Solving the Baby Name Puzzle: How Popular is too Popular?

These days name enthusiasts get excited all over the world when spring comes. Why? Because this is typically when all the data analysis is completed and we finally find out, what the top baby names were for the last year. In the United States (almost) every baby born is registered with the Social Security Administration (SSA). This has been happening since the 1880s, and we have data on all those names. Every year the SSA puts out a list of the top 1000 names registered in the country. In recent years the trends have been going more and more unique, with people double checking the list to make sure the name they have chosen isn’t too popular. So the question is, how popular is too popular?

Breaking Down the 2023 Data

To answer this question, let’s examine the numbers for 2023 (and don’t worry, fellow enthusiasts—I’ll post about the top 2024 names as soon as they drop!). The number 1 girls name in the US (and many other countries) was Olivia, and the number 1 boys name was Liam. (See a list of the top 10 names here.)

Olivia: 15,270 baby girls were registered with this name in 2023, out of 1,596,022 total girls. That’s about 1% of all baby girls born and registered that year in the US.
Liam: 20,802 baby boys were given this name in 2023, out of 1,701,224 total boys. That’s about 1.2% of all baby boys born and registered that year.

This means that about 1 in 104 baby girls born in the US in 2023 have the name Olivia, and about 1 in 82 of the baby boys have the name Liam. To put things in perspective, that means that in a classroom with around 30 kids, the odds are decent that your child will be the only Liam or Olivia. However, with most graduating classes being more than 100 students, they will probably know at least one person with the same name in their grade level. Of course that is only the probable outcome, for example I was one of three Julies in my elite choir in high school, even though there were only about 20 students (about half of which were female), and Julie only ranked #78 in the year I was born. What are the odds that three girls born in the same year and given the same name would end up in the same high school all loving to sing, and being talented enough to be admitted into this particular choir? Well its irrelevant, because it happened.

What Does This Mean for Your Child?

High School Projections

Let’s apply these percentages to a typical high school, bearing in mind that probability is not a guarantee:

The largest high schools in the U.S. have around 9,800 students, meaning approximately 2,450 students per grade level.
If these numbers hold in 13-14 years, this would mean:
- Around 11-13 Olivias per grade level
- Around 11-13 Liams per grade level

However, most high schools are much smaller, with around 200-400 students per grade level. This would mean only 2-4 Olivias or Liams per grade level—a much lower concentration. And isn’t that what nicknames are for?

Considering Popularity Trends

Of course, your child won’t be surrounded only by kids born in 2023. To fully gauge a name’s popularity, we must look at trends over time.

Olivia has been:
- The #1 girl’s name since 2019
- In the top 5 since 2008
- In the top 10 since 2001
Liam has been:
- The #1 boy’s name since 2017
- In the top 5 since 2013
- In the top 10 since 2012

For the past five years, Olivia and Liam have consistently made up about 1% of all girls and boys born each year. That means 5 out of every 100 girls under five are named Olivia, and 5 out of every 100 boys under five are named Liam.

What About Less Popular Names?

Before you freak out, if 1 in 100 feels too common for you, consider how quickly popularity drops:

By the time you get to Evelyn (#9 for girls in 2023), the rate is 1 in 200 for that birth year.
For girls under five, only about 2.5 in 100 will be named Evelyn.

So, even dropping just a few ranks down the list doubles your odds of having a more unique name!

If you choose a name outside the top 20, you are about 2.5 times less likely to share your name with a classmate. (It is important to remember that this downward trajectory is slower for boys names which tend to be a little less unique.)

Gianna was the number 21 girls name for 2023, with 6,129 births recorded. That means 1 in about 260 girls born and registered that year are named Gianna. On the other hand, Hudson, the equivalent boys name, represents about 1 in 214 boys born and registered that year.

The numbers get even better once you get into the top 50, with 5,488 Calebs and 4,040 Zoeys born and registered in 2023. You are 3 times less likely to run into another Caleb who is the same age, and 4 times less likely to run into another Zoey.

