Ohio's most popular baby names: A princess and an orphan?

May 21—More than 500 girls who were born in Ohio last year were named Charlotte, and about 600 boys were given the name Oliver.

Charlotte was the most popular female baby name in the Buckeye State for the second straight year, and Oliver grabbed the top spot for baby boys for the third consecutive year, says new data from the Social Security Administration.

Last year, the most popular names given to girls born in Ohio were Charlotte (#1), Amelia (#2), Olivia (#3), Sophia (#4), Evelyn (#5), Emma (#6), Ava (#7), Harper (#8), Eleanor (#9) and Nora.

Nine of those names also were in the top 10 baby names for girls in 2022. Nora was the only name not to make the 2022 list.

Charlotte was the most popular female baby name in 20 U.S. states last year. Some of that popularity may be due to the 9-year-old British Princess of Wales of the same name.

Olivia was the most popular girls name in 18 states, but a small number of states had Ava, Emma, Evelyn and Isla as the most common names.

After Oliver, the most common names for baby boys in Ohio were Theodore (#2), Liam (#3), Noah (#4), Henry (#5), Elijah (#6), Hudson (#7), William (#8), Owen (#9) and Jackson (#10). Hudson and Jackson were the two new additions to the top 10 list last year, compared to 2022.

Oliver was the most popular boy name in Ohio and a dozen other states. Liam was the leading name in 22 states, while Noah was the top name in nine.

Oliver has steadily climbed in the popularity rankings in the last 15 years. It wasn't even one of the 100 most popular boy names in Ohio in 2009. We're guessing the climb is not because of Charles Dickens' tale of orphan Oliver Twist.

Charlotte also has gained popularity over time. It wasn't one of the 100 most popular girl names as recently as 2007.