Popular Names by State

Popular names by state sometimes conform to the official list of popular names in the US but may also be quite different. There are 17 combinations of the Number 1 girl and boy names by state, as detailed on the map above.

Looking at the top names by state can also offer insight into regional baby name trends. Olivia + Oliver is primarily a Pacific Northwest combination, for instance, while Charlotte + Noah dominates the Northeast. Olivia + Liam has a lot of fans in the South.

States in the South are most likely to have uncommon combinations of Number 1 girl and boy names vs the rest of the country. Northeastern states are most likely to feature Number 1 baby names that are different from those in neighboring states.

The Number 1 girl name in the US in 2023 was Olivia, which also ranks at the top of the popular names lists in big states like California, Florida, and Illinois.

But North Dakota and Maine put Evelyn at the top of their lists of popular girl names, while Ava is the most popular girl name in Mississippi and South Dakota. And Hawaii has Isla at the top of their girls' names popularity lists.

On the boys' side, Liam still reigns as the Number 1 boy name in the US. But Theodore is Number 1 in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maine, and William rules in Alabama.

Looking at popular baby names by state can also be a window into unique names that are much more popular in one state than any other. Waylon is popular in West Virginia, for instance, while Hazel and Brooks rank highly in Montana. Hawaii features Kai in its Top 10 boy names, while New York puts Leah in its Top 10 for girls.

Click through on the individual state names to find out the Top 1000 baby names by state in 2023.

For popular names lists in the US and from around the world, visit our main Popular Names page. You might also want to browse Nameberry's real-time list of Popular Girl Names and Nameberry's Popular Boy Names.