Anywhere, U.S.A — In the sport of baby naming, landing on the Social Security Administration’s annual list of 1000 most popular newborn names is like qualifying for the Olympics.
Using 2023 data, the administration dropped the list May 10. And there’s a new contender in town.
Mateo jumped up five spots to land as the sixth most popular boy name last year. There was no change in the top 10 for girls’ names, with Olivia leading the pack. Liam has held on to the top spot of the boy’s list seven years in a row.
The agency began compiling the baby names list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880. Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop culture on naming trends. And this time, social media stars had a major influence on new parents in 2023, according to the administration.
The fastest rising girl’s name, Kaeli, went viral in 2023, rising 1,692 spots. Its spike in popularity was linked to YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen, the agency said. While on the boy’s side, trending in third place as the boy’s fastest riser, is Eiden. The administration pointed to TikTok creator Wyatt Eiden’s 1.6 billion views and more than 3 million followers for prompting its meteoric rise.
Parents also leaned into powerful names in 2023, with Emryn making her debut in the Top 1000 baby names after moving up 1,287 spots. Ryn translates to “ruler.”
Meanwhile Chozen, the second fastest rising boy’s name, battled up to number 813 in 2023. The character Chozen was a hero in the latest season of the hit Netflix show, Cobra Kai.
Click here for the full list and see where your name ranks now and over the past 100 years.
Annie Gimbel
