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By Hugh Cameron
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From the timeless to the trendy, parents' choices of what to name their baby can be a deeply personal decision, and one that reflects family traditions, cultural heritage, or simply a favorite sound.
Each year, the U.S. 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 reveal interesting patterns for the names that have grown in popularity over time.
Drawing on this data, the map below, created by Newsweek, shows the most common given names for male and female babies born in the U.S. in 2023.
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The top 10 names for newborn boys, in order of popularity, were Liam, Noah, Oliver, James, Elijah, Mateo, Theodore, Henry, Lucas and William. For girls, it was Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia, Sophia, Mia, Isabella, Ava, Evelyn and Luna.
Outside of the top spots, Izael was the fastest-rising boys' name and Kaeli the fastest-rising girls'. Kaeli, an Irish-origin name, underwent a drastic increase in popularity, rising from 2,370th in 2022 to 678th in 2023.
In a press release announcing the results, the SSA credited this to the rising popularity of TikTok and YouTube lifestyle vlogger Kaeli Mae.
"Parents must have really smashed the 'like' button for YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen (also known as Kaeli Mae)," the agency said, "who routinely promotes a clean, tidy, and neutral-aesthetic lifestyle."
For boys, Liam's dominance extended across the country, with 22 states from New York to Alaska listing it as the most common choice for parents in 2023. Liam was also listed as one of the five most common choices for parents in 42 states.
This marks only a minor change from 2022, when Liam was the most popular name in 20 states and held spots in the top five of another 24.
The second most chosen boy's name nationally was Noah, the most common choice in eight states, followed by Oliver, which ranked top in 13 states.
Some new boys' names cracked the top 10 in 2023, with the Spanish name Mateo entering the list for the first time at number 6. Mateo placed in the top five most common names in Arizona, California, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Another Spanish name, Santiago, was a top-five choice in four of these states: Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.
Only four states were unique in their top boys' name choices. William was the first choice in Alabama, Elijah was most popular in Hawaii, John was top in Mississippi and Henry was top in Wyoming.
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For girls, Charlotte held the top spot in 21 states, followed by Olivia in 18 and Amelia in five.
Despite being the second-most common female baby name overall nationwide last year, Emma was only the most common choice in two states: New York and Texas.
Hawaii, again, was unique in its choice, with the name Isla topping the state's list despite not making the top five in any other state.
The other fastest-rising boys' names in 2023 were Chozen, Eiden, Cassian and Kyren, while Alitzel, Emryn, Adhara and Azari were increasingly popular choices for girls.
Sherri Suzanne, founder of the professional baby name consulting service My Name for Life, told Newsweek that for much of history, baby names were influenced by family members and religious figures. She said: "Parents still use these as sources of names, but popular culture is responsible for introducing most new names—or name styles—into contemporary naming.
"Celebrities—singers, dancers, actors, athletes, YouTube personalities or even a person in the news—can start a trend overnight. Likewise, many new names come from movies, TV series, books, comics, video games, and songs. This has been true since the media explosion of the 20th century."
Popular culture will continue to be a "primary source of naming" Suzanne said, when asked about what other names may soon achieve widespread appeal.
However, she said that, "as much as popular culture can launch a name, it can also make a name a bit too iconic," with naming one's child after a contemporarily popular figure having both positive and negative effects on the name's overall popularity. This may prevent any sudden surge in parents naming their child Barbie as a result of last summer's box office hit.
"The name Dorothy faded quickly and steadily after the release of The Wizard of Oz in 1939 following decades in the top 10," Suzanne added. "Some associations are too powerful too overcome—at least for a time."
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