Sophia, Liam, and Noah continued their reign as top baby names in 2024, while the Hawaiian derived "Ailany" had one of the biggest and most mysterious booms ever.
On May 9, the Social Security Administration released the United States' top baby names of 2024.
On SSA's lists, Liam and Olivia have been No. 1 since 2019.
SSA counts every spelling separately. I add together spellings pronounced the same, creating lists I think show popularity more accurately.
When alternative spellings like Jaxon were added, Jackson was first on my list from 2013 through 2020. Jackson's now swiftly declining, ranking only fifth in 2024. Liam, Noah, and Oliver are the top three on both my "combined spellings" list and Social Security's single spelling version.
Liam rose 6.7% and Noah 7.4% last year, despite the total number of births only increasing 0.3%.
Noah's an international star. Latest figures show it's No. 1 in Australia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and both French and English speaking Canada. Noah is also among the top ten in Austria, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. One wonders if young parents are unconsciously preparing sons to deal with climate change caused floods.
The latter seven of my 2024 boys top ten were Mateo, Jackson, Luca, Lucas, Elijah, Theodore and James. Theodore rose 8.5% to replace Aiden. Aiden, No. 1 between 2006 and 2012, dropped to 13th.
Theodore's been booming since 2010. Its revival may be related to the character Theodore "Ted" Mosby (Josh Radnor) on sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014), though many modern parents prefer "Theo" to "Ted" as a nickname.
Enzo had the quickest rise among the top 100, jumping 19.8% from 109th to 88th. Like Luca, Enzo's an Italian baby name export. It was No. 1 in France between 2004 and 2007. Today, its popularity is helped by Argentinian soccer star Enzo Fernandez, whose 2023 transfer fee from Portugal's Benfica to England's Chelsea team was a record $138 million.
With Sofia and other spellings added, 20,336 Sophias arrived in 2024, 2.5% more than in 2023. Sophia's been No. 1 since 2011. Traditional Spanish spelling Sofia accounted for 38.5% in 2023 and 39.8% in 2024, actually ranking 10th by itself on SSA's list.
The rest of my girls top ten are Olivia, Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Isabella, Eliana, Evelyn and Camila. None were new to the list, though Eliana rose two places.
Ailany had an incredible rise in 2024. It exploded 259.4% from below 250th to rank 67th. The most common spelling also changed from Ailani to Ailany last year.
'Ailani is a Hawaiian name meaning "one who enjoys the honors of a chief." Hawaiian names ending in suffix -lani, meaning "heavenly" or "royal", including Leilani and Kailani, have spread around the world, being especially popular in Latin America and with Hispanics in the United States. Latina women have been named Ailany for several decades, but why it suddenly skyrocketed is mysterious.
Guatemalan singer Eber del Cid released song "Ailany" in 2024, and several clothing companies have styles called "Ailany", but these weren't huge hits that could account for the boom. Some yet to be ascertained woman named Ailany probably got sudden publicity in Latino social media in late 2023 or early 2024. If any readers have an idea, please pass it on!
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