Top 2021 Baby Names In Arizona: Olivia and Liam, Again

ARIZONA — Look forward to class of 2039 high school graduation ceremonies in Arizona: You may hear the names Olivia and Liam repeated often as the graduates walk across the stage to receive their diplomas — assuming that’s still a tradition 18 years in the future.

Liam and Olivia are the top names Arizona parents chose for their babies in 2021, according to the Social Security Administration, which this month released its top baby names by state analysis.

In all 431 babies born in our state were named Liam while 408 were named Olivia, records show.

Here are the top 10 female names in our state last year:

1. Oliva
2. Emma
3. Sophia
4. Camila
5. Isabella
6. Mia
7. Amelia
8. Charlotte
9. Ava
10. Luna

These were the top 10 male names in 2021:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Mateo
4. Oliver
5. Sebastian
6. Elijah
7. Benjamin
8. Julian
9. Santiago
10. Alexander

In Arizona, Liam and Olivia have been at the top of the baby name list for years. The last time that Olivia didn't top the female name list was in 2018, when Olivia was second to Emma. Liam has been at the top since 2017, taking second place to Noah in 2016.

Nationally, Liam, Noah and Oliver once again were the most popular names for boys. For girls, parents liked Olivia, Emma and Charlotte the best. Olivia and Emma were the top girl names in 2020, but Charlotte overtook Ava as the No. 3 name last year.

The Social Security Administration started releasing the annual list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880. The agency also notes that popular culture influences baby names.

Over the past 100 years, the male name Michael has held the top spot most often at 44 times, while the female name Mary has been ranked No. 1 for 35 times over the same period.