BURST(NEXSTAR) – There were lots of Liams and Olivias born last year — but there were far more in Colorado and Florida than there were in Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Liam and Olivia were the two most popular names nationally, but that trend didn't hold true in all 50 states. Each U.S. state had its own trendy and popular names in 2024, according to new data released by the Social Security Administration, which tracks every birth in the U.S.
In California, for example, every single girl's name in the top 10 ends with an A. The Golden State's 10 most popular names include some that are more under-the-radar nationally, like Gianna (for a girl) and Santiago (for a boy).
In Alabama, old-school classic names like William, John and James dominate for boys. Meanwhile in Hawaii, Kai and Kaia both ranked very high, but are pretty rare in other states.
Nova is ultra-trendy in Georgia (No. 11 among all girls born last year), but less common nationwide (No. 39 in 2024).
The 10 most popular baby names in the U.S. are in the chart below. To find the most popular names in your state last year, you can use the Social Security Administration's lookup tool.
| Rank | Male name | Female name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam | Olivia |
| 2 | Noah | Emma |
| 3 | Oliver | Amelia |
| 4 | Theodore | Charlotte |
| 5 | James | Mia |
| 6 | Henry | Sophia |
| 7 | Mateo | Isabella |
| 8 | Elijah | Evelyn |
| 9 | Lucas | Ava |
| 10 | William | Sofia |
The government agency also tracks which names are experiencing rapid rises in popularity, even if they’re still outside the top 20. Truce, Colsen and Bryer rose most in the ranks for baby boys over the past year, while Ailany, Aylani and Marjorie had huge jumps for girls.