What Were California's Top Baby Names In 2021?

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

Noah and Olivia are the top names California 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 2,591 babies born in our state were named Noah while 2,395 were named Olivia, records show.

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

1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Camila
4. Mia
5. Sophia
6. Isabella
7. Luna
8. Amelia
9. Sofia
10. Gianna

These were the top 10 male names in 2021:

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

Olivia remained the most popular in our state, which it has remained since 2019. Meanwhile, Noah is a perennial favorite: it has been California’s most popular boys name since 2014, when it jumped up six spots to unseat “Jacob.”

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.