Should Popularity Be Your Deciding Factor?

For me personally, I wouldn’t choose a name in the top 20 unless it held special significance. My ideal range is outside the top 200. But as a name enthusiast, I am looking at these names all the time and seeing a lot more of them.

Popularity isn’t everything. Other important factors include:

Honoring a loved one
Choosing a name you and your partner both love
Determining how much you really mind your child sharing a name with classmates

Did you know that Olivia is a name coined by Shakespeare? He used it for the first time in the comedy Twelfth Night, or What You Will. If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, this might be a good enough reason to ignore the popularity metrics! (Check back for my upcoming post on Shakespeare names!)

What Can You Do?

If you’re concerned about choosing a name that’s too popular, here’s my advice:

Check name percentages over five years to see if a name’s popularity is consistent. (This is more important when looking at top 20 names, as many of these names have shuffled around the same rank for years).
Be extra careful with boy names—there’s generally less variety, meaning a popular name is even more common among boys.
Look out for names like Sofia, which have more popular variants. Sofia may be outside the top 10 names, but its variant, Sophia is the 5th most popular name for girls in 2023! When you combine the numbers for Sofia and Sophia, you find yourself with a name even more popular than Olivia!
Choose the name you love, no matter how popular it is—especially if it has special meaning! These names are popular for a reason! You can’t really go wrong.
Have a nickname plan if you go with a popular name. If you dislike nicknames, consider a less common name. For names that are already short consider that many cultures lengthen or change names instead of shortening them (For example in Russian, Alexander can become Sasha. In French, Julie can become Juliette. Etc.)
Browse my lists of alternate names to see if a less common name resonates with you!
Remember that probability is not a guarantee! Even if you choose a name like Brunhilde (a name with unknown rank since less than 5 babies were given this name in 2023) there is still a chance that another mom will have the same idea, and she and her baby Brunhilde will just happen to go to the same church as you, or be in the same daycare center, or the same gym, etc.
Let me help! If this is really stressing you out and/or the numbers are giving you a headache, hop over to my etsy shop, and book a consultation! Let me pick up some of the slack so you can spend your worry on things like which carseat to buy or how many onesies to stock up on!

In Conclusion

Less popular names are nice in my opinion, but not the most important consideration. While I prefer more unique names, the story behind a name is far more important to me. Especially when you consider that after the effort you put into finding a unique name, thats not too weird, that your partner agrees to, that works with your last name, you still might end up becoming best friends with the mom of a kid with the exact same name. So, pick a name you love, and if there’s more than one, pick the less popular one.

Nickname Options for the Top 10 Names of 2023

If you’re sticking with a popular name, consider these nickname ideas:

Top Girl Names & Nicknames

Olivia – Ollie, Liv, Livvy, Livia, Olive, Vivi, Via
Emma – Em, Emmie
Charlotte – Char, Charlie, Lottie, Tottie, Charlot (Shar-low)
Amelia – Amy, Mia, Millie, Lia, Mel, May
Sophia – Soph, Phia, Sophie
Mia – (No obvious nicknames)
Isabella – Isa, Izzy, Ibby, Bella, Belly, Bells, Belle, Sabel, Sabella, Lisa
Ava – (No obvious nicknames)
Evelyn – Evie, Eve, Eva, Lyn, Vyn, Vellie
Luna – Lunette
Harper – Harp
Camila – Cammy, Milly, Mila

Please comment below if you have other suggestions for nicknames!

Top Boy Names & Nicknames

Liam – (No obvious nicknames)
Noah – (No obvious nicknames)
Oliver – Ollie
James – Jim, Jimmy, Jamie, Jay, Jack
Elijah – Eli
Mateo – Mat, Teo
Theodore – Theo, Ted, Teddy, Dori
Henry – Hank, Hal, Harry, Huck
Lucas – Luke, Lucky, Lux
William – Will, Willy, Liam
Benjamin – Ben, Benny, Benji, Jam, Bam
Levi – Lev