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These Are Officially The Most Popular Baby Names For 2018, According To The SSA
If you had a baby in 2018, chances are you spent a ton of time obsessing over what you would call your new bundle of joy. I bet you even spent some time Googling popular baby names either to make sure your baby didn't grow up being one of twelve Ashley's in her grade (Yes, that was me — Thanks, mom and dad!) or to see what trendy name you might love. The top baby names of 2018 from the social security administration are ones that you probably found online on various websites while researching baby names, but just in case you are working on baby number two already and need some inspiration, take a look at which names the SSA says hold the top spots for last year.
At number one for the fifth year in a row for girls is Emma, which has held a spot in the top ten list since 2002. For boys, Liam reigns supreme for the second year in a row, followed by Noah as the second most popular boy name.
The entirety of the list breaks down as follows:
Girls:
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Sophia
- Charlotte
- Mia
- Amelia
- Harper
- Evelyn
Boys:
- Liam
- Noah
- William
- James
- Oliver
- Benjamin
- Elijah
- Lucas
- Mason
- Logan
According to the SSA website, the popularity of baby names for this list comes from data collected from the "first name" field on Social Security Card application forms.
While the names on this list from the SSA are comprised of popular names in the United States, the baby name influence from across the pond is clear. Charlotte is the name of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's daughter, and William is the name of the Duke himself. (Side note — I named my oldest William back in 2012, the same year Prince William and Kate Middleton had their first baby, because well, the Royals rock.) The baby name Liam has Irish roots, while Logan is of Scottish origin, according to Nameberry.
Because the overseas influence is already strong in the 2018 list, it will be interesting to see if Archie makes the cut next year after the birth of baby Sussex this year. The name ranked at 992 in 2018 according to the SSA's list.
If you're interested to learn how popular a baby name from 2018 was in your own state, the SSA website says that information will be available on their online 'Popular Names By State' page on May 16. This is a great tool to make sure your kid doesn't have the same name as every other kid in their class. (Lookin' at you parents of Emmas — you know!)
While the majority of the list doesn't show a huge difference in baby name trends from the previous year, names that fell out of the top 10 from 2017 to 2018 include Jacob for boys and Abigail for girls. Popular baby names on the SSA list tend to stay in the top 20 for multiple years, rotating in and out of the top 10, but you'll have to wait until this time next year to see if Jacob and Abigail can crack the top 10 once more or if Logan and Evelyn are here to stay.
