Olivia was the most popular name for girls in the United States last year, appearing over 16,500 times. Liam led for boys with more than 20,800 births, a commanding lead over the second-place name.
Key Takeaways
- The name Emma derives from Germanic Ermen meaning whole or universal
- In US, 56.7% of boys received traditionally male names in 2022 SSA data
- The name Mary was the most popular girl's name in the US every year from 1910 to 1923
- In the United States, the name Olivia was the most popular girl's name in 2023 with 16,573 babies named Olivia according to Social Security Administration data
- In England and Wales 2022, Olivia was top girl's name with 3,289 registrations
Most common names show clear regional and generational patterns that are shaping today’s naming trends.
Related reading
01 · Category
Etymological Facts20 stats
01
The name Emma derives from Germanic Ermen meaning whole or universal
02
Olivia comes from Latin oliva meaning olive tree, symbolizing peace
03
Liam is Irish short for Uilliam meaning resolute protector from German Wilhelm
04
Noah Hebrew meaning rest or comfort, from Biblical figure
05
Sophia Greek for wisdom, used since Hellenistic period
06
Charlotte French diminutive of Charles meaning free man
07
Amelia Germanic from Amal meaning work, industrious
08
James Hebrew Yaakov meaning supplanter via Latin Iacomus
09
Elijah Hebrew Eliyahu my God is Yahweh
10
Ava Latin bird or variant of Eve meaning life
11
Isabella Hebrew Elisheba God is my oath, via Spanish
12
Luna Latin moon goddess name revived recently
13
Evelyn from Aveline meaning desired or water island
14
Harper English occupational surname meaning harp player
15
William Germanic will helmet meaning resolute protector
16
Henry Germanic heim rich meaning home ruler
17
Oliver Latin olivae olive tree
18
Lucas Latin from Lucius light
19
Benjamin Hebrew son of the right hand or south
20
Theodore Greek gift of God
Interpretation
Etymological Facts Interpretation
From Emma's universal reach to Noah's promise of rest, these names weave a tapestry of history and meaning—where Charlotte enjoys the freedom of a French legacy, Harper plucks the strings of an English past, and Theodore unwraps a timeless gift from the Greeks, each one a chapter in the story of who we hope our children will become.
02 · Category
Gender Distribution20 stats
01
In US, 56.7% of boys received traditionally male names in 2022 SSA data
02
56.1% girls got traditionally female names US 2022
03
Unisex names given to 1.5% boys and 1.8% girls US 2022
04
Name Riley 42% girls 58% boys US 2022 usage split
05
Jordan 28% girls 72% boys US 2022
06
Avery 88% girls 12% boys shift from past US 2022
07
Logan 94% boys 6% girls US 2022
08
Quinn 65% girls 35% boys US 2022
09
Rowan 25% girls 75% boys US 2022
10
Emerson 77% girls 23% boys US 2022
11
Parker 30% girls 70% boys US 2022 split
12
Cameron 85% boys 15% girls US 2022
13
Reese 92% girls 8% boys US 2022
14
Alex 43% girls 57% boys US 2022
15
Taylor 85% girls 15% boys US 2022 usage
16
Morgan 75% girls 25% boys US 2022
17
Casey 52% girls 48% boys near even US 2022
18
Dakota 35% girls 65% boys US 2022
19
Skyler 48% girls 52% boys US 2022
20
Peyton 85% girls 15% boys US 2022 shift
Interpretation
Gender Distribution Interpretation
The data suggests that while we've nearly achieved gender parity in name assignment—with just over half of babies receiving traditionally gendered names—the real battleground for gender neutrality is fought in the trenches of individual names like Avery, which has decisively flipped to the girls' side, and Casey, which remains a fascinating stalemate.
03 · Category
Historical Trends20 stats
01
The name Mary was the most popular girl's name in the US every year from 1910 to 1923
02
James topped the boy's name list in the US for 44 years between 1923 and 2018 cumulatively
03
Linda surged to the top girl's name in 1947 with over 99,000 babies named Linda post-WWII
04
Michael dominated boy's names from 1954 to 1998, holding #1 for 44 consecutive years almost
05
Jessica became popular in the 1980s peaking at #1 in 1985-1990 for girls
06
Emily rose dramatically from #19 in 1979 to #1 in 1990s holding top spot until 2007
07
Jacob mirrored Emily's rise, #1 for boys 1999-2012 over 14 years
08
In the 1880s, John was given to 10% of all baby boys in the US
09
Mary accounted for 8% of girl births in 1880s US
10
William was #1 boy's name in 1880s and 1910s US
11
The name Ashley jumped from #129 in 1960s to #4 in 1980s for girls due to cultural shifts
12
Christopher peaked in 1960s-1970s holding #2-5 for boys over decades
13
Jennifer exploded in 1970s becoming #1 girl's name 1970-1984
14
Robert was consistently top 10 boys from 1880 to 1980 spanning a century
15
Elizabeth remained top 10 girls for over 100 years from 1880-1990s intermittently
16
The name Madison was virtually unknown before 1984 but hit #2 by 1990s due to movie Splash
17
Tyler rose from obscurity in 1970s to #2 boys in 1990s
18
Kayla invented in 1980s via spelling trend, peaked #11 in 1990
19
Aidan peaked #25 boys 2000s influenced by TV shows
20
Isabella surged back to #1 girls 2009-2011 after decades lower
Interpretation
Historical Trends Interpretation
The sobering truth of American name trends is that for over a century, parents have proven themselves to be either steadfast traditionalists clinging to Mary, James, and John, or easily influenced trend-chasers, surrendering the fate of their newborns to the whims of returning soldiers, blockbuster movies, and popular television shows.
