Surprising baby names that have surged as most popular in America are revealed
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The most popular baby names in America for 2024 has been revealed, with two unexpected names claiming the top spots.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Social Security Administration released its annual list of the most popular baby names based on Social Security card applications on Friday – a tradition that dates back to 1880 and spans all 50 states.
Liam and Olivia have once again topped the list, marking their sixth consecutive year as the most popular baby names in the US.
Last year marked the eighth year in a row that Liam held the number one spot for boys, while Olivia led the girls’ list for the sixth year in a row.
The number two spots have also remained unchanged for the sixth consecutive year, with Emma holding steady for girls and Noah for boys.
Luna dropped out of the girls’ Top 10 names in 2024, making way for Sofia, which entered the list at number 10 for the very first time.
Following Liam, the top boys’ names in order are: Noah, Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas and William.
After Olivia, the most common girls’ names are: Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, Isabella, Evelyn, Ava and Sofia.
The most popular baby names in America for 2024 were revealed on Friday, just in time for Mother’s Day, by the Social Security Administration
The data collected is based on Social Security card applications, and has been a tradition that dates back to 1880 and spans all 50 states
Liam and Olivia have once again topped the list, marking their sixth consecutive year as the most popular baby names in the US
Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of the baby naming website Nameberry, noted that the latest data highlights a growing trend among American parents – choosing names with cross-cultural appeal.
‘A trend we’re tracking is that Americans are more likely to choose heritage choices,’ Kihm told the Associated Press, including names that work ‘no matter where you are in the world’.
Interestingly enough, Kihm’s own first name appeared on the list in two different variations.
‘More families in the US come from mixed cultural backgrounds and I hear parents commonly request that they want their child to travel and have a relatively easy to understand name,’ she added.
According to the Social Security Administration’s latest data, 3.61 million babies were born in the US in 2024 – up slightly from 3.59 million the previous year – indicating a modest rise in the national birthrate.
Although some names have withstood the test of time, the administration noted that social media influencers and popular television shows play a major role in influencing the rising popularity of certain names.
Among the girls’ names rising in popularity, Ailany – a Hawiian name meaning ‘chief’ – topped the list.
On the boys’ side, Truce, an Old English name meaning ‘peace’, made a remarkable leap, rising 11,118 spots to rank 991.
The number two spots have also remained unchanged for the sixth consecutive year, with Emma holding steady for girls and Noah for boys
Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of the baby naming website Nameberry, noted that the latest data highlights a growing trend among American parents – choosing names with cross-cultural appeal
Luna dropped out of the girls’ Top 10 names in 2024, making way for Sofia, which entered the list at number 10 for the very first time
In 2023, Kaeli was the fastest-rising girls name, climbing 1,692 spots, likely influenced by YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen, known as Kaeli Mae.
With more than one million followers, Mae promotes a clean and tidy lifestyle across her social media platforms.
Popular TV shows have also influenced parent’s decisions, with Game of Thrones-inspired baby names skyrocketing in the 2010s.
Nearly 5,000 children were named after its characters in 2018, and even five years after the series ended, the names have remained somewhat popular, with 397 baby girls being named Khaleesi in 2023.
Nevertheless, Liam has been overwhelmingly popular as a boy’s name since it took over the top spot in 2017, replacing Noah – the number one choice since 2013.
The name was inspired by several pop-culture celebrities, including Irish actor Liam Neeson and late former band member Liam Payne of One Direction.
Olivia has remained the most popular girl’s name in the US since 2018, which first increased in popularity following the release of the 2012 TV show, ‘Scandal’, after the lead character, Olivia Pope.
Other celebrities may have inspired Olivia’s rise to number one, including the late ‘Grease’ star Olivia Newton-John and pop singer Olivia Rodrigo.
Although some names have withstood the test of time, the administration noted that social media influencers and popular television shows play a major role in influencing the rising popularity of certain names
According to the Social Security Administration’s latest data, 3.61 million babies were born in the US in 2024 – up slightly from 3.59 million the previous year – indicating a modest rise in the national birthrate
In the last decade, parents have become more apt to choose a name that rolls off the tongue versus ones that have a ‘hard stop’
Of the 3.6 million babies born last year, 22,164 of them were named Liam while 14,718 were named Olivia.
In the last decade, parents have become more apt to choose a name that rolls off the tongue versus ones that have a ‘hard stop,’ Linguist Adam Cooper, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, told Phys.org last year.
‘It’s really interesting to see how prominent the patterns were,’ Cooper said. ‘Names like Patrick, Peter or Greg – these are names that would be more ‘stopful,’ so to speak. These stop sounds are not here in the list, really.’
Parents have also started focusing on what’s called phonaesthetics – the beauty or elegance associated with the names – that sound softer, ending with a vowel or ‘nah’ sound.
‘One might say that there’s more of a flow to the sounds and sound combinations making up these popular names,’ Cooper said, referencing 2023’s top baby names list.
‘Connecting what’s been studied about English phonaesthetics, pretty much all the names here would be ‘phonaesthetically pleasing,’ he added.
The complete, searchable list of baby names is on the Social Security website.
