OK, we’re probably just one day away from the biggest day in the naming community – the U.S. annual baby name data release! Each year, the Social Security Administration releases American baby name popularity lists just in time for Mothers’ Day. The Top 10 (and especially the #1) names get the most hype and news attention, and with good reason: these are the names you’re most likely to encounter on the playground or preschool class. These are the names that are popular across the country, mostly independent of regional preferences. They, along with the rest of the Top 100 most popular names, set the tone for American baby naming across the board.
For name nerds, Baby Name Release Day is our big holiday, akin to running downstairs on Christmas morning to open a giant mound of presents left by Santa. We eagerly anticipate this date all year long and spend the weekend pouring over data, looking for trends and intriguing new names. We’re not *only* interested in the Top 10 or Top 100. Since the SSA actually releases the Top 1000, we’re excited to see what names are newly popular or unexpectedly trending. We may also mourn the growing or shrinking popularity of favorite names, while gleefully cackling when names we secretly hate take a tumble. Meanwhile, how many of our predictions came true? Name Release Day is the Super Bowl for geeks. To parents, this is the chance to check their favorite names and decide whether popularity or rarity will change choices.
This year, I’m rather late to posting my predictions. I got married less than a month ago (!!!) and until about a week or two ago, I could barely even think about names. Ultimately, it was a beautiful wedding and more perfect than we ever could have imagined. Now that the stressful planning is over and I’ve had a chance to relax…it’s back to the names, just in time for one of my favorite days of the year!
So, without further ado, here are my predictions for tomorrow!
Top 10 Predictions for 2023:
- Olivia (0)
- Charlotte (+1)
- Emma (-1)
- Amelia (0)
- Isabella (+1)
- Sophia (-1)
- Evelyn (+2)
- Luna (+2)
- Ava (-2)
- Violet (+10)
Charlotte and Violet are both Bridgerton names, and 2023 saw a major Netflix spin-off for Queen Charlotte. Admittedly Violet is a dark horse candidate since she ranked #20 in 2022 but she ranked #35 in 2021, and frankly, I’m hearing this one everywhere. It’s a fast riser, and floral names are in this decade! I do think Olivia will stay at #1, though it may be her last year before Charlotte becomes the new “it” name for girls. Further down the line, I expect Luna or Violet will eventually peak at #1. If my 2023 predictions come true, Mia will fall out of the Top 10. Violet may be wishful thinking for 2023, but if not this year, then maybe 2024 or 2025.
As for the boys’ Top 10, I personally expect the following:
- Liam (0)
- Noah (0)
- Oliver (0)
- James (0)
- Theodore (+5)
- Elijah (-1)
- Henry (0)
- William (-2)
- Mateo (+2)
- Sebastian (+3)
The current popular boys’ names are steady, and I don’t see Liam dropping out of the #1 spot anytime soon. The biggest gainers near the Top 10 in 2022 were Theodore (which kept its rank of 10 from 2021 but saw a large increase in raw numbers), Mateo, and Sebastian; hence, I’ve included all three in my predictions. In this scenario, Lucas and Benjamin would leave the Top 10. I do think Levi is a back-up contender for the Top 10 as well, since he’s also recently seen some gains. Considering the trendiest boys’ names in the Top 30, Leo, Ezra, and maybe Luca are potential dark horse candidates.
What about the Top 100? I have my eyes on the following names for entry into the Top 100:
- Girls: Maeve, Lyla, Juniper, Millie, Freya
- Boys: Thiago, August, Amir, Enzo, Atlas
Today’s trendiest girls’ names are often distinctly feminine (i.e. Lyla and Freya), vintage (Millie), mythological (Freya), and/or nature-based (Juniper). My predicted boys’ names are international (Thiago, Amir, and Enzo), vintage (August), and mythological (Atlas). Atlas is additionally a character in It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, and Amir taps into a wider (albeit waning) trend towards royalty and title names like Reign and King (Amir means “prince” in Arabic).
The ones I expect will leave the Top 100 are:
- Girls: Serenity, Nevaeh, Skylar, Bella, Aubrey
- Boys: Nicholas, Greyson, Colton, Landon, Jeremiah
Most of those have a vibe from 10-20 years ago.
Then there are the Top 1000 predictions, which are the most fun for me. They’re definitely the hardest to predict though! So much depends on trends, but there are always pop culture wildcards nobody expects. Here are some names I have my eye on this year.
- Girls: Agnes, Ailany, Amyra, Arden, Arisbeth, Arizbeth, Ayra, Beverly, Colbie, Darcy, Eleanora, Elouise, Elowen, Essence, Evelina, Etta, Indy, Lettie, Maelynn, Mazie, Memphis, Miller, Ruthie, Solana, Tallulah, Tilly, Viola, Violette, Winifred, Wrenleigh, Xena, Yuna, Yusra
- Boys: Aizen, Aspen, Beck, Blaise, Boaz, Brett, Campbell, Coen, Cristiano, Decker, Dereck, Dhruv, Gianluca, Gus, Hollis, Jahmir, Jireh, Laith, Lev, Link, Mariano, Massimo, Mike, Ollie, Rishi, Rowdy, Shai, Teddy, Tiago, Veer, Wren, Zabdiel
This year I’m not going to predict exits from the Top 1000. When you get that far down the charts, anything can happen! I’m sure there are a few names I haven’t even considered that will teeter back and forth for a couple years.
Do you have any name predictions? Check back tomorrow to see which names make the cut!
The Well-Informed Namer 
One thought on “Baby Name Predictions for the New 2023 U.S. Popularity Charts”