The Most Popular Baby Names Right Now

When choosing a name for your baby, will you honor a family member, choose something simple or traditional, try a modern moniker, or embark upon new territory with something completely your own? Nowadays, parents are often using baby names to express their personal style or to set themselves apart from the crowd. This is especially true of celebrities.

There's no shortage of unique baby names. Earlier this spring Elon Musk and Grimes had a baby boy they claim to have named the perceptibly impronouncable X Æ A-12. Kate Winslet and Ned Rocknroll (he actually changed his last name back to its original, Smith) named their baby boy the unusual Bear Blaze. Forest and Keisha Nash Whitaker have children named Autumn, Sonnet, and True, while Cardi B and Offset gave their daughter the one-of-a-kind name of Kulture. And the Kardashians have practically made a name for themselves giving their offspring uncommon names like North, Saint, Chicago, Reign, and Stormi.

Such singular names are, of course, not for everyone. In fact, most people stick with tried and true names that have been around for decades, if not longer, which creates a reliable list of most popular names to consider. These names can change from year to year, but many stick around for a few years before being replaced by others.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Social Security Administration has yet to release the top baby names of 2019 and the full 2020 report also remains to be seen, but here’s what’s currently popular for boys and girls as well as gender neutral names.

Popular Baby Girl Names

• Emma
• Olivia
• Ava
• Isabella
• Sophia
• Charlotte
• Mia
• Amelia
• Harper
• Evelyn

Popular Names for Boys

• Liam
• Noah
• William
• James
• Oliver
• Benjamin
• Elijah
• Lucas
• Mason
• Logan

For New Yorkers, some of the most popular names in the state (beyond what’s in the top 10 for each gender) are Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Leah, Abigail, and Emily. And according to the SSA, the most popular names from the last 100 years are James, John, Robert, Michael, and William for males, and Mary, Patricia, Jennifer, Linda, and Elizabeth for females.