Introducing the brand-new ranking of the most popular baby names in the USA:

For the first time since 2014, America has a new name queen. Olivia has been a top-10 favorite since the turn of the millennium and ran #2 to Emma for the past five years straight. On the boys’ side, Liam retains the crown for the third straight year. Olivia’s rise puts the US in sync with England and Wales, where the matched pair Olivia and Oliver top the charts. Notably, Oliver also jumped from #5 to #3 for US boys.

The only newcomer to either top 10 list is Ethan, returning to the list after a two-year absence.

Much more name news to come, including the fastest rising and falling names of the year, a full listing of the top 1500 names (with last year’s rankings for comparison), and all kinds of surprises and discoveries. I’ll also be posting interesting finds on Twitter: follow @NamerologyTalk.

Special note: These new 2019 name stats represent a pre-pandemic America. Seldom has “last year” seemed so long ago. If you’re curious how baby names will change in COVID-scarred 2020, read more about “Naming in Hard Times.”