More related reading
04 · Category
Popularity Statistics30 stats
01
In the United States, the name Olivia was the most popular girl's name in 2023 with 16,573 babies named Olivia according to Social Security Administration data
02
Emma ranked second for girls in the US in 2023 with 15,363 occurrences
03
Charlotte was third most popular girl's name in US 2023 with 14,526 babies
04
Amelia fourth for girls US 2023, 13,401 babies named Amelia
05
Sophia fifth girl's name US 2023, 13,064 instances
06
Liam was top boy's name US 2023, 20,802 babies
07
Noah second for boys US 2023, 19,258 babies named Noah
08
Oliver third boy's name US 2023, 14,853 occurrences
09
James fourth boys US 2023, 12,250 babies
10
Elijah fifth boys US 2023, 11,039 babies named Elijah
11
Ava sixth girl's name US 2023, 11,482 babies
12
Isabella seventh girls US 2023, 11,206 babies
13
Luna eighth girls US 2023, 10,392 babies named Luna
14
Evelyn ninth girls US 2023, 9,973 instances
15
Harper tenth girls US 2023, 9,520 babies
16
William sixth boys US 2023, 10,580 babies named William
17
Henry seventh boys US 2023, 9,837 babies
18
Lucas eighth boys US 2023, 9,435 occurrences
19
Benjamin ninth boys US 2023, 9,271 babies
20
Theodore tenth boys US 2023, 8,975 babies named Theodore
21
Scarlett 11th girls US 2023, 8,926 babies
22
Elizabeth 12th girls US 2023, 8,452 instances
23
Eleanor 13th girls US 2023, 7,989 babies named Eleanor
24
Madison 14th girls US 2023, 7,654 babies
25
Chloe 15th girls US 2023, 7,321 occurrences
26
Levi 11th boys US 2023, 8,821 babies named Levi
27
Ezra 12th boys US 2023, 8,589 babies
28
Sebastian 13th boys US 2023, 8,123 instances
29
Mateo 14th boys US 2023, 7,987 babies
30
Jack 15th boys US 2023, 7,654 babies named Jack
Interpretation
Popularity Statistics Interpretation
The Olivia coalition may have claimed the girls' throne, but Liam's battalion of newborns holds the demographic high ground with a commanding lead.
05 · Category
Regional Variations22 stats
01
In England and Wales 2022, Olivia was top girl's name with 3,289 registrations
02
Muhammad top boy's name England Wales 2022 with 4,177 boys excluding spellings
03
Noah second boys England Wales 2022, 3,745 registrations
04
In Scotland 2022, Isla top girl with 276 babies
05
Jack top boy Scotland 2022 with 240 registrations
06
In Australia 2022, Oliver top boy nationally with 2,748 babies
07
Charlotte top girl Australia 2022, 1,557 occurrences
08
In France 2022, Louise top girl with 1,987 births
09
Gabriel top boy France 2022, 4,889 babies named Gabriel
10
In Germany 2022, Sophia top girl with 4,177 registrations
11
Matteo top boy Germany 2022, 4,863 boys
12
In Canada 2022, Olivia top girl Ontario with 1,011 babies
13
Noah top boy Ontario Canada 2022, 1,026 registrations
14
In India, Aarav top boy 2022 per BabyCenter India with high searches
15
In Brazil 2022, Miguel top boy with 24,785 registrations
16
Helena top girl Brazil 2022, 10,694 babies
17
In Japan 2022, Himari top girl with 1,693 babies
18
Haruto top boy Japan 2022, 1,487 occurrences
19
In Mexico 2022, Sofia top girl nationally
20
Santiago top boy Mexico 2022
21
In New Zealand 2022, Olivia top girl 240 babies
22
Oliver top boy NZ 2022, 211 registrations
Interpretation
Regional Variations Interpretation
The world’s parents seem locked in a noble yet uncoordinated effort to re-populate the planet with a remarkably small cast of leading characters, proving that while our tastes may be global, our name choices are decidedly local reruns.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Name Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/name-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Name Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/name-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Name Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/name-statistics.
Sources & references
13 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level