These are most popular baby names of 2022: Social Security Administration
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(NEXSTAR) — Ten years ago, the most popular baby names were Jacob and Sophia, according to the Social Security Administration. That wasn’t the case in 2022.
New data from the federal agency shows Liam and Olivia were the most popular names of last year — not much of a surprise, considering Liam had been the most popular since 2017 while Olivia had held the top spot since 2019.
In 2021, the only new name to enter the ranks of the top 10 — for either boys or girls — was Theodore, ranking as the 10th most popular boys’ name.
This year, the only new name to crack the top 10 was Luna, replacing Harper as 10th most popular.
The ten most popular baby names of 2022, as recorded by the Social Security Administration, are below.
| Boys | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1. Liam | 1. Olivia |
| 2. Noah | 2. Emma |
| 3. Oliver | 3. Charlotte |
| 4. James | 4. Amelia |
| 5. Elijah | 5. Sophia |
| 6. William | 6. Isabella |
| 7. Henry | 7. Ava |
| 8. Lucas | 8. Mia |
| 9. Benjamin | 9. Evelyn |
| 10. Theodore | 10. Luna |
The aforementioned Jacob and Sophia? In 2021, Jacob ranked 24th while Sophia sat in 6th. In 2022, Jacob fell a bit further to 32nd, while Sophia climbed to 5th.
What to see how popular your name — or the name you’re considering for your baby — is? The Social Security Administration’s database has records dating as far back as 1880.
The top names that year were John and Mary. As of 2022, Mary was the 136th most common name, while John only fell to 26th.
Mary holds the longest consecutive record of being the most popular name for girls, starting in 1880 and running until 1947, when Linda took the top spot. Mary briefly regained its throne in 1953, only to lose it again to Lisa. Michael, meanwhile, was the most common boy’s name from 1961 to 1998, being replaced by Jacob.
It’s also important to note that the Social Security Administration doesn’t combine names with different spellings when it produces its list. For example, Sophia is ranked as the 5th most popular girls’ name, while Sofia is the 13th.
The SSA’s website also allows users to explore how common — or uncommon — a specific name is within a state. For example, William and Olivia were Alabama’s most popular names in 2021, while Oliver and Evelyn were most common in Oregon.