2022 Top Baby Names: RI Parents Love Liam, Charlotte, Amelia

RHODE ISLAND — When babies born in Rhode Island last year graduate from high school around the year 2040, you may hear the names Charlotte and Liam repeated often as the graduates walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.

Liam and Charlotte are the top names Rhode Island parents chose for their babies in 2022, according to the Social Security Administration, which this month released its top baby names by state analysis.

In all, 44 girls born in our state last year were named Charlotte, while 69 boys were named Liam, records show.

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

1. Charlotte (54)
2. Amelia (51)
3. Isabella (49)
4. Luna (46)
5. Emma (44)
6. Olivia (43)
7. Sophia (42)
8. Ava (34)
9. Isla (31)
10. Camila (30).

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

1. Liam (69)
2. Noah (52)
3. Owen (51)
4. Theodore (48)
5. Benjamin (44)
6. James (42)
7. Julian (42)
8. Luca (42)
9. Oliver (42)
10. Lucas (37)

Charlotte rose by three spots in 2022, replacing 2021 Olivia as the most popular name for girls in our state. Meanwhile, Liam has been Rhode Island's most popular boy name for three years in a row now.

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.