👶 Most Popular Baby Names in the United States
By The Wheel of Name Team · · Source: SSA Baby Names Database
Every year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a ranked list of the most popular baby names in the United States based on applications for Social Security cards. It's the most comprehensive and authoritative source for US name trends — covering more than four million births per year.
Whether you're expecting a child, writing fiction, or simply curious about naming trends, this guide breaks down the top names by gender, traces how tastes have shifted across decades, and explains what the data actually tells us about American culture.
Top 10 Boy Names in the United States (2023)
These are the ten most popular boy names registered with the SSA for births in 2023. Liam has held the top spot for seven consecutive years, a record-setting run in the modern era.
| Rank | Name | Origin / Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam | Irish — "strong-willed warrior and protector" |
| 2 | Noah | Hebrew — "rest, comfort" |
| 3 | Oliver | Latin/Norse — "olive tree; ancestor's descendants" |
| 4 | James | Hebrew — "supplanter"; a perennial classic |
| 5 | Elijah | Hebrew — "my God is Yahweh" |
| 6 | Mateo | Spanish form of Matthew — "gift of God" |
| 7 | Theodore | Greek — "gift of God"; rising steadily since 2010 |
| 8 | Henry | Germanic — "ruler of the home"; classic revival |
| 9 | Lucas | Greek/Latin — "light, illumination" |
| 10 | William | Germanic — "resolute protector"; a top-10 staple for centuries |
Top 10 Girl Names in the United States (2023)
Olivia has been the most popular girl name in the US since 2019. Emma held the position for four years prior. The current top 10 skews toward vintage and Latin-origin names — a trend that has been building since the 2010s.
| Rank | Name | Origin / Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olivia | Latin — "olive tree"; symbol of peace and beauty |
| 2 | Emma | Germanic — "whole, universal" |
| 3 | Charlotte | French form of Charles — "free woman" |
| 4 | Amelia | Germanic — "work, industrious" |
| 5 | Sophia | Greek — "wisdom" |
| 6 | Mia | Scandinavian/Italian diminutive — "mine, beloved" |
| 7 | Isabella | Hebrew via Spanish — "devoted to God" |
| 8 | Ava | Latin/Hebrew — "life, living one" |
| 9 | Evelyn | English — "wished-for child"; fastest-rising classic |
| 10 | Luna | Latin — "moon"; jumped from #737 in 2010 to #10 in 2023 |
Popular Gender-Neutral Names
Gender-neutral naming has grown significantly over the past two decades. The SSA tracks names separately by sex, but several names now rank in the top 500 for both boys and girls — a notable cultural shift.
| Name | Boys Rank | Girls Rank | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riley | ~180 | ~30 | Irish — "courageous, valiant" |
| Avery | ~210 | ~20 | Old English — "ruler of the elves" |
| Jordan | ~90 | ~260 | Hebrew — "flowing down" |
| Quinn | ~300 | ~60 | Irish — "counsel, intelligence" |
| Parker | ~160 | ~130 | English occupational — "keeper of the park" |
How Baby Name Popularity Has Shifted Over the Decades
One of the most interesting insights from SSA data is how quickly naming fashions change — and how certain names cycle in and out of favor across generations.
1950s–1960s: Classic American Names
James, Robert, John, and Michael dominated boys' lists for decades. Linda, Mary, Patricia, and Susan topped girls' rankings. These names often reflected traditional values and popular culture figures of the postwar era. Many of them have since become "grandparent names" — recognizable but rarely given to newborns today.
1970s–1980s: The Rise of Soft Sounds
Jennifer became the #1 girl name for 14 consecutive years (1970–1984), an unmatched record. Names like Jessica, Ashley, and Amanda rose sharply. For boys, Jason, Joshua, and Matthew replaced the mid-century standbys. This era also saw the first wave of invented or phonetically creative names.
1990s–2000s: Pop Culture Influence
Emily held the top spot for girls from 1996–2007. Aidan (and its variants Aiden, Ayden, Jayden) exploded in the early 2000s, influenced partly by pop culture. Madison — virtually unused before the 1984 film Splash — climbed to #2 for girls by 2001.
2010s–Present: Vintage and Global Names
Today's parents are reaching back to Victorian-era classics (Eleanor, Theodore, Beatrice, Arthur) and embracing Latin and Spanish-origin names (Mateo, Sofia, Luna, Valentina). Liam, an Irish name that barely cracked the top 100 before 2000, has been #1 since 2017. Luna's rise from #737 in 2010 to #10 in 2023 represents one of the steepest single-name climbs in SSA history.
What Makes a Name Popular?
Research on naming trends points to several consistent drivers:
- Pop culture and media — A character in a hit TV show or film can push a name up hundreds of spots in a single year.
- Celebrity influence — When a famous person names their child something unusual, searches and registrations often follow.
- Sound patterns — Names ending in "-a" have dominated girl rankings for 30+ years. Names with hard consonants and two syllables tend to do well for boys.
- Generational cycling — Names skip a generation before becoming fashionable again. Today's Evelyns and Arthurs are named after great-grandparents, not parents.
- Cultural heritage — As the US population becomes more diverse, names from Spanish, Arabic, East Asian, and African traditions are rising on national rankings.
What Name Popularity Actually Tells You
A name ranking in the top 10 means about 1 in 50–80 boys or girls born that year received it — so your child will likely share it with a few classmates. A name ranked in the top 200 is recognizable and easily spelled without being ubiquitous. Names below 500 in the rankings tend to require regular spelling corrections and occasional mispronunciation.
None of these are reasons to avoid or choose a particular name — they're just useful context. The "right" name is ultimately about meaning, family connection, and how it sounds with your surname. Popularity is one data point among many.
Use the Name Wheel to Narrow Down Your Shortlist
If you've been going back and forth between a handful of favorites, a name wheel is a surprisingly useful decision-making tool. Add your top candidates, spin the wheel, and pay attention to your gut reaction when a name lands — you'll often discover which one you were secretly hoping for.
- Step 1. Go to The Wheel of Name and enter your shortlisted names, one per entry.
- Step 2. Create separate wheels for boy and girl names if you haven't found out the sex yet.
- Step 3. Spin and discuss — use the result as a conversation starter rather than a final verdict.
- Step 4. Remove names you've ruled out and keep spinning until you have a clear favorite.
- Step 5. Save your final list using the export feature so you can return to it later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the SSA get its baby name data?
The SSA compiles name data from Social Security card applications. Since virtually every US birth results in an SSA card application, the dataset is comprehensive. Names with fewer than 5 registrations in a given year are excluded for privacy reasons.
How often is the SSA baby name data updated?
The SSA releases updated name data annually, typically in May of the following year. So 2023 data (the most recent as of this writing) was published in May 2024.
Are these rankings nationwide, or do they vary by state?
The SSA publishes both national and state-level rankings. Regional variation is real — Liam may be #1 nationally but #4 in Texas, for example. You can explore state-specific rankings directly at ssa.gov/oact/babynames/state/.
Can a name wheel help choose a baby name?
Yes — especially when you're stuck between a few finalists. The random result often reveals an emotional reaction you weren't consciously aware of, which helps clarify the decision. It works best as a tie-breaker or a discussion starter rather than a definitive oracle.
• Social Security Administration — Popular Baby Names (ssa.gov)
• SSA State-Level Data — Popular Names by State (ssa.gov)
• Nameberry Trend Analysis — nameberry.com
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