The *Real* Top Names of 2021
Olivia and Liam? Not exactly.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks around here, analyzing the brand new baby name data for 2021.
I’m very thankful for my thoughtful colleagues, who are always looking out for me and my favorite baby names:
With only 18 uses last year, Tilda is clearly a rare choice. But popularity can be more complicated than it seems. The Social Security Administration tells us that Olivia and Liam were the most popular names of 2021. But were they really?
Yes, with those spellings, Olivia and Liam were the top names across the entire US. But if we group names together that sound the same (such as Olivia and Alivia, for example), the results tell a different story.
Our annual Playground Analysis, courtesy of Nameberry friend Kelly Brady, does just that. If you’re a longtime Berry, you’ll know that in the entire ten-year history of Playground Analysis, only two names have ever ranked Number 1: Sophia and Jackson.
Sophia (and Sofia and Sofiya) is once again the most popular girl name of the year, but Jackson has been unseated! National Number 1 Liam takes the top spot for 2021 — an impressive feat for having only one alternative spelling (Lyam).
The Top Names in Each State 🇺🇸
Another way national popularity can be deceiving? The charts can look pretty different in each state. You’re more likely to meet a baby Evelyn or Henry in South Dakota, or Ava or William in Mississippi than the US charts would suggest.
Our maps show the most popular names in each state, and you can visit our blog for more information on year-to-year trends and unique names in states’ Top 5s.
What else is going on…
New list alert! Polynesian and South Sea Islander Names 🏝
The story of how a stylish minimalist couple chose streamlined Aden for their son in our latest installment of How I Named My Baby
I’m back with more Name Guru to the Stars videos! This week: Michelle Williams and Thomas Kail 👶🏼
A quote from Tressie McMillan Cottom on names, identity, and the white nationalist massacre in Buffalo