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Between 1920 and 1940, the most popular boy names, by far, were Robert and James — while in the same period, a lot of girls were named Mary. Fast-forward to 2022, and Liam takes the lead for boys, while the most widespread girls’ names are Emma and Olivia.
Reddit user chartr created a visualization showing how the most popular baby names for girls and boys have changed in America over the last century based on Social Security data.
Interestingly, a higher proportion of American babies shared the same name back in the day than they have in current years. For example, while almost 3% of all baby boys in the United States were named Robert in the late ’20s, less than 1% of boys share 2022’s most typical male baby name.
Below are the animated visualizations of the evolution of the boy and girl names in the United States.
What is the origin of the most popular names in America?
The most popular names in America have diverse origins, reflecting the multicultural nature of the country. Here’s a breakdown of the origins of some of the most popular names in America in 2022:
For boys:
Liam – Irish origin, derived from the name “William.”
Noah – Hebrew origin, from the biblical character Noah.
Oliver – English origin, derived from the Latin name “Oliverius.”
Elijah – Hebrew origin, from the biblical prophet Elijah.
William – English origin, derived from the Old Norman name “Willahelm.”
James – English origin, derived from the Hebrew name “Yaakov.”
Benjamin – Hebrew origin, meaning “son of the right hand.”
Lucas – Greek and Latin origin, derived from the name “Loukas.”
Henry – Germanic origin, derived from the name “Heinrich.”
Alexander – Greek origin, derived from the name “Alexandros.”
For girls:
Olivia – Latin origin, derived from the word “oliva” meaning “olive.”
Emma – Germanic origin, derived from the name “Ermin” or “Irmin.”
Ava – Germanic origin, derived from the name “Avis.”
Charlotte – French origin, derived from the name “Charlot.”
Sophia – Greek origin, derived from the word “sophia” meaning “wisdom.”
Amelia – Germanic origin, derived from the name “Amalia.”
Isabella – Hebrew and Spanish origin, derived from the name “Elisheba.”
Mia – Scandinavian and Dutch origin, derived from the name “Maria.”
Evelyn – English origin, derived from the name “Aveline.”
Harper – English origin, originally a surname referring to a person who played the harp.
