2021’s Top Baby Names In New York: Liam, Olivia, Noah, Emma

NEW YORK — If you are looking forward to the class of 2039 high school graduation ceremonies in New York, you may frequently hear the names Olivia and Liam 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 parents in New York chose for their babies in 2021, according to the Social Security Administration, which this month released its analysis of top baby names by state.

In all, 1,403 babies born in our state were named Liam while 993 were named Olivia, records show.

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

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

These were the top 10 male names in 2021:

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

Olivia stayed in the top spot in 2021, as it has been since 2019. However, Liam has remained the No. 1 name since 2015.

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.