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The Most Popular Baby Names In Every State

The Most Popular Baby Names In Every State
Posted at 3:30 AM, Oct 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-20 22:44:31-04

Even before people decide they want to become parents, many have a secret list of potential baby names tucked away at the back of their mind. Whether they are names inspired by pop culture, tributes to important people in your life or simply ones that always sounded interesting, most people have thought about what they would name a kid — even if they have no interest in ever having one.

Every year, the U.S. Social Security Administration keeps track of the first names chosen by parents for their new babies in a database that reveals which ones are the most popular. Here’s a look at the top three names for both boys and girls born in every state, according to the most recent data.

Alabama

Boys:

  1. William
  2. James
  3. John

Girls:

  1. Ava
  2. Olivia
  3. Emma

Taking a look at the list of Alabama’s top baby boy names is like taking a look at some of the most traditional boy names of modern history. It’s the only state where William, James and John make up the top three and is also the only one in which John appears in the top three at all. Meanwhile, the picks that make up the top three girls’ names match up with the nation’s own top three, with the order slightly switched.

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Alaska

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Amelia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Olivia

Oliver has ranked among the top 20 most popular names for baby boys nationwide each year since 2015, according to the Social Security Administration, and was ranked third overall in 2020. Alaska was one of 17 states that saw it top its own list of names for boys in 2020. The other five that make up the state’s top picks are current standard-bearers as well, but names like Bodhi and Corbin also made the top 100 for boys in Alaska, despite being fairly uncommon in other states.

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Arizona

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Mateo

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Sophia

While the top picks can be pretty uniform across many states, Arizona was one of only three states that saw Mateo make the top three for boys and one of only five where Sophia made the top three for girls. Another one of those that loved Sophia was Arizona’s neighbor, New Mexico, which means there will be a lot of them growing up together in the deserts of the Southwest. Somewhat unique names that showed up among the top 100 lists in Arizona included Alaia, Amara and Cora for girls and Damian, Diego and Giovanni for boys.

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Arkansas

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. William
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Amelia

Parents across Arkansas did what many American parents did in 2020, as it was one of 23 states where Liam topped the list of popular names for baby boys and one of 29 where Olivia topped the girls’ list. However, several unique names appeared on the list of popular names for girls, including Ember, Magnolia and Paislee. Meanwhile, there are going to be a lot of men from Arkansas walking around with rugged-sounding names like Axel, Atlas, Beau and Levi in about 20 years, as each appeared in the top 100 for boys.

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California

Boys:

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Mateo

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Camila
  3. Emma

California was one of only two states where Camila cracked the top three for girls, with the other being Texas, which possibly coincides with the sizable Latino population in both of those states. The state also gave the world more than 7,000 boys named either Liam, Mateo or Noah, which is a fairly impressive statistic. Other Latino-origin names that populated the top 100 lists from California include Andres, Carlos, Jesus, Luna and Ximena.

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Colorado

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Oliver
  3. Noah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

The top three names for both boys and girls born in Colorado in 2020 nearly included all the same ones as the top names nationwide, with Charlotte being the only interloper. The names at the very top, however, Liam and Olivia, matched perfectly with the consensus of the majority of the nation’s parents. There were several unique names for girls that made the top 100 in Colorado, however, including Juniper, Kinsley and an appropriately local one, Aspen.

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Connecticut

Boys:

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Benjamin

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

Olivia appeared in the top five names for girls in all but one of the 50 states in 2020 and Connecticut was one of many where it topped the list. Names that inspire natural, tranquil thoughts were also popular there, including Autumn, Luna and Willow. Interestingly, despite the Hudson River not flowing directly through Connecticut, it was one of several states that saw the name Hudson climb into its top 100 for boys, a name which first climbed into the nationwide top 50 in 2019.

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Delaware

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Olivia
  3. Isabella

The name Elijah came in fourth overall in names for American boys in 2020 and Delaware was one of nine states where it was ranked among the top three for newborn boys. Oliver also made the top 10 for boys in Delaware, perhaps inspired by the legacy of the state’s famous inventor, Oliver Evans, but probably not. On the girls’ side, some fairly unique names popped up in Delaware’s top 100, including Jade, Logan and Nyla.

