Popular Names by State

Popular names by state sometimes conform to the official list of popular names in the US but may also be quite different. There are 18 combinations of the Number 1 girl and boy names by state, as detailed on the map above.

Looking at the top names by state can also offer insight into regional baby name trends. Olivia + Oliver is primarily a Pacific Northwest combination, for instance, while Charlotte + Oliver dominates the Midwest. Olivia + Liam has a lot of fans in the South.

States in the Southeast are most likely to have uncommon combinations of Number 1 girl and boy names vs the rest of the country. Northeastern states are most likely to feature Number 1 baby names that are different from those in neighboring states.

The Number 1 girl name in the US in 2024 was Olivia, which also ranks at the top of the popular names lists in big states like Texas, Florida, and Illinois.

But South Dakota and Kentucky put Amelia at the top of their lists of popular girl names, while Emma is the most popular girl name in Wyoming. And Montana has Lainey at the top of their girls' names popularity lists.

On the boys' side, Liam still reigns as the Number 1 boy name in the US. But William is Number 1 in Alabama and Mississippi, and Theodore rules in New Hampshire.

Looking at popular baby names by state can also be a window into unique names that are much more popular in one state than any other. Maverick is popular in West Virginia, for instance, while Kaia and Ezra rank highly in Hawaii. North Dakota features Kai in its Top 5 boy names, while Vermont puts Lucy in its Top 5 for girls.

Click through on the individual state names to find out the Top 1000 baby names by state in 2024.

For popular names lists in the US and from around the world, visit our main Popular Names page. You might also want to browse Nameberry's real-time list of Popular Girl Names and Nameberry's Popular Boy Names.