Top Baby Names 2023 Announced!

Updated Fri May 10 2024

Introducing the top baby names of 2023: Olivia and Liam (again)! Olivia has been the Number 1 girl name since 2019, while Liam has held the top spot since 2017.

The Top 5 names for both girls and boys have stayed constant this year, with more interesting shifts occurring lower in the Top 10.

The most popular baby names for 2023 in the US are calculated by the Social Security Administration.

There was only one new addition to the 2023 Top 10: Mateo, which rose 5 places and replaced classic Benjamin.

Spanish Mateo has been red-hot in recent years, having surpassed the Hebrew form Matthew for the first time in 2020. Mateo's cool -o ending, energetic sound, and international flair have finally boosted this name into the Top 10.

The other fast climber on the boy's side was Theodore, which rose 3 spots this year. With soft sounds, a vintage feel, and adorable nickname options — Theo and Teddy — Theodore has now passed previous classic staples Henry, Lucas, and William in popularity.

"Counted all together, Mateo, Theodore, and short form Theo were given to more than 26,000 baby boys, 33% more than were named Number 1 Liam," says Nameberry cofounder Pamela Redmond. "Look forward to a legion of little boys called Theo or Teo in the playground."

On the girl's side, short and sweet Mia rose two spots, climbing above Isabella and Ava. "Mia, which is a perfect cross-cultural name, makes an ideal honor name for all the grandmas and great-grandmas named Mary, Marie, Maria, and even Margaret," says Redmond.

Here are the new 2023 Top 10 baby names with their positions relative to last year:

Baby Girl Names 2023

1. Olivia =

2. Emma =

3. Charlotte =

4. Amelia =

5. Sophia =

6. Mia +2

7. Isabella -1

8. Ava -1

9. Evelyn =

10. Luna =

Baby Boy Names 2023

1. Liam =

2. Noah =

3. Oliver =

4. James =

5. Elijah =

6. Mateo +5

7. Theodore +3

8. Henry -1

9. Lucas -1

10. William -4

View the official list of top baby names of 2023 here.

Fastest-Rising Names of 2023

The fastest-rising name of 2023 was Kaeli, which rose a whopping 1,692 spots. While the original Kaylee spelling (and many of the other variants) are slowly falling out of favor, Kaeli is as trendy as ever this year — likely inspired by social media influencer Kaeli Mae.

The second fastest-rising girl name was Alitzel, a name that originates from the indigenous Mayan language. Alitzel is related to the Mayan goddess Itzel — also referred to as the "Rainbow Lady". Itzel has been a popular choice amongst modern Mexican parents, and it seems that Alitzel is now catching up fast.

The fastest-rising boy name was Izael, which rose 860 places. Izael is a name of unknown origin, but with indisputable style in today's naming world. Parents are loving that old-testament, angel-esque -ael ending, with Azrael, Mael, Yael, Azael, Mikael and several others featured amongst the fastest-rising boy names.

Chozen was the second fastest-rising boy name this year, rising 666 spots to now rank #813. Adventurous adjective baby names — likely propagated by the outlandish baby name choices of celebrity Nick Cannon — have been red-hot in recent years. While the spelling Chosen was amongst the fastest-rising boy names of 2022, this alternative spelling with a bonus zippy Z is now following suit.

Several names with the Ky or Kai sound had notable growth in 2023, with Kyren, Kaizen, and Kyaire amongst the Top 10 fastest-rising names for boys and Kya another of the fastest-rising girl names.

Fastest-Rising Baby Names 2023

Here are the rest of the fastest-rising names of the year, organized by category:

Fastest-Rising Celebrity Names

These are the names of celebrities, celebrity babies, and characters that have caught on in a big way with parents in 2023. Significant influences include Kardashian babies True and Tatum, hit Christian rock song Jireh, and the 2023 Barbie film — inspiring the name Barbara to rise 87 places.

Fastest-Rising Vintage Revival Names

Vintage names rising fastest on the 2023 list include these choices for girls and boys. Winifred, Violette, and Eleanora rejoined the Top 1000 for girls, while Palmer, Abner, Ephraim, Foster, Eliezer, Boaz, and Carl made the list again for boys.

Fastest-Rising Vintage Nicknames

Cute vintage nicknames vaulting up the popularity list include the following, many of them not heard for generations. Etta and Ruthie have rejoined the Top 1000 this year.

Fastest-Rising Nature Names

Nature names have been a huge trend for years now. 2023 welcomed Solana to the Top 1000 — a Spanish girl's name meaning "sunshine".

Fastest-Rising Place Names

Place names are red-hot, including beachy island names like Rhodes and Capri, sophisticated city names Florence and Milan, and cool modern choices like Zaire and Harlem.

Fastest-Rising International Names for Girls

Many fast-rising international girl names in the US are Spanish or Arabic in origin, as Hispanic, Latin American, and Muslim parents are more frequently opting for names with a heritage connection. Other top risers include Hindi Avani, Hebrew Chana, and Italian Galilea.

Fastest-Rising International Names for Boys

As with the girls, many fast-rising international names for boys have Spanish or Arabic roots. Hebrew boy names are also increasingly stylish, especially those ending in the letter L. Other fast-risers to watch include Japanese Kaizen, Dena'ina Native American Kenai, and Swahili Jabari.

Fastest-Falling Names of 2023

The fastest-falling girl name of 2023 was Addilynn, which dropped 374 spots and fell out of the US Top 1000. Names that shorten to Addie were everywhere in the 2010s, with numerous spelling variations of Addison and Adalynn filling up the charts. Like many names with multiple spellings, trendy inventions like Addilynn will naturally be the first and fastest to fall.

On a similar note, several variations of Madison and Madelyn — most dramatically Madisyn and Madilynn — also experienced significant drops this year.

The second fastest-falling girl name of the year was India, which has been receiving increasing amounts of attention and awareness for its controversial origins as a baby name that are tied to British colonialism in India. While India is losing favor, similar-sounding names Indie and Indy continue to rise fast.

The fastest-falling boy name of 2023 was Dior — which fell 384 spots — as in the designer fashion brand. Parents seem to be straying farther away from older luxury designer names, as Chanel was also one of the fastest-falling names on the girl's side.

The second fastest-falling boy name was Maxton, which had been riding the 2010s wave of Max names taking over the charts. While X was one of the coolest letters of that decade, it seems that today's parents are gravitating more towards names with a strong Z. Nixon, Jaxton, Brixton, and Axton all had significant drops as well.

"The fastest falling and rising names evidence broad baby naming trends," says Redmond. "Names that start with the Ad sound, fashion designer names, and X names are all heading out, while names that start with the Ky sound, contain or end with the letters -ael, and feature the letter Z are getting hotter."

See the full Top 1000 Baby Names US 2023.

About the Author

Brynn McKeon

Brynn McKeon joined the Nameberry team in August of 2022 as an editor, and has written about topics such as the Ultimate Guide to Goddess Names and Redefining Classic Names. As Head Moderator, she also oversees our active Nameberry forums community. Brynn also writes the daily Name of the Day newsletter.

Outside of Nameberry, Brynn lives in New York State with her dog Raven, where she is working towards her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. You can reach her at brynn@nameberry.com

View all of Brynn McKeon's articles