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Florida

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Lucas

Girls:

  1. Emma
  2. Olivia
  3. Isabella

If someone is going to carry the mantle of “Florida Man” in a few decades, it’s likely to be someone named Liam or Noah, as nearly 3,000 of them were born there in 2020. It was also one of just four states that saw Lucas included in its three most popular names for baby boys and one of four that had Isabella among its top three for girls. Parents in the Sunshine State additionally gave plenty of love to the back of the alphabet, with Xavier, Zion and Zoe (as well as Zoey) each making the top 100 lists for either boys or girls.

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Georgia

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. William

Girls:

  1. Ava
  2. Olivia
  3. Amelia

Perhaps surprisingly, the name Georgia did not make the list of the top 100 names for girls born in Georgia, but some other geographic names did. For example, Brooklyn, Charlotte, London and one local favorite, Savannah, did. What’s more, Scarlett made the list — with 170 little girls getting that name in 2020 — but Rhett didn’t make the cut for boys, dimming the chances of a real-life “Gone with the Wind” romance popping up down the line. Some unique names that did make the list for boys, however, include Angel, Kaiden and the ultra-epic Messiah.

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Hawaii

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Oliver

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Sophia
  3. Isabella

You probably expected some unique names to come from Hawaii, given its distinctive culture among the states. It was one of just four states where Isabella made the top three for girls but more decidedly Hawaiian names include Kaimana, Kainalu and Keanu for boys. It was also interesting that River cracked the lists for both boys and girls. Meanwhile, the two top names matched the top overall names for boys and girls nationwide.

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Idaho

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. William

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

When you think of Idaho, you’ve got to imagine untamed land and the Western spirit, which should make it no surprise that Colt, Stetson and Waylon each made the top 100 for boys there. While Liam and Oliver were once again tops, they were also the only two names that were given to more than 100 babies each in the entire state in 2020, regardless of sex. Popular girl names in Idaho that call to mind that outdoor spirit include Aspen, Aurora and River.

Illinois

Boys:

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Oliver

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Charlotte

Illinois was one of a whopping 12 states where Charlotte, Emma and Olivia made up the top three names for girls in 2020 and one of seven where Liam, Noah and Oliver made up the top three for boys. However, there were a few unique ones that cracked the top 100, including Leilani, Maeve and Valentina on the girls’ side. Illinois is also one of several states where Nevaeh (“Heaven” in reverse) has remained popular since reaching its apex in 2010.

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Indiana

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Olivia
  3. Emma

While longer names like Charlotte, Everleigh and Penelope each earned a spot in the top 100 for girls born in Indiana in 2020, there were some really short ones up there as well. In fact, three different three-letter names made the list, as those kids named Ava, Ivy and Mia will be in luck when it’s time to write their names on a million papers during school. The boys’ list also had three such names, with Eli, Ian and Leo each popping up dozens of times.

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Iowa

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Henry

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Evelyn

Speaking of easy-to-say names, monosyllabic ones were pretty popular among baby boys in Iowa in 2020. Beau, Jace, Jack, Knox, Lane, Luke, Nash and Rhett each made the top 100 there. On the girls’ side, meanwhile, Iowa was one of only three states in the nation where Evelyn made the top three. That name has steadily ranked inside the top 10 for baby girls nationwide every year since 2017, according to the Social Security Administration.

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Kansas

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Henry
  3. Oliver

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

While Amelia is a name that’s been flying high across America for about a decade now, it’s perhaps most fitting for girls from Kansas, as that’s where aviation icon Amelia Earhart was born. That name was among the top five most popular names for girls there in 2020. More unique ones that popped up on the lists in Kansas included Athena for girls and Adriel for boys. Each of those names has yet to rank in the top 100 nationwide but are creeping toward it.

