Noah and Olivia: Most Popular Baby Names in CT in 2018

The most popular names for babies born in Connecticut in 2018 were Noah and Olivia.  Runners-up were Liam and Emma.  They were also the leaders in the baby-naming sweepstakes in Connecticut in 2017.

Nationally, the top two names selected for baby boys and baby girls were the same, but in the opposite order.  Liam was the most popular name for boys, Emma for newborn girls.

In Connecticut, the top ten name for boys were Noah, Liam, Benjamin, Logan, Lucas, Alexander, Joseph, James, Mason and Jack.  The most popular girls names were Olivia, Emma, Isabella, Charlotte, Ava, Sophia, Mia, Amelia, Abigail, and Ella.

The data was released by the Social Security Administration, based on Social Security card application data.  All children born in the U.S. are required to have applications filed to obtain a Social Security number.

Olivia was also the most popular name in 10 other states in 2018; Noah led the name choices in 7 states in addition to Connecticut.  In Connecticut, there were 236 newborns named Noah and 293 named Olivia.  The most popular names in Massachusetts were Emma and Benjamin; in New York it was Emma and Liam.

Another government report released this week indicated that for the fourth consecutive year, the number of births has dropped, now at the lowest level since 1986. Birthrates fell for nearly all racial and age groups, with only slight gains for women in their late 30s and early 40s, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention report says. The birth rate in 2018 was 2% lower than in 2017.

Ten years ago, the most popular names for newborns in Connecticut were Michael, Matthew, and Ryan, for boys; Isabella, Olivia and Ava for girls.  All of those boys names are no longer in the top 10 a decade later; the girls names remain there.

Most often chosen girls names in other states include Harper in Vermont, South Dakota, Iowa and Montana; Aurora in Alaska, Amelia in Rhode Island and Wyoming; and Evelyn in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  Among boys names, the most popular in 2018 included Grayson in South Dakota, Mason in West Virginia, John in Mississippi and Henry in Minnesota.

The most popular names across the nation during this decade are Noah, Liam and Jacob for boys; Emma, Sophia and Olivia for girls. Beginning with 2010, there have been 163,657 babies named Noah and 177,410 named Emma.   

A couple of names, just outside the top 10, are moving closer, according to the national data:  Sebastian moved to #18 from #23 a year ago, as did Camila among the girls names.