You Won't Believe the MOST Popular Baby Names This Year
Curious about names? In this article, you'll discover:
- The most popular baby names of 2019 (so far)
- The most popular baby names of 2018
- How popular YOUR name is
- How to find out more about YOUR name
What's the very first birthday gift we receive? Our names!
Bestowed upon us by our parents as we enter the world, we carry our names forward for the rest of our lives. That's probably why so many expectant parents spend countless hours discussing what to name their child.
THE most popular names of 2019 (at least for the first three months of the year) were released this week by Nameberry, experts in all things related to baby naming.
Take a moment to guess what names were on the list.
Ready?
Drumroll please…
The Most Popular Baby Names of 2019
According to Nameberry, the most popular names of 2019 (so far) for girls are:
- Posie
- Isla
- Olivia
- Aurora
- Maeve
- Cora
- Amara
- Ada
- Amelia
- Charlotte
For boys, the most popular names for Jan 1-March 30th, 2019 are:
- Milo
- Jasper
- Atticus
- Theodore
- Asher
- Silas
- Jack
- Finn
- Henry
- Felix
Did this list leave you scratching your head? Me too!
Truth be told, I wasn't familiar with several of the names on the list.
Others like Theodore and Atticus sound…well…rather old-fashioned. The first Theodore that came to mind was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States who served from 1901-1909.
I've never met anyone named Atticus, and only learned it was a name when we had to read the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird as part of our high school English class.
Looking at the lists more closely, it's no surprise that many names landed there because of pop culture references.
Wondering how Milo topped the list of most popular boys names?
It's likely because of Milo Ventimiglia who has a leading role on the hit TV series This is Us. There's also a character named Milo in the video game Minecraft: StoryMode.
Since this list of names only reflects the first quarter of the year, it got me wondering...will they still be popular at the end of the year?
The Social Security Administration Knows Lots about Baby Names
Most people think of the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a government agency who regularly takes a bite out of our paychecks so that we can have something in retirement.
It turns out the SSA has an unbelievable amount of information on names as well!
This is because most parents apply to get their newborn a social security number even before leaving the hospital. (I can attest to this being a good idea...new parents who apply for SSNs while still in the hospital have a much lower risk of misplacing the form once they take their bundle of joy home.)
The Most Popular Baby Names of 2018
According to the SSA, the most popular names of 2018 for girls were:
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Sophia
- Charlotte
- Mia
- Amelia
- Harper
- Evelyn
As for boys, the most popular names of 2018 were:
- Liam
- Noah
- William
- James
- Oliver
- Benjamin
- Elijah
- Lucas
- Mason
- Logan
Wondering why there's not more overlap between the lists? (I was!)
The 2019 list captures how much interest is in a particular name based on visitors to Nameberry's website. The 2018 list was compiled by the SSA using ACTUAL names people gave their sons and daughters.
So are we destined to see many boys named Milo born this year or will that name end up on the cutting room floor? Tune in this time next year when the SSA releases the most popular names of 2019.
The Most Popular Names Change Over Time
Baby names are a lot like fashion trends--they change frequently! Think back to when you were grade school. What names were most common?
Now consider the names of your children, nieces and nephews. Not a lot of overlap!
The Most Popular Names of the 1960s
The most popular names given to girls born during the 1960's:
- Lisa
- Mary
- Susan
- Karen
- Kimberly
- Patricia
- Linda
- Donna
- Michelle
- Cynthia
As for boys born during the 1960's, these were the most popular names given:
- Michael
- David
- John
- James
- Robert
- Mark
- William
- Richard
- Thomas
- Jeffrey
When I was growing up, I was one of five Lisa's in my grade. It's not surprising I now realize: Lisa was THE most popular name given to girls born in the 1960's.
As it wasn't very hard to find two Lisa's together in the 1990's workplace, there were many times someone pointed to us and said, "Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam."
Nowadays? Good luck meeting a Lisa under the age of 40! In fact, if you compare the 10 most popular girl names of the 1960's to 2018, you won't find a single name that's on both lists.
As for the boys? There are two names that have stood the test of time: James and William. Both appear on the most popular baby names for the 1960's and 2018.
Curious about the most popular names of other decades? Click here.
Ever Wonder, "How Popular is My Name?"
Dale Carnegie once said,
“There is no sweeter sound to one’s ear than the sound of his name.”
If you've ever been in a crowded room, you may have witnessed this firsthand. There could be a half dozen conversations going on, but the minute someone says your name, you instantly turn your head in that direction.
Want to find out how popular YOUR name is? Just click here and you can search the SSA databases to find out.
If you're curious about the meaning of your name, what famous people share it and various pop culture reference, click here and enter your name.
No matter how popular or unpopular a name may be, it was given to us on the day we were born. Maybe our name is actually the very first birthday gift we receive.