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Kentucky

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. William
  3. Oliver

Girls:

  1. Amelia
  2. Olivia
  3. Ava

Another place that loves the name Amelia, Kentucky was one of four states that saw Amelia top its list of names for baby girls in 2020. We also noticed that ending a girl’s name with “-lynn” is very popular in Kentucky right now, as Adalynn, Gracelynn, Oaklynn and Raelynn each made the top 100 there. On the boys’ side, the name Asher outpaced its nationwide popularity among parents in Kentucky, as it ranked No. 14 in the commonwealth but No. 32 in America.

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Louisiana

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Elijah
  3. Noah

Girls:

  1. Ava
  2. Amelia
  3. Olivia

You’ve probably noticed that names you likely associated with older women when you were a kid have come roaring back in recent years and Louisiana offers proof of that. In that state, classic standbys like Alice, Mary and Stella each made the top 100 for newborn girls. Still, plenty of trendier ones made the lists there as well, including Jaxson and Legend for boys and Londyn and Nova for girls.

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Maine

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Henry
  3. Liam

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Harper
  3. Olivia

Maine was one of only three states where Harper made the top three for girl names. That name has ranked inside the top 20 girls’ names nationwide every year since 2013 but the parents in the Pine Tree State evidently like it even more than most. Keeping with the rugged beauty that Maine offers, the name Wilder cracked the top 100 names for boys, with 14 different babies getting that colorful name in 2020.

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Maryland

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. James

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Ava
  3. Emma

The names Ava, Emma and Olivia have been powerhouses in the past decade, with all of them occupying spots among the nation’s three favorite names for baby girls in every year since 2016. Maryland was one of four states where those three made up the entire top three across the state. The state’s parents also favored some names that have yet to catch fire nationwide, like Amari for boys and Journee and Zuri for girls, all of which made the top 100 lists in Maryland but have yet to crack America’s top 200.

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Massachusetts

Boys:

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Benjamin

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

When you think of Massachusetts, the beginnings of modern American government probably come to mind and that’s why it shouldn’t surprise you to see one of the names in the top three for boys there. The commonwealth was one of only three states where Benjamin ranked among the boys’ top three — although that classic name has been a mainstay in the nationwide top 10 since 2015. Also perhaps unsurprising was that the name Kennedy ranked among the top 100 for girls in Massachusetts, with 68 of them being born there in 2020.

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Michigan

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Noah
  3. Liam

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Amelia
  3. Olivia

After not even ranking inside the top 100 in the early 2000s, Charlotte exploded in the 2010s and ranked inside the nation’s top five names for girls for the first time ever in 2020. Michigan was one of eight states where that name topped the baby girls’ list that year. On the boys’ side, Rowan and Ryder were somewhat unique names that ranked among the most popular. Those names didn’t break into the top 100 nationwide in 2020 but did in Michigan, with more than 100 little guys getting each of those monickers.

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Minnesota

Boys:

  1. Henry
  2. Oliver
  3. Theodore

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

Maybe the new parents way up in Minnesota spend their days dreaming of warmer weather — at least that’s what you might think after seeing some of the most popular baby names there. On the girls’ side, the name June was in the top 100, while the name August made it on the boys’ side. Minnesota was also the only state where Henry topped the list of names for baby boys, although that old favorite has had a major resurgence in the last few years, popping into the top 10 nationwide in 2020.

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Mississippi

Boys:

  1. James
  2. William
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Ava
  2. Olivia
  3. Amelia

While the name John has dipped in popularity since the early 2000s, it still has a major presence in maternity wings across the Gulf Coast. The neighboring trio of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi were the only states where John ranked among the five most popular names for baby boys in 2020 (it’s also popular in the District of Columbia). On the girls’ side, geographic names seem to be having a moment, as Brooklyn, Georgia, Londyn and Paris each made the top 100 there.

Mother With Baby Working In Office At Home
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Missouri

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. William

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Amelia

The classroom attendance sheets across Missouri will be anything but drab in the coming years because parents of newborn girls opted for some colorful names in 2020. The names Hazel, Ruby, Scarlett and Violet each cracked the top 70 in the state, accounting for hundreds of children. On the boys’ side, the letter “X” made a solid showing, popping up in five names among the top 100, including Braxton, Jaxon and Xavier.

