Popular baby names in the United States, 2011

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

The top baby names in the U.S. in 2011 were Jacob and Sophia! (A new #1 name for girls!)

Here are the full top 20 lists…

Girl Names

  1. Sophia
  2. Isabella
  3. Emma
  4. Olivia
  5. Ava
  6. Emily
  7. Abigail
  8. Madison
  9. Mia
  10. Chloe
  11. Elizabeth
  12. Ella
  13. Addison
  14. Natalie
  15. Lily
  16. Grace
  17. Samantha
  18. Avery
  19. Sofia
  20. Aubrey

Boy Names

  1. Jacob
  2. Mason
  3. William
  4. Jayden
  5. Noah
  6. Michael
  7. Ethan
  8. Alexander
  9. Aiden
  10. Daniel
  11. Anthony
  12. Matthew
  13. Elijah
  14. Joshua
  15. Liam
  16. Andrew
  17. James
  18. David
  19. Benjamin
  20. Logan

My first impression of the boys’ list: “Look at how much Michael dropped!”

My first impression of the girls’ list: “Look at how high Avery is getting!”

More to come later today…

Update: More info on Mason from the SSA’s press release:

Mason, a relatively popular name since the 1990s, had never cracked the top 25 until 2010, when it hit number 12. Some may attribute this year’s rise to number two to reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian’s son. We note, moreover, that Mason has been a regular top-five name in Wisconsin for many years, undoubtedly a tribute to strong-legged Green Bay Packer kicker Mason Crosby.

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United States (public domain)

6 thoughts on “Popular baby names in the United States, 2011

  1. I would like to see the regional popularity of some of these. I know little ones with most of these names, including a new cousin Avery last year, but I’ve not met any Anthonys, Natalies, or Aubreys. On the other hand, I know a few Audreys. I’m surprised by the lack of K-names on either list. Maybe in a few years the J-names will disappear for a while too.

  2. Finally Michael is out of the top5, and Jacob plummeted in numbers of babies. However I’m concerned at Mason, I can just feel another long reign at the top, bleh. Seriously, it even increased more last year than in 2010…

  3. how did you find out how many babies were given the names like you have posted on your site? i’m trying to see how many baby girls and boys were named oakley in 2011.. :) will you post an updated list on your site?

  4. Hi Michelle,

    I’m updating all the numbers right now! It takes a while, though.

    Here are the numbers for Oakley:
    2011: 157 girls, 191 boys
    2010: 118 girls, 137 boys
    2009: 92 girls, 138 boys

    The cut-off for the 2011 boys’ top 1,000 is 192, so Oakley nearly made it — came in at 1004th.

  5. I know, so disappointed Oakley just missed out, its my favorite name for boys. It might make it when they adjust the top1000.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.