2022 Top Baby Names: NJ Parents Love Liam, Noah, Emma

NEW JERSEY — When babies born in New Jersey last year graduate from high school around the year 2040, you may hear the names Emma and Liam repeated often as the graduates walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.

Liam and Emma are the top names New Jersey parents chose for their babies once again in 2022, according to the Social Security Administration, which this month released its top baby names by state analysis.

In all, 488 girls born in our state last year were named Emma, while 757 boys were named Liam, records show.

Here are the top 10 male names in New Jersey last year:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Lucas
4. Joseph
5. Michael
6. Jacob
7. Ethan
8. James
9. Luca
10. Jack

These were the top 10 female names in 2022 in our state:

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

The top five names for New Jersey boys did not change between 2021 and 2022. The top girls' name from 2021 was Olivia, while this year's top name Emma was in second place. Mia, Ava, and Sophia rounded out the top five (in that order) for 2021 baby girl names.

Nationally, the top names for babies in 2022 were, for girls:

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

For boys, the top names were:

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

The top three names for both girls and boys last year were unchanged from 2021.

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 in 35 years over the same period.

Patch's national desk contributed to this report.