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Montana

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Henry
  3. William

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Olivia
  3. Evelyn

There were only three states that saw the recent riser Evelyn break into the top three names for baby girls in 2020 and Montana was one of them. That name has been in the nationwide top 10 every year since 2017, continuing a steady rise in popularity it’s had since 2000. Given that Montana is a small state in terms of population, it didn’t take many babies for a name to rank among its top 100 lists. For example, Oaklee, Opal and Wren each appeared in the top 100 for girls there although they only accounted for 29 babies combined.

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Nebraska

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Henry
  3. Liam

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Charlotte

The names you see as the six most popular across the sexes in Nebraska were the only ones that were given to at least 100 babies each in that state in 2020. One name that’s been climbing the nationwide ranks in recent years and has, unsurprisingly, done well in the state is Lincoln. That name, which also matches Nebraska’s capital city, was No. 39 on its list of boys’ names. Interestingly, the name Rowan appeared in the top 100 for both boys and girls there.

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Nevada

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Isabella

The name Isabella hasn’t ranked outside the top 10 names for baby girls nationwide since 2003 and it’s as popular as ever in Nevada. The state was one of only four in 2020 that ranked that name among its three most popular given to girls. Meanwhile, unique names have surged in popularity among boys in that state, with Gael, Kai and Luca, for example, being given to dozens of newborns.

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New Hampshire

Boys:

  1. Lucas
  2. Oliver
  3. Owen

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Olivia
  3. Amelia

They might sound like polar opposites but the names Easton and Weston have been climbing nationwide in the past few years and both appeared in New Hampshire’s top 100 for boys in 2020. In a funny bit of chance, each name was given to 20 baby boys during the year. New Hampshire was also the only state where Lucas ranked atop the list of popular names for boys. That name has ranked as the eighth most popular name for boys nationwide for the last three years running.

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New Jersey

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Lucas

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Sophia
  3. Emma

People like to think of New Jersey and New York as squabbling siblings but the parents in both of those neighboring states seem to be on the same page when it comes to naming their children. The top three names for both boys and girls were the same in New Jersey and New York in 2020, with only the order of the girls’ names being switched around slightly. A pair of names with Hebrew origin that haven’t even cracked the top 800 nationwide were both ranked among the 200 most popular names in the Garden State, with Rivka making the cut for girls and Yehuda making it for boys.

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New Mexico

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Ezekiel

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Sophia
  3. Emma

The name Ximena has yet to break into the top 100 nationwide but has been steadily trending toward that mark in the past decade. New Mexico was one of the few states that saw this name among its most popular in 2020. It’s reportedly a very popular name just south of the state’s border, where many Mexican girls carry it. For boys in New Mexico, the similarly Latino name Santiago has exploded in popularity, ranking sixth in the entire state for that sex.

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New York

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Lucas

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Sophia

In the year 2020, more than 3,500 total baby New Yorkers were named either Liam, Noah or Olivia, with each name breaking the 1,000-baby mark. More unique names that saw hundreds of uses each in the Empire State, meanwhile, were Maverick for boys and Chana for girls. Names inspired by Judaism and Islam also appeared on the top 100 lists in New York, with hundreds of boys being named Moshe, Chaim and Muhammad.

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North Carolina

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. William

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Ava
  3. Emma

The name Legend had barely broken into the nation’s top 1,000 a decade ago and came close to cracking the top 100 in 2020. That epic monicker was very popular in North Carolina, where more than 150 boys were given it in the past year, according to the Social Security Administration. More than 150 baby girls were given a similarly majestic name, with Serenity easily making the top 100 in the state.

