Society

These are the most popular baby names by state for boys and girls

Baby name trends have shifted since 2000, with popular classics like Michael and Elizabeth making way for Liam, Noah, Emma and Evelyn.

Baby name trends have shifted since 2000, with popular classics like Michael and Elizabeth making way for Liam, Noah, Emma and Evelyn.
Andy Hall
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Times changes, tastes change - and over the years, the names we give to our children naturally shift in popularity and diversity. Once, newborn babies were named after elder family members - perhaps the head of the family, grandparents or ancestors. Today, popular culture plays a big role in the naming of babies.

Every year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of the most popular baby names based on the records received from new parents when applying for their child’s Social Security Number.

What’s in a name?

These records help track naming trends over time, revealing how certain names rise in popularity while others fade away. In this article, we will compare the most popular baby names from 2024 with those from 2000, and what the lists tell us about how naming trends have evolved.

Let’s take a look at the top five names for boys and girls in every US state during 2024.

Alabama

  • William    
  • John    
  • James    
  • Liam    
  • Noah

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia    
  • Amelia    
  • Elizabeth    
  • Emma

Alaska

  • Oliver
  • Theodore    
  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Henry    

 

  • Amelia    
  • Olivia    
  • Aurora    
  • Violet    
  • Emma    

Arizona

  • Liam        
  • Noah    
  • Mateo    
  • Oliver    
  • Santiago

 

  • Olivia
  • Emma    
  • Isabella    
  • Sophia    
  • Amelia

Arkansas

  • Liam        
  • Oliver    
  • Noah    
  • Elijah    
  • Asher    

 

  • Olivia
  • Amelia    
  • Emma
  • Charlotte
  • Harper        

California

  • Liam        
  • Noah    
  • Mateo    
  • Santiago    
  • Sebastian    

 

  • Mia
  • Olivia    
  • Camila    
  • Emma    
  • Sophia

Colorado

  • Liam    
  • Oliver    
  • Noah    
  • Henry    
  • Theodore

 

  • Olivia
  • Charlotte    
  • Emma
  • Amelia
  • Mia

Connecticut

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Oliver    
  • James    
  • Theodore    

 

  • Mia    
  • Olivia    
  • Charlotte    
  • Emma    
  • Amelia

Delaware

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Oliver    
  • James    
  • Elijah    

 

  • Charlotte    
  • Sophia    
  • Emma    
  • Isabella
  • Mia

Florida

  • Liam        
  • Noah    
  • Lucas    
  • Elijah    
  • Oliver    

 

  • Olivia
  • Emma    
  • Mia    
  • Isabella
  • Sophia

Georgia

  • Liam        
  • Noah    
  • James    
  • William    
  • Oliver    

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia    
  • Amelia    
  • Emma
  • Ava

Hawaii

  • Noah    
  • Elijah    
  • Ezra    
  • Liam    
  • Theodore

 

  • Olivia    
  • Emma    
  • Kaia    
  • Amelia    
  • Lily

Idaho

  • Oliver    
  • Henry    
  • Liam    
  • Theodore
  • James

 

  • Charlotte
  • Hazel    
  • Olivia    
  • Evelyn    
  • Amelia

Illinois

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Oliver    
  • Theodore    
  • Mateo

 

  • Olivia
  • Mia
  • Charlotte    
  • Sophia    
  • Emma

Indiana

  • Oliver    
  • Liam    
  • Theodore
  • Noah    
  • Henry    

 

  • Charlotte
  • Amelia
  • Sophia
  • Olivia
  • Emma

Iowa

  • Oliver    
  • Henry    
  • Liam    
  • Theodore    
  • Noah  

 

  • Charlotte
  • Amelia    
  • Evelyn    
  • Harper    
  • Olivia

Kansas

  • Oliver    
  • Theodore    
  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Henry

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia
  • Emma
  • Amelia
  • Sophia

Kentucky

  • Liam    
  • Oliver    
  • Waylon    
  • Noah    
  • Hudson

   

  • Charlotte    
  • Amelia    
  • Lainey    
  • Willow
  • Olivia

Louisiana

  • Liam    
  • Noah
  • Elijah    
  • John    
  • William    

 

  • Olivia    
  • Amelia    
  • Charlotte
  • Ava
  • Evelyn

Maine

  • Oliver    
  • Theodore
  • Henry
  • Jack
  • Owen

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia
  • Evelyn
  • Eleanor
  • Sophia

Maryland

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • James    
  • Oliver    
  • Lucas

 

  • Olivia
  • Charlotte
  • Emma
  • Sophia
  • Mia

Massachusetts

  • Noah    
  • Liam    
  • Oliver    
  • James    
  • Henry    

 

  • Olivia    
  • Charlotte    
  • Emma    
  • Sophia    
  • Amelia

Michigan

  • Noah    
  • Theodore    
  • Oliver    
  • Henry    
  • Liam

 

  • Charlotte    
  • Amelia
  • Olivia
  • Emma
  • Evelyn

Minnesota

  • Liam    
  • Henry    
  • Theodore    
  • Oliver    
  • Noah    

 

  • Charlotte
  • Evelyn
  • Olivia
  • Emma
  • Amelia    

Mississippi

  • William    
  • John
  • James    
  • Noah    
  • Liam    

 

  • Ava
  • Olivia
  • Amelia
  • Harper
  • Mary

Missouri

  • Oliver    
  • Henry    
  • Theodore    
  • Noah    
  • Liam  

 

