Which boy names were the most popular in each U.S. state in 2025?
And which appeared in the U.S. baby name data for just one state* last year?
Here are the lists…
Alabama
| Most popular in Alabama | Unique to AL’s data |
| 1. John, 343 2. William, 331 3. James, 292 4. Liam, 255 5. Noah, 246 | Whitman, Kisen, Whitt, Dansby, Ladarius, Masyn, Sanders, Slayton |
Alaska
| Most popular in Alaska | Unique to AK’s data |
| 1. Noah, 46 2. Theodore, 45 3. Henry, 44 4. Oliver, 41 5. James, 39 | (none) |
Arizona
| Most popular in Arizona | Unique to AZ’s data |
| 1. Liam, 437 2. Noah, 434 3. Mateo, 419 4. Santiago, 361 5. Oliver, 295 | Payson, Lonzo, Ryler |
Payson is the name of a town in Arizona. (It was also unique to AZ’s data as a girl name.)
Arkansas
| Most popular in Arkansas | Unique to AR’s data |
| 1. Liam, 167 2. Hudson, 147 3. Oliver, 143 4. Elijah, 138 5. Noah, 134 | Daylin |
California
| Most popular in California | Unique to CA’s data |
| 1. Liam, 2,624 2. Noah, 2,607 3. Mateo, 2,239 4. Santiago, 1,991 5. Sebastian, 1,954 | Armen, Waris, Nihal, Davit, Hukam, Jujhar, Agam, Dara, Arsen, Akaal, Remmy, Gurnawab, Jorawar, Nyjah, Sasha, Anhad, Arno, Izaac, Nawab, Ritchie… (top 20 of 370 total) |
Other unique-to-California boy names were Azul, Azure, Harutyun, Napoleon, Sonder, and Wave.
Colorado
| Most popular in Colorado | Unique to CO’s data |
| 1. Liam, 397 2. Theodore, 373 3. Noah, 348 4. Oliver, 310 5. James, 256 | Cale, Copper, Cruzito |
Hockey player Cale Makar is a two-time Norris-winning defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche.
Connecticut
| Most popular in Connecticut | Unique to CT’s data |
| 1. Noah, 268 2. Liam, 241 3. Theodore, 182 4. James, 156 5. Luca, 153 | (none) |
Delaware
| Most popular in Delaware | Unique to DE’s data |
| 1. Noah, 63 2. Liam, 59 3. Oliver, 39 4. James, 37 5. Lucas, 36 | (none) |
District of Columbia
| Most popular in D.C. | Unique to D.C.’s data |
| 1. Noah, 58 2. Theodore, 53 3. Henry, 49 (tie) 4. Liam, 49 (tie) 5. William, 43 | Yohannes |
Florida
| Most popular in Florida | Unique to FL’s data |
| 1. Liam, 1,865 2. Noah, 1,749 3. Lucas, 935 4. Elijah, 868 5. Oliver, 831 | Dom, Mako, Aras, Fabrizio, Janiel, Jazai, Zayde, Jeriel, Keiden, Kervens, Oshea, Carlens, Mattia, Nakai, Piero, Adams, Alesso, Bensley, Ege, Facundo… (top 20 of 109 total) |
Georgia
| Most popular in Georgia | Unique to GA’s data |
| 1. Liam, 661 2. Noah, 653 3. William, 475 4. Elijah, 473 5. James, 451 | Wilkes, Braelyn, Ihsan, Jaquez, Kyzeir, Takari, Chapman, Deontae, Erin, Kamir, Kasye, Kessiah, Khalan, Myair, Xhosen, Carlton, Chasen, Cyncere, Hagan, Jaceyon… (top 20 of 33 total) |
Hawaii
| Most popular in Hawaii | Unique to HI’s data |
| 1. Elijah, 49 2. Noah, 46 3. Liam, 42 (tie) 4. Luca, 42 (tie) 5. Luke, 41 | Nainoa, Kaimana, Laakea, Makana, Kaikoa, Kanai, Kiai, Laiku, Haloa, Kanaloa, Nalu |
Luke was a top-five name in Hawaii only.
Idaho
| Most popular in Idaho | Unique to ID’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 128 2. Theodore, 124 3. Henry, 119 4. Liam, 106 5. Hudson, 103 | Riggin |
Illinois
| Most popular in Illinois | Unique to IL’s data |
| 1. Liam, 690 2. Noah, 683 3. Oliver, 541 4. Theodore, 537 5. Henry, 462 | Filip, Danylo, Konrad, Nikodem, Petar, Damiri, Krystian, Lazar, Lukasz, Lyrik, Maher, Matvii, Abdulahad, Adi, Aleksandar, Brenden, Connell, Damen, Dionte, Gaetano… (top 20 of 24 total) |
Indiana
| Most popular in Indiana | Unique to IN’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 428 2. Liam, 393 3. Theodore, 366 4. Henry, 359 5. Noah, 345 | Wallen, Flint, Gannon, Gryffin, Henley, Jairus |
Iowa
| Most popular in Iowa | Unique to IA’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 198 2. Liam, 185 3. Henry, 176 (tie) 4. Theodore, 176 (tie) 5. Cooper, 133 | Arlow |
Kansas
| Most popular in Kansas | Unique to KS’s data |
| 1. Theodore, 183 2. Oliver, 179 3. Noah, 167 4. Liam, 164 5. Henry, 150 | (none) |
Kentucky
| Most popular in Kentucky | Unique to KY’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 278 2. Liam, 253 3. Hudson, 229 4. Waylon, 223 5. Noah, 203 | Kainen |
Louisiana
| Most popular is Louisiana | Unique to LA’s data |
| 1. Noah, 237 2. Liam, 223 3. James, 187 4. Elijah, 186 5. John, 181 | Kylon, Kolston, Jayceion, Kayven, Kendell, Krewe, Shep |
A krewe is a social organization that stages parades for New Orleans Carnival season (the final day of which is Mardi Gras).
