The Most Popular Baby Names by State

Choosing a baby name is a big deal. After all, it’s bound to become a significant part of their identity. But there are so many options to choose from. Need help narrowing them down? The Social Security Administration keeps tabs on which baby names are trending in popularity, year over year and state by state, so you can learn what names other parents in your area are picking for their kids. Here are the winners.

According to 2018 Social Security data (the most recent available), the most popular girl baby name nation-wide is Emma—the reigning winner since 2014—topping the list for 15 states. Ava and Olivia, each ranking first for 12 states, tied for second place. Other girl baby names that also came in first for certain states were Harper, Isabella, Evelyn, Amelia, Aurora and Charlotte.

For boy baby names, Liam was the clear winner, ranking first for 20 states. Olivier came in second, topping the list for 11 states, while Noah, the leading name in eight states, came in third. William, Benjamin, Henry, John, Grayson and Mason also ranked first in certain states.

Here, we’ve broken down the most popular baby names right now and in which states they’re taking the lead.

Popular Baby Names for Girls

Emma

Arizona
California Hawaii
Indiana
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia

Ava

Alabama
Arkansas
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
North Carolina
Ohio
South Carolina
Virginia

Olivia

Colorado
Connecticut
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Michigan
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Utah
Washington

Harper

Iowa
Montana
South Dakota
Vermont

Isabella

Florida
New Mexico

Evelyn

Minnesota
Wisconsin

Amelia

Rhode Island
Wyoming

Aurora

Alaska

Charlotte

Maine

Popular Baby Names for Boys

Liam

Arizona
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Kansas
Maryland
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Washington

Oliver

Alaska
Indiana
Iowa
Maine
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Oregon
Utah
Vermont
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Noah

Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Illinois
Louisiana
Michigan
New Mexico
North Carolina

William

Alabama
District of Columbia
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia

Benjamin

Massachusetts

Henry

Minnesota

John

Mississippi

Grayson

South Dakota

Mason

West Virginia

Updated October 2019

Plus, more from The Bump:

The 12 Hottest Baby Name Trends of the Year

Top Baby Names of the Century

Most Popular Baby Names of All Time