2020’s Ten Most Popular Baby Names and other names making moves

BabyCenter has released its annual Top Baby Names of the year based on more than 500,000 babies born this year to parents registered on the BabyCenter website and one name on the boy name list is making an appearance in the top ten for the first time!

Ten Most Popular Baby Girl Names in 2020

1. Sophia
2. Olivia
3. Riley
4. Emma
5. Ava
6. Isabella
7. Aria
8. Aaliyah
9. Amelia
10. Mia

Ten Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 2020:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Jackson
4. Aiden
5. Elijah
6. Grayson
7. Lucas
8. Oliver
9. Caden
10. Mateo* NEW for 2020

There are some other names making moves too, but trending downward and you can probably guess which name is dropping fast…Karen, which dropped by 153 spots. Alexa is another name that is losing popularity, falling by 121 spots–thank Amazon’s virtual assistant for that one!

Names trending upward like Kobe and Gianna are representative of families wanting to honor loved ones we lost in 2020.

“2020 has been an especially emotional year for families, filled with stress, loss, and uncertainty,” said Linda Murray, BabyCenter’s global editor in chief. “At a time like this, parents are seeking comfort by naming their babies after people they admire, especially those who’ve passed on. We expect this trend to continue well into 2021.”

Politics has also played a part in inspiring baby names in 2020. Kamala is up 100% from 2019 and Liberty, a name selected by Meghan McCain for her daughter made a leap up 69 spots.

While this list represents names based on BabyCenter’s registered parents, we wanted to know what names topped out with the Social Security Administration. The agency has a not released its 2020 numbers yet, but the 2019 list is pretty reflective of what we’re seeing with BabyCenter:

Top 10 Baby Names in 2019 for Girls

1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Ava
4. Sophia
5. Isabella
6. Charlotte
7. Amelia
8. Mia
9. Harper
10. Evelyn

Top 10 Baby Names for Boys in 2019:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Oliver
4. William
5. Elijah
6. James
7. Benjamin
8. Lucas
9. Mason
10. Ethan

You can research more popular names on the Social Security Administration’s website here.  And Girl Names that Start with J

Related articles we think you’ll LOVE:

Safe Sleep for Baby: 6 Expert Tips to Keep Baby Safe

Virtual Baby Shower: Our Favorite Gifts and Registry Ideas

Baby Registry Ideas: What’s Trending in 2020

*Cover photo credit: iStock by Getty Images.