Baby Name Trends Are Changing

The Social Security Administration puts out a list of the most popular baby names in the country every year, and there really aren’t many surprising choices. The names at the top in recent years are familiar favorites including Liam, Olivia, Noah and Emma. But an analysis of the data reveals some interesting trends.

These are some unexpected baby name stats from the latest Social Security Administration data:

• Nova is more popular than Grace - There were 5,044 baby girls named Nova in the most recent list, making it the 39th most popular name. Grace was 40th as 5,002 newborns were given that name.
• Icelynn is one of the fastest-rising names for girls - Icelynn jumped 209 places from 2023 to 2024, landing at number 922.
• Maverick is more popular than Thomas - There were 6,615 baby boys and 85 girls named Maverick in 2024. It’s number 36 overall, three spots above Thomas, which is 39th with 6,576 baby boys given the name last year.
• Ezekiel is one of the top names for boys in one state - Names like Liam, Noah and Oliver that dominate on a national level also tend to dominate on the state level, but not always. Ezekiel, which is 54th in the country, is the third-most-popular name for newborn boys in New Mexico.
• Genesis is more popular than Sophie - In 2024, there were 3,574 baby girls named Sophie, landing the name at number 60. But there were 3,835 given the name Genesis, putting it at number 55 for girls.
• Truce is the fastest-rising boys name - It broke into the top 1,000 for the first time in 2024, moving 11,118 places from number 12,109 to 991.
• Messiah is more popular than Patrick - There were 1,734 boys named Messiah in 2024, making it the 203rd most popular name. Patrick is number 221 after 1,622 boys got the name.
• Khloe is more popular than Kimberly - Kimmy K may be a bigger social media star than her little sister Khloe, but the younger sibling’s name is more popular, at number 232, while Kimberly is 246.
• Honey is one of the fastest-rising names for girls - It jumped 236 spots in 2024 to number 935 after 282 newborn girls were named Honey in 2024.
• Halo is one of the fastest-rising names for boys - Halo broke into the top 1,000 for the first time in 2024, moving 466 spots from number 1,460 to 994.

Source: Huff Post