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Woman's Day

The Most Popular Baby Names From the Past Year

Maria del Russo
Updated
6 min read

Picking a name for your new baby can be a fun and exciting milestone in your journey to parenthood. But it can also be incredibly stressful. You’re picking a moniker for a person you haven’t met, and they’ll likely use it for the rest of their life. And if you and your partner can’t agree on a name, it can create a seriously stressful situation. That’s when it’s a good idea to turn to some of the most popular baby names from the US Social Security Administration.

The administration keeps a record of all of the names given to children born in the US, and then ranks them based on popularity. The result is a list of 100 baby boys names and 100 baby girls names that are the most popular in the country in any given year. Below, we’ve rounded up the 50 most popular baby boy names and the 50 most popular baby girl names of 2018 — and even included the meanings behind them. The odd numbers are the boy names in descending order, and the even numbers are girl names in descending order.

So if you’re feeling stuck, click through. One of these names might be the perfect one for your new bundle of joy — or it might at least get your mind headed in the right direction to pick the perfect name.

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1.Liam: Irish, meaning “strong-willed warrior and protector.”
2. Emma: German, meaning “whole” or “universal”
3. Noah: Hebrew, meaning “rest” and “comfort”
4. Olivia: Greek, feminine of Oliver, meaning “olive tree”
5. William: German, meaning “strong-willed warrior”
6. Ava: German, a variation of Eve, meaning “bird”
7. James: Hebrew, meaning “one who follows”
8. Isabella: Hebrew, a variation of Elizabeth, meaning “devoted to God”
9. Oliver: Latin, meaning “olive tree”
10. Sophia: Greak, meaning “wisdom”

most popular baby names
Latin-root names, like Mia, Lucas, Amerlia, and Harper, have become very popular.Jose Luis Pelaez Inc - Getty Images

11. Benjamin: Hebrew, meaning “son of the south”
12. Charlotte: French, feminine of Charles, meaning “petite” and “feminine”
13. Elijah: Hebrew, meaning “Yahweh is God”
14. Mia: Latin, variation of Maria, meaning “mine” or “wished-for child”
15. Lucas: Latin, variation of Luke, meaning “light-giving” or “illumination"
16. Amelia: Latin, meaning “industrious” and “striving”
17. Mason: French, a last name traditionally given to stoneworkers
18. Harper: Latin, a last name traditionally given to someone who plays the harp
19. Logan: Scottish, meaning “small hollow”
20. Evelyn: Irish, variation of Eve, meaning “life” or “living”

most popular baby names
Abigail, Ethan, Jacob, and Elizabeth are some of the popular Hebrew names..d3sign - Getty Images

21. Alexander: Greek, meaning “defender of men”
22. Abigail: Hebrew, meaning “the father’s joy”
23. Ethan: Hebrew, meaning “strong,” “safe,” and “firm”
24. Emily: Latin, variation of Aemilia, meaning “striving” and “eager”
25. Jacob: Hebrew, meaning “supplanter”
26. Elizabeth: Hebrew, meaning “consecrated to God”
27. Michael: Hebrew, meaning “Who is like God?”
28. Mila: Russian, meaning “dear one”
29. Daniel: Hebrew, meaning “God is my judge”
30. Ella: English, variation of Eleanor, meaning “light”

most popular baby names
Popular girl names include Claire, Hazel, and Aira.Daniela Solomon - Getty Images

31. Henry: German, meaning “ruler of the household”
32. Avery: French, variation of Alfred, meaning “wise”
33. Jackson: Hebrew, meaning “son of Jack”
34. Sophia: Greek, meaning “wisdom”
35. Sebastian: Greek, meaning “venerable” or “revered”
36. Camila: Italian, meaning “attendant”
37. Aiden: Irish, meaning “fiery”
38. Aria: German, meaning “air”
39. Matthew: Hebrew, variation of Matityahu, meaning “gift from God”
40. Scarlett: English, meaning “bright red”