  • Amelia
  • Charlotte
  • Olivia
  • Eleanor
  • Evelyn

Montana

  • Oliver    
  • James    
  • Theodore    
  • Hudson    
  • William    

 

  • Lainey    
  • Charlotte
  • Olivia
  • Eleanor
  • Evelyn

Nebraska

  • Oliver    
  • Theodore    
  • Henry    
  • Liam    
  • Noah    

 

  • Charlotte    
  • Evelyn    
  • Amelia    
  • Harper    
  • Olivia

Nevada

  • Liam    
  • Mateo    
  • Noah    
  • Sebastian    
  • Santiago    

 

  • Olivia    
  • Isabella
  • Sophia    
  • Mia    
  • Camila    

New Hampshire

  • Theodore    
  • Oliver    
  • Henry    
  • Noah    
  • James    

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia
  • Amelia
  • Evelyn
  • Sophia

New Jersey

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Lucas    
  • Joseph    
  • Michael    

 

  • Mia    
  • Sophia    
  • Emma    
  • Olivia    
  • Charlotte

New Mexico

  • Noah    
  • Mateo    
  • Ezekiel    
  • Liam
  • Santiago    

 

  • Mia
  • Camila
  • Emma
  • Sophia
  • Olivia

New York

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Lucas    
  • Ethan    
  • Joseph    

 

  • Mia
  • Emma
  • Sophia
  • Olivia
  • Isabella

North Carolina

  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Oliver    
  • William    
  • James    

 

  • Olivia    
  • Amelia
  • Emma
  • Charlotte
  • Sophia

North Dakota

  • Oliver    
  • Henry    
  • Theodore    
  • Brooks    
  • Liam    

 

  • Evelyn    
  • Amelia    
  • Lainey    
  • Aurora    
  • Ivy

Ohio

  • Oliver    
  • Noah
  • Theodore
  • Liam    
  • Henry

 

  • Charlotte
  • Amelia    
  • Olivia    
  • Evelyn    
  • Sophia

Oklahoma

  • Liam    
  • Oliver    
  • Noah    
  • Elijah
  • Theodore

 

  • Olivia    
  • Amelia    
  • Charlotte
  • Evelyn
  • Emma

Oregon

  • Oliver
  • Liam
  • Theodore
  • Noah
  • Henry

 

  • Olivia
  • Amelia
  • Charlotte
  • Emma
  • Sophia

Pennsylvania

  • Noah    
  • Liam    
  • Oliver    
  • Theodore    
  • Henry    

 

  • Olivia
  • Charlotte
  • Emma
  • Sophia
  • Amelia

Rhode Island

  • Liam
  • Noah
  • Lucas
  • Henry
  • Oliver

 

  • Charlotte
  • Mia
  • Emma
  • Amelia
  • Olivia

South Carolina

  • Noah
  • Liam    
  • William    
  • James    
  • Oliver    

 

  • Charlotte
  • Amelia
  • Olivia
  • Emma    
  • Ava

South Dakota

  • Liam
  • Oliver    
  • Henry
  • Theodor    
  • Asher

 

  • Amelia
  • Charlotte
  • Lainey
  • Harper
  • Olivia

Tennessee

  • Liam
  • Oliver
  • William
  • Noah
  • James

 

  • Amelia
  • Charlotte
  • Olivia    
  • Evelyn
  • Emma

Texas

  • Liam
  • Noah    
  • Mateo    
  • Santiago
  • Sebastian 

 

  • Olivia
  • Emma
  • Mia
  • Camila
  • Isabella

Utah

  • Oliver
  • Liam
  • Henry
  • William
  • Jack

 

  • Olivia
  • Charlotte
  • Emma
  • Amelia
  • Evelyn

Vermont

  • Oliver
  • Henry
  • Theodore
  • Noah
  • Owen

 

  • Amelia
  • Charlotte
  • Harper
  • Lucy
  • Violet

Virginia

  • Liam
  • Noah
  • James    
  • William    
  • Oliver    

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia
  • Sophia
  • Emma
  • Amelia

Washington

  • Oliver    
  • Liam    
  • Noah    
  • Theodore
  • Henry    

 

  • Olivia
  • Charlotte
  • Amelia
  • Emma
  • Evelyn

West Virginia

  • Oliver
  • Waylon
  • Maverick    
  • Hudson    
  • Liam    

 

  • Amelia
  • Lainey
  • Olivia
  • Willow
  • Charlotte

Wisconsin

  • Oliver    
  • Henry
  • Liam    
  • Theodore
  • Noah

 

  • Charlotte
  • Olivia    
  • Evelyn
  • Amelia
  • Emma


Wyoming

  • Oliver
  • Hudson    
  • James    
  • Theodore    
  • William    

 

  • Emma
  • Harper
  • Hazel
  • Charlotte
  • Eleanor    

How names have changed in the United States over the past 35 years

The results give us some indication about how trends have changed over time. For example, in 1990, the five most popular name given to boys in California were: Michael, Christopher, Daniel, David and Jose - none of which feature in the top 10 of last year’s ranking. In 2024, Daniel ranked highest in 17th, followed by Michael (25th), David (32nd) and Jose (53rd), while it seems Christopher is no longer a popular name having dropped way down the order to 70th.

The change in popularity is even more noticeable with girls’ names. In 1990, the most popular girls’ names in California, in order, were: Jessica, Ashley, Stephanie, Amanda and Jennifer - none of which appeared in the top 100 in 2024, with Mia, Olivia, Camila, Emma and Sophia currently holding the top positions.

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