sherri Suzanne, founder of professional baby name consulting services My name is for life, toward Newsweek that for most of history, baby names were influenced by family members and religious figures. He said: “Parents still use this as a source of names, but popular culture is responsible for introducing most new names – or naming styles – into contemporary names.
“Celebrities—singers, dancers, actors, athletes, YouTube personalities or even people in the news—can start a trend overnight. In addition, many new names come from movies, TV series, books, comics, video games, and songs. This is already true since the media explosion of the 20th century.”
Popular culture will continue to be “the main source of names” says Suzanne, when asked about other names that will gain widespread appeal.
However, he says that, “just as popular culture can launch a name, it can also make a name great,” with naming children after popular figures currently having both positive and negative effects on the overall popularity of the name. This could prevent a sudden surge in parents naming Barbie as a result of last summer’s box office.
“Dorothy’s name disappeared quickly and steadily after the release of Wizard of Oz in 1939 after a decade in the top 10,” Suzanne added. “Some associations are too strong to overcome—at least for the time being.”
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