Liam and Olivia topped the Social Security Administration’s list of most popular names for U.S. babies in 2021.
This marks Liam’s fifth consecutive turn at the top; Olivia’s been the most popular girl’s name for three years,
There aren’t many surprises on the lists of girl names and boy names, which have favored fairly traditional names in recent years. And though the order has shuffled a bit, Theodore’s the only new name to join a list in 2021, after Alexander dropped from it.
The top 10 names for boys and girls in 2021 were”
- Liam and Olivia.
- Noah and Emma.
- Oliver and Charlotte.
- Elijah and Amelia.
- James and Ava.
- William and Sophia.
- Benjamin and Isabella.
- Lucas and Mia.
- Henry and Evelyn.
- Theodore and Harper.
But those weren’t the only names making news, according to the federal agency, which gets its data from applications for new Social Security cards when a baby is born.
The fastest-rising names reflect pop culture, the agency said. Amiri, Eliam, Colter, Ozzy and Loyal gained ground for boys, while Raya, Wrenly, Angelique, Vida and Emberlynn were rising star names for little girls.
You can check here to see how your name fared in 2021 or learn the most popular name the year you were born or how your name has done over time.
Mary was atop the list for the first 47 years of the 20th century, fell briefly to No. 2 and climbed back up for a total of 56 years as the top-ranking female name. In 2021, Mary was ranked 133, its lowest placement since 1900.
And here’s another bit of name trivia: It’s hard to beat William for consistency. The name ushered in at No. 2 in 1900, right behind John, and has never fallen below No. 20 since. John has dropped as low as No. 27.
Other names have felt the shifting winds of time and popular culture: Jennifer was No. 1 from 1970 to 1984 but last year settled in at No. 493. My own name, on the other hand, despite the heroic efforts of the Superman franchise, peaked in 1930 when it came in at No. 17 and then dropped off the list entirely in 1984.
Besides providing a great bit of trivia for the year, the Social Security also uses the lists’ popularity to encourage people to look up their own names and then create a “My Social Security” account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. Folks can use the account to track their earnings during their years of employment to help them get ready for retirement when the time comes.