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North Dakota

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Hudson

Girls:

  1. Amelia
  2. Olivia
  3. Ava

You’ll notice Hudson high on the list of boys’ names in North Dakota during 2020. It was the only state where that name ranked among the top five, let alone the top three, names for baby boys during the year. Another name that broke into the top five solely in North Dakota was Hazel on the girls’ side. Unique names that were among the 100 most popular in the state included Jace and Remington for boys and Berkley and Lennon for girls.

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Ohio

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Oliver
  3. Noah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Amelia

Ohio parents clearly love the name Jackson and all the possible ways one can spell it on a birth certificate. A whopping 397 baby boys were given that classic version of the name in 2020, while another 274 were named Jaxon and 213 more were named Jaxson. That means 884 baby Ohioans got some version of that name during the year! A similar thing happened with a name on the girls’ list there, with 190 babies being named Everly and 152 more being named Everleigh.

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Oklahoma

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Oliver
  3. Noah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Ava

If looking at this list makes you think the classic names you might remember from your own classmates are long gone, think again. In Oklahoma last year 100 baby boys were named Daniel and 100 baby girls were named Elizabeth, for example, showing some names never go out of style. This list closely resembles that of the top three for each sex nationwide. The parents of Oklahoma clearly had their fingers on the pulse of the nation in 2020!

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Oregon

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Henry

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Charlotte

Oregon is known as a haven for natural beauty and that’s why it’s so fitting that the name Freya broke into the top 100 for baby girls there in 2020. That’s the name of the Norse goddess of beauty, after all. Meanwhile, the name Ryker blew up for baby boys there, ranking among the top 100 despite barely making the top 150 nationwide. Either there are a lot of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fans that recently became parents in Oregon or that German-inspired name is simply taking off in general.

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Pennsylvania

Boys:

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Benjamin

Girls:

  1. Emma
  2. Olivia
  3. Charlotte

More than 230 years after his death, Benjamin Franklin would likely be thrilled to know his name is still among the most popular in the state to which he’s most closely tied. In total, nearly 1,900 boys were named either Benjamin, Liam or Noah in Pennsylvania in 2020, while more than 1,800 girls were named either Charlotte, Emma or Olivia. Other names forever linked with American government that cracked the top 100 there for either boys or girls were Jackson, Kennedy, Lincoln and Reagan.

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Rhode Island

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Jacob

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Charlotte
  3. Emma

Given the relatively small number of children born in Rhode Island every year, it took some names fewer than 10 total selections to land among the top 100 names in the state in 2020. At the top, it was the only state in the country that counted Jacob among its three most common names for baby boys, although that name was only used 58 times. But at the bottom are where some of the more unique picks appear, with uncommon names like Angelina, Margaret and Rosalie cracking the list despite only being given to nine baby girls each.

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South Carolina

Boys:

  1. William
  2. Noah
  3. James

Girls:

  1. Ava
  2. Olivia
  3. Charlotte

The name Nova for baby girls didn’t rank among the top 1,000 most popular names in America until 2011, according to the Social Security Administration, but it has started to rocket in the past few years. It broke into the top 50 nationwide for the first time in 2020 and South Carolina was one of the states where it was most popular. More than 100 newborns got that celestial name during the year, making it the 13th most popular pick for girls statewide.

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South Dakota

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Henry

Girls:

  1. Harper
  2. Charlotte
  3. Amelia

While virtually the entire country had apparently reached some kind of agreement that Olivia was the name to beat for girls in 2020, South Dakota had other ideas. It was one of only two states where that name didn’t make the top three for baby girls and was the only one in the entire country where it didn’t even make the top five. Instead, parents there vastly preferred Harper, with 47 babies getting that monicker. On the boys’ side, South Dakota was a bit iconoclastic as well, as it was the only state that had Maverick ranked inside its top five.

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Tennessee

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. William
  3. Elijah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Ava
  3. Amelia

The home of country music is proud of that label, which makes some of the most popular names for Tennessee babies no surprise. Names with strong links to country icons, like Brooks, John, Luke and Waylon, made the top 100 for boys, but we were frankly disappointed not to see options like Dolly, June or Reba among the top picks for girls. However, the name Paisley, another one that could be favored by honky-tonkers, was among the 15 most popular ones for girls in the state.

