How Popular Is This Baby Name?
Choosing a name that feels distinctive — or intentionally classic — is easier when you know how popular it currently is. This baby name popularity checker compares your name against the official 2024 US Social Security Administration (SSA) top-10 list, the most authoritative public source for US baby name trends.
💡 2024's Top Names
For the sixth year running, Olivia and Liam topped the SSA's 2024 list, with Emma and Noah in second place. Sofia was the only newcomer to either top 10, replacing Luna among girls' names.
Where This Data Comes From
The SSA publishes annual baby name rankings based on Social Security card applications for newborns — effectively a full census of registered US baby names each year, dating back to 1880. Because every application funnels through the same agency, it's widely considered the most reliable public source for tracking US naming trends.
What About Names Outside the Top 10?
For names that aren't in the current top 10, this tool gives a heuristic popularity tier — a rough estimate based on name length and how common its letter patterns are, rather than an exact ranking. It is not official SSA rank data. If you want the precise rank of any name (even outside the top 1,000), the SSA's own baby names tool at ssa.gov/oact/babynames is the authoritative source.
Tips for Choosing a Name
- Popular isn't necessarily bad: classic, popular names tend to age well and are easy to spell and pronounce.
- Rare names stand out but may be misspelled or mispronounced more often.
- Trends shift regionally: a name's national rank may differ noticeably from its popularity in your state or community.
- Consider longevity: think about how the name will read on a resume decades from now, not just how it sounds for a baby.