How popular is the baby name Elijah in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Elijah.

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Popularity of the baby name Elijah


Posts that mention the name Elijah

Top lengths of U.S. baby names, 2017

Once again, the most popular length for U.S. baby names was six letters.

Here’s a the length breakdown for girl names in 2017:

girl names, lengths, 2017

And here are the most-used girl names per length:

Here’s the breakdown for boy names:

boy names, lengths, 2017

And here are the most-used boy names per length for 2017:

Finally, here are both genders on the same chart:

baby names, lengths, 2017

The results in 2016 were very similar.

Top first letters of U.S. baby names, 2017

What were the most popular first letters for baby names in 2017?

For girls, the most-used first letter was A, followed by M and E. The least-used first letter was U. Here’s the breakdown:

first letters, girl names, 2017

And here are the most-used girl names per letter for 2017:

For boys, the most-used first letter was J, followed by A and C. The least-used first letter was U. Here’s the breakdown:

first letters, boy names, 2017

Here are the most-used boy names per letter for 2017:

Finally, here are both genders side-by-side on the same chart:

first letters, baby names, 2017

Overall, the top first letter was A and the least popular letter was U. Not much has changed since 2016…

Popular baby names in the United States, 2017

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

According to the Social Security Administration, Emma and Liam were the most popular baby names in the United States in 2017.

Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names:

Girl names

1. Emma, 19,738 baby girls (same rank in 2016)
2. Olivia, 18,632 (same)
3. Ava, 15,902 (same)
4. Isabella, 15,100 (was 5th)
5. Sophia, 14,831 (was 4th)
6. Mia, 13,437 (same)
7. Charlotte, 12,893 (same)
8. Amelia, 11,800 (new)
9. Evelyn, 10,675 (new)
10. Abigail, 10,551 (was 8th)

Boy names

1. Liam, 18,728 baby boys (was ranked 2nd in 2016)
2. Noah, 18,326 (was 1st)
3. William, 14,904 (same)
4. James, 14,232 (was 5th)
5. Logan, 13,974 (new)
6. Benjamin, 13,733 (same)
7. Mason, 13,502 (was 4th)
8. Elijah, 13,268 (was 9th)
9. Oliver, 13,141 (new)
10. Jacob, 13,106 (was 7th)

In the girls’ top ten, Amelia and Evelyn replaced Harper (now 11th) and Emily (12th).

In the boys’ top ten, Logan and Oliver replaced Michael (now 12th) and Ethan (14th).

In 2016, the top names were Emma and Noah.

Here’s more from the SSA’s news release:

Ensley was the fastest riser on the girls’ list, moving 1,461 spots to number 965, from number 2,426 in 2016. Spring has sprung, and Wells (meaning “spring”) had the biggest bloom in popularity for the boys, moving over 500 spots in 2017 from number 1,419 to 915. Perhaps his parents are fans of the hit TV show “The Bachelorette” where one of the popular contestants was named Wells. Does this mean more bachelors named Wells at future rose ceremonies?

In a clear nod to the popularity of the First Lady of the United States, new parents chose the name Melania at an increasing rate in 2017.

It looks like new parents are “Keeping up with the Kardashians” as the name Dream rose 840 spots in 2017. Fan or not, many people know Rob Kardashian and Angela White, aka Blac Chyna, named their daughter Dream in late 2016. For the boys, another fast riser was Nova, who may have gotten his popularity from all those Villanova Wildcats basketball fans naming their sons in celebration of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions.

More posts on the new names coming soon!

Sources: SSA, Emma and Liam Top Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names for 2017 – SSA

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

Popular baby names in Northern Canada, 2015

yukon

A few years ago, CBC News used data from the vital statistics offices of Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon to determine that the most popular baby names in northern Canada in 2015 were Sophia and Liam.

The top 5 girl names and top 5 boy names in the 3 regions (combined) in 2015 were…

Girl Names
1. Sophia, 7 baby girls
2. Abigail, 7
3. Amelia, 7
4. Avery, 6
5. Autumn, 6

Boy Names
1. Liam, 13 baby boys
2. Jacob, 7
3. Elijah, 7
4. James, 6
5. William, 5

And the #1 names in each territory specifically were…

  • Nunavut (898 births total): Anna, Samantha and Sarah (3-way tie) and Liam, Mason and Sandy (3-way tie)
  • Northwest Territories (687 births total): Abigail and Liam
  • Yukon (443 births total): Sophia and Jack

I don’t have any earlier data for Nunavut or NWT, but I do have a post about the top names in the Yukon from 1991 to 2015.

Source: Liam and Sophia most popular baby names in 2015 in the territories