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Texas

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Mateo

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Camila

The name Austin has been a mainstay of the nationwide top 100 since 2000 but it wasn’t as common in Texas in 2020 as you might’ve wagered. Sure, 421 baby boys were given that name during the year but that was barely enough to rank it inside the top 90 names used across the state. It ranked well below trendier names like Ezra, Gael and Josiah, each of which were used more than 750 times. On the girls’ side, Texas was one of many states that saw the name Gianna boom during the year, with 981 babies getting that on their birth certificates.

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Utah

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. William
  3. Liam

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Charlotte

Utah parents favored some pretty unique names for the baby girls in 2020, according to the data. Sitting among the top 100 in the state were the names Indie and Navy, neither of which has broken into the top 600 baby girl names nationwide to this point. While you might’ve expected the name Joseph to soar among baby boys there, given the state’s deep ties to Mormonism, it didn’t even crack the top 50 there. This put the name below its nationwide pace, where it was ranked inside the top 30.

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Vermont

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Theodore
  3. Owen

Girls:

  1. Amelia
  2. Emma
  3. Olivia

While we were a little stunned to not see Bernard among the top 100 names for baby boys in Vermont in 2020, give it a few years and it’ll likely appear. The state did have some very unique names populate its lists, mostly due to the fact that a name only had to be used about six times to make the cut. For boys, Forrest, Otis and Paxton were some rare ones that were favored by Vermont parents, while those with girls tried out Averie, Maren and Phoenix.

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Virginia

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. William

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Olivia
  3. Ava

While the name Thomas has cooled slightly in popularity over the past decade, it outpaced its nationwide average in Virginia, the commonwealth closely tied to Thomas Jefferson. However, the third president may be disappointed to know that his name lags behind those of his contemporaries, like Alexander, Benjamin and John. Names that ruled for baby girls during the Colonial era and still rank among the top 100 in Virginia today include Abigail, Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah.

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Washington

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Noah

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Charlotte

The name Isla broke into the nationwide top 50 for baby girls for the first time in 2020 and parents in Washington were among its biggest fans. It cracked the top 25 there, being given to 146 different newborns during the year. Other recent nationwide risers on the girls’ side that got a boost in Washington were Athena, Emery and Remi. On the boys’ side, Emmett and Jasper were disproportionately more popular in the state than they were nationwide.

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West Virginia

Boys:

  1. Liam
  2. Elijah
  3. Mason

Girls:

  1. Harper
  2. Amelia
  3. Ava

West Virginia parents must’ve shared a mental link with those in South Dakota in 2020, as those were the only two states that ranked Harper atop their list of names for baby girls. The state was also one of just a few where Holden cracked the top 100 for little boys, leaving us to wonder how many fans of “The Catcher in the Rye” make their home there. Other names that were much more popular in West Virginia than they were nationwide were Brody, Cole and Hunter for boys and Finley, Gracelynn and Maci for girls.

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Wisconsin

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Henry

Girls:

  1. Charlotte
  2. Olivia
  3. Evelyn

We were a little disappointed to not see Aaron among the top 100 names for baby boys in the home state of the Green Bay Packers but we were relieved to at least see Vincent ranked at No. 65. Wisconsin was one of seven states that saw Theodore inside its top five for boys and one of eight where Charlotte was tops for the girls born there. In case you wondered, the name Madison is quite popular there, with 96 girls getting that name in 2020, enough for it to be ranked at No. 34.

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Wyoming

Boys:

  1. Oliver
  2. Liam
  3. Wyatt

Girls:

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Harper

You might find it interesting that the top name for both boys and girls born in Wyoming last year begin with the same three letters but that actually wasn’t so unique. It was one of eight states where Oliver and Olivia ruled both lists during 2020, which means the world could be in for many Oliver and Olivia weddings in a few decades. A bit quirkier is the fact that Wyatt ranked among the top three names for baby boys, as Wyoming is the only state where that was the case.

Adobe

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