Which names were most popular for babies in 2023?
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As principals across the country read off the names of new high schools grads in the early 2040s, you can expect to hear the names Liam and Olivia repeated a lot, with plenty of Noahs and Emmas sprinkled in.
Liam was the top name for newborn boys and Olivia the most popular for baby girls in 2023, based on applications for Social Security cards, according to the annual list compiled and released by the Social Security Administration’s Commissioner Martin O’Malley. Noah and Emma came in at No. 2.
Charlotte, Amelia and Sophia rounded out the top five girls’ names — identical to the 2022 list. The list didn’t change for boys either, with Oliver, James and Elijah also in the top five.
Olivia and Emma have been No. 1 and No. 2 consistently since 2019, after they switched places. Emma was No. 1 and Olivia No. 2 since 2014.
Liam and Noah have had a seven-year run as No. 1 and No. 2 for boys. For the three years before that, they were reversed.
In introducing the list, O’Malley noted that “Social Security is here for every American right from the start,” with the promise of dignity in retirement years or should one become disabled.
The entire top 10 for boys in 2023:
Liam.
Noah.
Oliver.
James.
Elijah.
Mateo.
Theodore.
Henry.
Lucas.
William.
For girls, the names that dominated were:
Olivia.
Emma.
Charlotte.
Amelia.
Sophia.
Mia.
Isabella.
Ava.
Evelyn.
Luna.
In 1924, when the list was first gathered, Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Betty and Margaret were the names most sported by baby girls. Boys that year were Robert, John, William, James and Charles.
States have different favorites
The Social Security Administration also breaks the names down by state to say what names were popular, year by year from 1960 to 2022. In Utah, for instance, the 2022 favorites were Oliver and Olivia, Liam and Emma, William and Charlotte, Henry and Amelia, and James and Evelyn. There is exactly zero overlap with the popular names in 1960, when David and Julie dominated, followed by Michael and Lori, Mark and Susan, Robert and Cindy, and John and Lisa.
In high-population California, 2022′s favorites were Liam and Olivia — sounds familiar, right? — Noah and Emma, Mateo and Camila, Sebastian and Mia, and Julian and Sophia. Back in 1960, David and Karen outnumbered Michael and Susan, John and Lisa, Robert and Mary, and Mark and Linda.
In Delaware, the least populated state, the 2022 winners were Liam and Sophia, Noah and Olivia, James and Charlotte, Michael and Ava, and William and Amelia. That’s a big change from 1960, as well, when David and Donna, Michael and Mary, John and Karen, Robert and Lisa, and James and Susan topped the lists.
Life for babies born in 2023
So what does life look like for Liam and Olivia — and, of course, the other babies born in 2023?
In a story about sticker shock and children by Good Housekeeping, Credit Karma said that parents can expect to pay between $16,227 and $18,262 a year to raise a child born in 2023, adjusting for inflation. That’s lower than the cost predicted by LendingTree, which set the average cost per year at $21,681, “taking into account rent, food, child care, clothing, transportation, health insurance premiums and state tax exemptions of credits.”
If your kid’s super active and wants to do lots of extracurriculars, the cost goes up.
Here’s to a long life. MacroTrends reported that the life expectancy overall for a baby born in 2023 was 79.25 years. This year, the CIA World Factbook says life expectancy has nudged up to 80.9 years overall, with 78.7 years for males and 83.1 years for females. Every group that tracks offers a slight variation, but the consensus is women tend to live a bit longer and people will get close to or pass their 80th year, on average.
