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From Aria to Ezekiel, the Top Names in Every US State

September 4, 2020 namerology 2 Comments

From Aria to Ezekiel, the Top Names in Every US State

September 4, 2020 Namerology 2 Comments
US map showing a few names popular in different locales

It turns out that there is something all of America agrees on. We agree on girls’ names, more or less. The national #1 name, Olivia, ranks among the top 5 girls’ names in all 50 states. In fact, just 14 different names account for the full girls’ top 5 in all 50 states. The biggest outliers are Lucy and Willow, and can you even guess where those names are most popular? (Answer: Utah for Lucy, and Wyoming for Willow.)

On the boys’ side, things look different. No name makes the top 5 in all states, and it takes a 30 different names to cover the boys’ top five from coast to coast. Compare individual states’ favorites and you’ll find plenty of local color. The top five boys’ names in New Mexico include Mateo, Elijah and Ezekiel. In South Dakota, Wyatt, Asher and Lincoln. In New Jersey, Lucas, Joseph and Matthew. Usually you have to look beyond the top of the charts to get that kind of contrast.

This gender difference is a dramatic reversal from the days when girls’ names swept in and out of style while timeless classics continued to dominate the boys’ charts. Today, names are style statements for both sexes, and consensus on boys’ names is an increasingly distant memory.

Find your own state, and perhaps your own style, in these state-by-state charts of the top five for boys and girls.

