Noah and Olivia Top Names for CT Newborns in 2017; In US it was Liam and Emma

The most popular names for children born in the United States in 2017 were Liam for boys and Emma for girls. Connecticut, however, had different top choices, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. The state’s most popular names for newborns were Noah and Olivia. The top five female names in Connecticut in 2017 were Olivia (230), Emma (219), Ava (169), Mia (162) and Sophia (159). The leading names selected for boys were Noah (222), Liam (208), Logan (189) Jacob (187), and Michael (175).

Olivia and Noah were also the leading names selected for newborns in Connecticut in 2016; Noah also topped the list in 2015 in Connecticut, when the top female name was Sophia. In 2014, Olivia and Mason were the top choices in Connecticut. In 2013 it was Olivia and William; in 2012 Mason and Emma were most frequently selected.

Nationally, it was the first time that Liam was atop the list of popular male names, after Noah was number one for the previous four years, Jacob for the 14 years before that, and Michael every year from 1961 to 1998.

Among girls names selected across the country, Emma has been the most popular for the past four years, Sophia for the three years before that and Isabella for the previous two years. Emma also topped the list in 2008, after Emily had done so every year from 1996 through 2007. From 1970 through 1995, Jennifer led the list for 15 years, Jessica for 8 years and Ashley for two years.

Since 2010 nationally, the top boys names are Noah (145,195), Jacob (140,091), Mason (133,535), Liam (133,019) and William (131,241). The top girls names this decade are emma (158,573), Sophia (152,936), Olivia (147,486) Isabella (142,064) and Ava (125,937). Ranking at the bottom of the 200 most popular for boys are King, Jase, Maximus and Maverick, each chsen for more than 15,000 baby boys. At the bottom of the 200 most popular girls names since 2010 are Eliza, Angela, Athena and Leilani, each selected as the names for more than 12,000 baby girls.

One hundred years ago, in the decade beginning in 1910, the most often used boys names were John, William, James, Robert and Joseph; for girls, it was Mary, Helen, dorothy, Margaret and Ruth.