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41. Samuel: Hebrew, meaning “heard God” or “asked of God”
42. Victoria: Latin, meaning “victory”
43. David: Hebrew, meaning “beloved”
44. Madison: English, a variation of the Medieval name Madde
45. Joseph: Hebrew, meaning “God shall add another son”
46. Luna: Latin, meaning “moon”
47. Carter: English, traditionally a last name given to those who drove carts
48. Grace: Latin, meaning “goodness” and “generosity”
49. Owen: Celtic, meaning “young warrior,” “well born,” and “noble”
50. Chloe: Greek, from the word “Khloe,” which was used to represent Demeter, the goddess of fertility

most popular baby names
Consider more unique names, like Wyatt, Asher, and Skylar. Mayte Torres - Getty Images

51. Wyatt: Old English, traditionally a last name based on wido, which means “wood” or “wide”
52. Penelope: Greek, meaning “weaver”
53. John: Hebrew, meaning “God is gracious”
54. Layla: Arabic, meaning “wine,” “intoxication,” “night,” or “dark beauty”
55. Jack: English, traditionally a nickname for John or James
56. Riley: Irish, meaning “wood clearing” and “valiant”
57. Luke: Latin, a variation of Lucas, meaning “light giving”
58. Zoey: Greek, a variation of Zoe, meaning “life”
59. Jayden: A mashup of Jay and Hayden
60. Nora: Latin, a variation of Honora, meaning “honor”

most popular baby names
Who wouldnkate_sept2004 - Getty Images

61. Dylan: Welsh, meaning “sea”
62. Lily: Greek, from the flower, which is a symbol of purity in Christianity
63. Grayson: English, meaning “son of a steward”
64. Eleanor: Greek, meaning “bright, shining one”
65. Levi: Hebrew, meaning “joined in harmony”
66. Hannah: Hebrew, meaning “favor” or “grace of God”
67. Isaac: Hebrew, meaning “he will laugh”
68. Lillian: Latin, derived from the name Elizabeth
69. Gabriel: Hebrew, meaning “devoted to God”
70. Addison: English, originally a last name derived from the name Adam

most popular baby names
The name Anthony can lend itself to a lot of nicknames, like Ant and Tony.3sign - Getty Images

71. Julian: Latin, meaning “bearded” and “father of the skies”
72. Aubrey: French, from the Germanic name Albric, who was king of the elves in German mythology
73. Mateo: Spanish, meaning “gift of god”
74. Ellie: Greek, meaning “shining light”
75. Anthony: Latin, meaning “priceless”
76. Stella: Greek, meaning “star”
77. Jaxon: English, meaning “son of Jack”
78. Natalie: Latin, from the Russian name Natalia, meaning “birthday” of “Christmas”
79. Lincoln: Latin, meaning “lithe”
80. Zoe: Greek, meaning “life”

most popular baby names
English names like Hazel and Savannah top the list.Monashee Alonso - Getty Images

81. Joshua: Hebrew, meaning “lord is salvation”
82. Leah: Hebrew, meaning “weary”
83. Christopher: Greek, meaning “Christ-bearer”
84. Hazel: English, derived from the hazel tree and the hazelnut
85. Andrew: Greek, meaning “strong,” “manly,” or “courageous”
86. Violet: Latin, from the violet flower
87. Theodore: Greek, meaning “divine gift”
88. Aurora: Latin, meaning “dawn”
89. Caleb: Hebrew, meaning “dog,” a symbol of devotion to God
90. Savannah: English, meaning “treeless plain”

most popular baby names
Leo and Skylar are the most popular boy and girl name, respectively.Tatyana Tomsickova Photography - Getty Images

91. Ryan: Gaelic, meaning “descendent of the king”
92. Audrey: English, meaning “noble strength”
93. Asher: Hebrew, meaning “happy” or “blessed”
94. Brooklyn: English, derived from the borough in New York City
95. Nathan: Hebrew, meaning “he gave”
96. Bella: Latin, derived from Belle, meaning “beauty”
97. Thomas: Hebrew, meaning “a twin”
98. Claire: Latin, meaning “clear” and “bright”
99. Leo: Latin, meaning “lion”
100. Skylar: Dutch, meaning “scholar”

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