TOP BOYS’ NAMES BY STATE
STATE#1#2#3#4#5
AlabamaWilliamJamesJohnElijahNoah
AlaskaLiamOliverHenryJamesNoah
ArizonaLiamNoahSebastianElijahMateo
ArkansasWilliamNoahElijahLiamOliver
CaliforniaNoahLiamMateoSebastianEthan
ColoradoLiamOliverNoahWilliamHenry
ConnecticutLiamNoahMasonLucasJames
DelawareNoahLiamBenjaminMasonColton
FloridaLiamNoahElijahLucasAlexander
GeorgiaLiamWilliamNoahElijahJames
HawaiiNoahLiamMasonElijahEzekiel
IdahoOliverLiamHenryWilliamBenjamin
IllinoisNoahLiamBenjaminOliverAlexander
IndianaLiamOliverNoahElijahBenjamin
IowaOliverLiamHenryWilliamLincoln
KansasLiamOliverHenryNoahJames
KentuckyLiamWilliamElijahNoahJames
LouisianaNoahElijahLiamJamesWilliam
MaineOliverWilliamOwenHenryLiam
MarylandLiamNoahJamesJacobBenjamin
MassachusettsBenjaminNoahLiamWilliamLucas
MichiganNoahLiamOliverElijahHenry
MinnesotaHenryOliverWilliamTheodoreLiam
MississippiWilliamNoahJamesElijahJohn
MissouriLiamOliverWilliamHenryElijah
MontanaOliverHenryJamesWilliamOwen
NebraskaOliverLiamHenryWilliamBenjamin
NevadaLiamNoahOliverSebastianAlexander
New HampshireBenjaminLiamOwenOliverHenry
New JerseyLiamNoahLucasJosephMatthew
New MexicoLiamNoahMateoElijahEzekiel
New YorkLiamNoahLucasJacobMichael
North CarolinaLiamNoahWilliamJamesElijah
North DakotaLiamOwenOliverHenryWilliam
OhioLiamOliverNoahWilliamJames
OklahomaLiamNoahOliverElijahWilliam
OregonOliverLiamHenryBenjaminNoah
PennsylvaniaLiamNoahBenjaminLucasMason
Rhode IslandNoahLucasJulianLiamOliver
South CarolinaWilliamNoahLiamJamesElijah
South DakotaLiamOliverWyattAsherLincoln
TennesseeWilliamLiamNoahElijahJames
TexasLiamNoahMateoElijahSebastian
UtahOliverLiamWilliamHenryJack
VermontOliverHenryLiamOwenWyatt
VirginiaLiamWilliamNoahJamesLucas
WashingtonLiamOliverNoahBenjaminHenry
West VirginiaLiamCarterMasonEastonOliver
WisconsinOliverLiamHenryOwenNoah
WyomingLiamOliverHenryAsherWilliam
TOP GIRLS’ NAMES BY STATE
STATE#1#2#3#4#5
AlabamaAvaOliviaEmmaAmeliaHarper
AlaskaEmmaEvelynAmeliaAvaOlivia
ArizonaOliviaEmmaSophiaIsabellaMia
ArkansasOliviaAvaEmmaAmeliaHarper
CaliforniaOliviaEmmaMiaSophiaCamila
ColoradoCharlotteOliviaEmmaSophiaAva
ConnecticutOliviaEmmaCharlotteMiaSophia
DelawareEmmaOliviaCharlotteAvaSophia
FloridaEmmaIsabellaOliviaSophiaMia
GeorgiaAvaOliviaEmmaIsabellaCharlotte
HawaiiOliviaAvaEmmaAmeliaAria
IdahoEmmaOliviaCharlotteEvelynAmelia
IllinoisOliviaEmmaSophiaAvaCharlotte
IndianaOliviaAmeliaEmmaAvaCharlotte
IowaCharlotteEmmaEvelynHarperOlivia
KansasOliviaEmmaHarperCharlotteEvelyn
KentuckyAmeliaAvaEmmaHarperOlivia
LouisianaOliviaAvaAmeliaEmmaHarper
MaineCharlotteAmeliaOliviaAvaHarper
MarylandOliviaAvaSophiaEmmaCharlotte
MassachusettsOliviaCharlotteEmmaIsabellaSophia
MichiganOliviaCharlotteAmeliaAvaEmma
MinnesotaOliviaCharlotteEvelynEmmaAmelia
MississippiAvaOliviaEmmaAmeliaHarper
MissouriOliviaCharlotteAvaAmeliaEmma
MontanaEmmaHarperOliviaCharlotteAva
NebraskaOliviaEmmaCharlotteAmeliaHarper
NevadaSophiaEmmaMiaOliviaIsabella
New HampshireCharlotteOliviaAmeliaHarperEmma
New JerseyEmmaOliviaSophiaMiaIsabella
New MexicoAvaOliviaSophiaMiaIsabella
New YorkOliviaEmmaSophiaIsabellaMia
North CarolinaAvaOliviaEmmaAmeliaCharlotte
North DakotaAmeliaEvelynHarperEmmaOlivia
OhioOliviaAvaCharlotteEmmaHarper
OklahomaOliviaEmmaAvaHarperAmelia
OregonOliviaEmmaEvelynCharlotteHarper
PennsylvaniaOliviaEmmaAvaCharlotteHarper
Rhode IslandCharlotteOliviaSophiaAvaAmelia
South CarolinaOliviaAvaCharlotteAmeliaEmma
South DakotaEmmaHarperAvaCharlotteOlivia
TennesseeAvaOliviaHarperEmmaAmelia
TexasEmmaOliviaIsabellaMiaCamila
UtahOliviaEmmaCharlotteLucyEvelyn
VermontHarperAmeliaCharlotteEvelynOlivia
VirginiaAvaCharlotteOliviaEmmaSophia
WashingtonOliviaEmmaCharlotteAmeliaEvelyn
West VirginiaEmmaAmeliaHarperOliviaAva
WisconsinOliviaCharlotteEvelynEmmaHarper
WyomingCharlotteOliviaHarperEmmaWillow
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2 Comments

  • Kimberly September 5, 2020 at 5:43 pm

    It doesn’t surprise me that Lucy is especially popular in Utah, since members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) love to honor Lucy Mack Smith, the mother of our founder Joseph Smith, and we also love C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia. We also love to name baby girls Emma for Joseph Smith’s wife Emma Hale Smith. I seem to remember reading in another post here that Porter is also unusually popular in Utah, no doubt because of another early Mormon figure, Porter Rockwell. If you ever felt like doing one, it would be interesting to read a post on Mormon baby naming trends and the influences they have in areas with high concentrations of Mormons (Utah, Idaho, Arizona, etc.). There is a joke here that Utahns choose bizarre, “made-up” baby names with unusual spellings, each more “cutesy” than the last. Perhaps because parents here are so young? Or perhaps because birth rates are so high, so parents are really reaching for a unique choice? Anyway, it would be interesting to hear your take.

    • Kelly
      Kelly September 5, 2020 at 6:39 pm

      I’ve also been told that the “surname pool” in the Mormon community is relatively un-diverse, and thus another factor is that they get more creative with first names to compensate for the common last names.

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