The Social Security Administration (SSA) has unveiled the most popular baby names in the United States for 2023, with Olivia and Liam retaining their top spots for the fifth year running. The second most popular names for girls and boys remained Emma and Noah, respectively, also for the fifth consecutive year.
The list of popular names saw little variation from 2022, with a few notable exceptions. The boys’ name Mateo, which first entered the top 1,000 in 1995 and the top 100 in 2015, made a significant leap from 11th to 6th place, marking its debut in the top 10. This rise displaced Benjamin, a name that had consistently featured in the top 10 since 2015.
While the top girls’ names remained the same, their order saw a slight reshuffle. The top boys’ names for 2023, in order of popularity, were Liam, Noah, Oliver, James, Elijah, Mateo, Theodore, Henry, Lucas, and William. The top girls’ names were Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia, Sophia, Mia, Isabella, Ava, Evelyn, and Luna.
The SSA began publishing this data annually around Mother’s Day in 1997. The rankings are based on applications for Social Security cards following a child’s birth. The popularity of a name is determined by its exact spelling, meaning variations like Katelyn, Caitlin, Caitlyn, and Kaitlin are considered separate entries.
While state-specific data for 2023 is not yet available, the national list closely mirrors Utah’s top names for 2022. The first four girls’ names are identical on both lists, with Hazel, Lucy, Lily, and Harper also featuring on Utah’s list. Oliver was the most popular boys’ name in Utah in 2022, narrowly beating Liam.
The newly released data also highlighted names that are gaining popularity rapidly. For boys, Izael made the biggest leap, jumping from 1,666th to 806th place. Chozen, Eiden, Cassian, and Kyren also saw significant increases in popularity. On the other hand, Dior experienced the largest drop, falling from 840th to 1,224th place.
For girls, Kaeli was the fastest-rising name, climbing from 2,370th to 678th place. Alitzel, Emryn, Adhara, and Azari also saw substantial increases in popularity. Conversely, Addilynn experienced the largest drop, sliding from 941st to 1,315th place.
While the reasons behind these trends are largely speculative, SSA officials have suggested that social media influencers may play a role. The surge in popularity of the name Kaeli, for example, could be attributed to influencer Kaeli Mae. Similarly, the name Eiden might be gaining traction due to influencer Wyatt Eiden. The name Chozen, meanwhile, is shared by a character in the popular Netflix series “Cobra Kai.”