There’s a new most popular baby name, 2023 report finds

by Alix Martichoux - 11/14/23 1:58 PM ET

(NEXSTAR) – If you don’t know someone named Noah already, you certainly will soon. The name was the most popular choice for baby boys in 2023, according to a BabyCenter analysis of more than 300,000 babies born this year.

Noah dethroned Liam, which had ranked No. 1 for boys for four years. Liam didn’t drop far, however: It’s now the No. 2 most popular pick, followed by Oliver at No. 3.

There was less change for the most popular girls’ names this year. The top three matched last year’s top choices: Olivia, Emma and Amelia.

BabyCenter noted girls’ names ending in an “a” were a big trend in 2023. Of the top 10 girls’ names, eight end with the letter.

Rank	Most popular girls’ names	Rank	Most popular boys’ names
1.	Olivia	1.	Noah
2.	Emma	2.	Liam
3.	Amelia	3.	Oliver
4.	Sophia	4.	Elijah
5.	Charlotte	5.	Mateo
6.	Ava	6.	Lucas
7.	Isabella	7.	Levi
8.	Mia	8.	Leo
9.	Luna	9.	Ezra
10.	Evelyn	10.	Luca
11.	Gianna	11.	Asher
12.	Lily	12.	James
13.	Aria	13.	Ethan
14.	Aurora	14.	Sebastian
15.	Ellie	15.	Henry
16.	Harper	16.	Muhammad
17.	Mila	17.	Hudson
18.	Sofia	18.	Maverick
19.	Camila	19.	Benjamin
20.	Layla	20.	Theo

Data provided by BabyCenter

Other trends BabyCenter reported in 2023 include nicknames as full names (like Ellie, Josie and Theo) and three-letter names (Leo, Kai, Jay and Lia are all trending).

The site’s analysts also linked some of 2023’s trending names to popular TV shows released this year. “The Last of Us” may be responsible for a boost in popularity for Ellie and Joel as baby names, while the final season of “Succession” may be the reason Kendall and Siobhan were more popular in 2023.

BabyCenter updates its list of most popular names in real time, the company says, as users pick their babies’ names. The Social Security Administration also releases an annual list of most popular names based on actual births, but the federal agency’s updated list won’t be released until 2024.

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