Top Baby Names in Michigan and Across the County Released
(Kurt Metzger, May 28, 2024)
Michigan – The Social Security Administration (SSA) releases a list of the top 1,000 most popular baby names to celebrate Mother’s Day each year. The agency began compiling the baby names list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880. SSA released the Top names by State on May 16. Parents apply for their child’s Social Security card when they are born, making the agency America’s top source for baby names.
The most popular baby names for 2023 are Liam and Olivia. It’s the fifth year in a row that the names took the top slot together. Liam has been first for seven consecutive years, with Noah in second place every year. Noah had been first between 2013 and 2016. Emma, which was most popular from 2014 – 2018, maintained second place for the fifth year in a row as well. Mateo was the only new name to join the top ten list this year, moving up from 11th place, replacing Benjamin. While there were a couple of changes in the ranks among the Top 10 female names, no new names entered the list.
I have created 2 charts – on for males and one for females – that show how Michigan parents compared to the national trends. The charts are arranged in order of the national ranking – 1 through 10 – with rankings for names that appear in the Michigan Top 10 but not national.
The major differences for Male naming are:
- Liam only ranks 5th in Michigan (vs 1) – Noah is #1
- James ranks 10th in Michigan (vs 4)
- Henry ranks 3rd in Michigan (vs 8)
- Mateo ranks 53rd in Michigan (vs 6)
- Lucas and William do not make Michigan Top 10
- Jack, Hudson and Levi don’t make U.S. Top 10
The major differences for Female naming are:
- Olivia only ranks 3rd in Michigan (vs 1) – Charlotte is #1
- Mia ranks 21st in Michigan (vs 6)
- Isabella ranks 12th in Michigan (vs 7)
- Luna ranks 24th in Michigan (vs 10)
- Harper, Eleanor and Nora don’t make U.S. Top 10
Anyone interested in child naming over time will find the Social Security Administration site (https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) a place to spend some time. One can trace a List of the nation’s Most Popular Names for any year after 1879, and state by state rankings for any year back to 1960. You can also select a name and track its popularity over time.
Have fun!
For more stories about the Census and other interesting numbers, visit the Data-Base Stories Archives on Oakland County Times. Thanks to Data Expert Kurt Metzger for this work!
