Top Baby Names in New York

The most popular baby names in New York over the course of 2023 have been revealed in newly released Social Security data, with a significant change in the rankings for the top baby girl names.

The top five boys’ names in New York in 2023 remain largely unchanged from a year earlier. Liam remains the most popular boys name, just ahead of Noah in second and Lucas in third. Liam has been the most popular boy’s name since 2015.

There are some notable changes to the remainder of the top five though, with David, which ranked ninth in 2022, climbing to fourth this time around.

Joseph, meanwhile, slipped one place to fifth with Jacob, which was New York’s most popular boy’s name back in 2014, dropping out of the top five entirely to place tenth in this year’s list. Other notable changes saw Benjamin and Ethan move out of the top 10 most popular boy names with more traditional favorites like Jack and James enjoying a resurgence to rank among the top names for kids in New York in 2023.

Outside of the top 10, the popularity of Luca as a baby name for boys continues to increase, with the moniker moving from 19th on the list for 2022 to 11th in 2023.

On the girls’ side, new moms and dads in New York have made a significant shift in 2023, with Emma replacing Olivia as the most popular baby girl’s name last year. Olivia had been the most popular baby girl name since 2019. While it slipped down to second, Sophia and Mia retained third and fourth, respectively, with Amelia replacing Charlotte in the top five.

Isabella remained the sixth most-popular baby girl’s name in 2023, having finished in the same position in 2022, with Charlotte dropping down to seventh and Ava slipping one place to eighth. Leah and Luna complete the top 10 for New York in ninth and 10th, respectively, having swapped places from 2022’s ranking.

Because every parent in America has to apply for a Social Security card when their child is born, the administration’s list represents the most reliable source for baby name data in the U.S.

A parent’s choice of name for their child might seem straightforward to some, but research suggests it could have a significant impact on their educational outcomes.

One study published in the journal Education, Finance and Policy, highlighted a possible link between boys with more gender-neutral names and increased behavioral problems at school and lower scores on academic tests.

The Top 20 most popular baby names for boys in New York, along with the number of girls born bearing each name, based on Social Security card applications in the U.S. last year, can be viewed below:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Lucas
4. David
5. Joseph
6. Oliver
7. James
8. Michael
9. Jack
10. Jacob
11. Luca
12. Ethan
13. Benjamin
14. Theodore
15. Leo
16. Matthew
17. Henry
18. Daniel
19. Dylan
20. Alexander

The 2023 Top 20 most popular names for baby girls in New York overall are:

1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Sophia
4. Mia
5. Amelia
6. Isabella
7. Charlotte
8. Ava
9. Leah
10. Luna
11. Sofia
12. Chloe
13. Zoe
14. Mila
15. Gianna
16. Ella
17. Evelyn
18. Madison
19. Emily
20. Scarlett

The most popular baby names for New York in 2023 reflect a wider trend of changes across the U.S. When it came to boy names, traditional monikers like Henry, Lucas and William experienced a slight decline nationwide, while names like Mateo and Theodore experienced rises in popularity.

Social media appeared to hold some sway. The name Eiden ranked among the fastest rising boy’s monikers on the list in a development attributed to TikTok creator Wyatt Eiden, who has racked up 1.6 billion views on the platform. Similarly, Chozen was the second-fastest rising boy’s name, moving to number 813 in 2023, in a move thought to be the result of the Netflix show, Cobra Kai.

Isabella saw a decline across the U.S. Dropping from sixth to seventh on the top 100 most popular girls’ names, while Ava slipped down to eight. Mia, meanwhile, moved in the opposite direction, going from eighth in 2022 to sixth in 2023.

Social media one again appeared to be an influence. Kaeli was the fastest-rising girl’s name in 2023, climbing 1,692 spots with the newfound popularity potentially the result of YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen (also known as Kaeli Mae).