Move over Liam. For the first time since 2019, a new boy’s name tops the list of the most popular baby monikers in America in 2023, according to BabyCenter’s annual list.
Noah claimed the No. 1 spot this year, bumping Liam, which reigned supreme for the last four years, to second place. Oliver rounded out the top three for boy’s names, the same spot it occupied on last year’s list.
Another noteworthy move in boy’s names in 2023: Ezra. Ranked the ninth most popular of the year, this marks the first time the name has ever been in the top 10.
For girls, it’s a repeat of last year, with Olivia, Emma and Amelia coming in as the top three, respectively. In fact, there were no new names on the girl’s top 10 list in 2023.
Will Texas parents’ picks match the rest of country? We won’t know for sure until early next year, when the Social Security Administration releases the official 2023 list, along with a state-by-state breakdown. But traditionally, Texas moms and dads have preferred slightly different names than the national picks: In 2022, Mateo was the third most popular boy’s name in Texas, and Camila, which wasn’t even in the top 10 nationwide, was the third most popular girl’s name in Texas.
BabyCenter’s end-of-the-year list, which draws insights from more than 300,000 babies born in 2023 to parents who are registered on the BabyCenter website, also looks at what’s trending with parents. Not surprisingly, pop culture continues to influence parents’ picks, with names linked to the Barbie movie (Greta, Margot, Barbara) rising in popularity this year. And the name Wednesday—a la the hit Netflix series—shot up a whopping 1,425 spots.
Monikers that are short and sweet were also on-trend. In 2023, three-letter names rose in popularity, with names including Teo, Koa and Jay jumping hundreds of spots. And many nicknames were more popular than full names—think Leo over Leonardo or Josie outranking Josephine.
But that wasn’t necessarily the case in the Dallas area, according to Nameberry.com, a naming website that tracks the most searched in 12 cities across the country. They found that Dallas parents searched for “proper” names like Eloise or Theodore over the shorter nicknames. And the city’s most-searched names—Luxury for girls and Silas for boys—were not in the national top 10.
Here’s how it all breaks down.
2023 Top 10 Baby Names in America
According to BabyCenter
BOYS
- Noah
- Liam
- Oliver
- Elijah
- Mateo
- Lucas
- Levi
- Leo
- Ezra
- Luca
GIRLS
- Olivia
- Emma
- Amelia
- Sophia
- Charlotte
- Ava
- Isabella
- Mia
- Luna
- Evelyn
2023 Top Searched Baby Names in Dallas
According to Nameberry
BOYS
- Silas
- Atticus
- Soren
- Theodore
- August
- Oliver
- Felix
- Arlo
- Cassius
- Ezra
GIRLS
- Luxury
- Maeve
- Eloise
- Aurelia
- Isla
- Aurora
- Evangeline
- Charlotte
- Luna
- Violette
RELATED: Top Baby Names of 2022
Top image: iStock
