Liam and Olivia dominate 鈥� again 鈥� with top baby names for a sixth year in a row
May 9, 2025, 1:42 PM
Elizabeth Mahon, owner of the baby store Three Littles, prepared to install a new car seat for a customer who made the purchase ahead of tarriff-driven price increases, at the Union Market location in Washington, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Liam and Olivia dominate. Still.
The two names have, for a sixth year together, topped the list of names for babies born in the U.S. in 2024.
The Social Security Administration annually tracks the names given to girls and boys in each state, with names dating back to 1880. In time for Mother鈥檚 Day, the agency on Friday released the most popular names from applications for Social Security cards.
Liam has reigned for eight years in a row for boys, while Olivia has topped the girls鈥� list for six. Also, for the sixth consecutive year, Emma took the second slot for girls, and Noah for boys.
The girls鈥� name Luna slipped out of the Top 10 and was replaced by Sofia, which enters at number 10 for the first time.
After Liam, the most common names for boys are, in order: Noah, Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas and William.
After Olivia, the most common names for girls are Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, Isabella, Evelyn, Ava and Sofia.
Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of , a baby naming website, said the latest data showcases how American parents are increasingly choosing names that have cross-cultural appeal. Kihm’s first name shows up in two variations on the annual list.
鈥淎 trend we’re tracking is that Americans are more likely to choose heritage choices,” Kihm said, including names that work 鈥渘o matter where you are in the world.”
鈥滿ore families in the U.S. 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.”
The Social Security Administration鈥檚 latest data show that babies were born in the U.S. in 2024. That鈥檚 a slight increase from last year鈥檚 3.59 million babies, representing an overall increase in the American birthrate.
Social media stars and popular television shows are having some impact on the rising popularity of certain names, Social Security says.
Among those rising in popularity for girls: Ailany, a Hawaiian name that means 鈥渃hief,” topped the list. The boys鈥� name Truce, an Old English name meaning 鈥減eace,鈥� rose 11,118 spots from last year鈥檚 position to rank 991.
The complete, searchable is on the Social Security website.
__