Maine
| Most popular in Maine | Unique to ME’s data |
| 1. Theodore, 83 2. Oliver, 77 3. Henry, 66 4. Noah, 54 5. Levi, 53 | (none) |
Levi was a top-five name in Maine only.
Maryland
| Most popular in Maryland | Unique to MD’s data |
| 1. Liam, 463 2. Noah, 377 3. Lucas, 221 4. Theodore, 214 5. Oliver, 210 | Barkon, Kidus, Naod |
Massachusetts
| Most popular in Massachusetts | Unique to MA’s data |
| 1. Noah, 468 2. Liam, 446 3. Henry, 372 4. Theodore, 358 5. James, 323 | Benjamim, Henrique, Wilber, Caeden, Jayvian, Joaopedro |
The Portuguese names Benjamim, Henrique, João, and Pedro — cognates of Benjamin, Henry, John, and Peter — are used among Brazilians. (Brazilians have been the largest immigrant group in Massachusetts since 2010.)
Michigan
| Most popular in Michigan | Unique to MI’s data |
| 1. Theodore, 490 2. Noah, 478 3. Oliver, 469 4. Henry, 433 5. James, 342 | Haidar, Lavon, Othman, Deaire, Larkin, Kollin, Mehdi, Raad, Dejuan, Kassem, Kordell, Majd, Qusay, Romell, Thane |
Minnesota
| Most popular in Minnesota | Unique to MN’s data |
| 1. Theodore, 339 2. Henry, 313 3. Oliver, 298 4. Liam, 277 5. Noah, 236 | Abdullahi, Muhsin, Hanad, Munasar, Mubarak, Amiir, Imraan, Mazim, Mudasir, Muzamil, Ole, Sajid, Ahil, Burke, Fitzgerald, Hewitt, Lochlann, Mahamed, Mohamedamin, Mubashir… (top 20 of 21 total) |
Mississippi
| Most popular in Mississippi | Unique to MS’s data |
| 1. James, 160 2. William, 155 3. John, 151 4. Noah, 120 5. Elijah, 109 | Rahzi |
Missouri
| Most popular in Missouri | Unique to MO’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 405 2. Theodore, 393 3. Henry, 327 4. Noah, 322 5. Hudson and Liam, 284 each (tie) | Chet, Canton, Creighton, Finnigan |
Montana
| Most popular in Montana | Unique to MT’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 62 2. Henry, 58 3. William, 52 4. Hudson, 45 (tie) 5. Theodore, 45 (tie) | (none) |
Nebraska
| Most popular in Nebraska | Unique to NE’s data |
| 1. Liam, 149 2. Theodore, 128 3. Henry, 113 4. Noah, 109 5. Oliver, 101 | Eh |
The Karen word eh means “to love.” (The Karen people are an ethnic minority group from Myanmar. Thousands of Karen refugees currently live in Omaha.)
Nevada
| Most popular in Nevada | Unique to NV’s data |
| 1. Liam, 205 2. Mateo, 184 3. Noah, 176 4. Santiago, 138 5. Oliver, 114 | Ikaika |
The Hawaiian word ikaika means “strength.” (Of the 48 contiguous states, Nevada has the third-largest Native Hawaiian population.)
New Hampshire
| Most popular in New Hampshire | Unique to NH’s data |
| 1. Theodore, 101 2. Henry, 77 3. Oliver, 66 4. Jack, 65 (tie) 5. James, 65 (tie) | (none) |
New Jersey
| Most popular in New Jersey | Unique to NJ’s data |
| 1. Liam, 749 2. Noah, 742 3. Lucas, 399 4. Luca, 378 5. Joseph, 374 | Avrohom, Binyomin, Boruch, Nosson, Yechezkel, Elchonon, Mivaan, Pinchos, Elazar, Dovi, Nochum, Ehsan, Aayush, Damiano, Erling, Essex, Itai, Raffaele |
Joseph was a top-five name in New Jersey only.
New Mexico
| Most popular in New Mexico | Unique to NM’s data |
| 1. Noah, 115 2. Liam, 109 3. Mateo, 99 4. Elijah, 76 5. Santiago, 70 | (none) |
New York
| Most popular in New York | Unique to NY’s data |
| 1. Noah, 1,381 2. Liam, 1,368 3. Theodore, 738 4. Lucas, 705 5. Oliver, 703 | Mendel, Shulem, Yechiel, Yossi, Mendy, Lazer, Pinchas, Hersh, Hershel, Duvid, Elimelech, Nachman, Shraga, Leib, Elya, Eluzer, Berish, Berl, Kalman, Muaz… (top 20 of 177 total) |
Other unique-to-New York boy names were Calogero, Ngawang, and Rupert.
North Carolina
| Most popular in North Carolina | Unique to NC’s data |
| 1. Noah, 684 2. Liam, 680 3. Oliver, 507 4. William, 500 5. James, 471 | Wright, Avett, Khymir, Unique, Zyion, Braelon, Braxten, Carlisle, Dacari, Fields, Jahani, Jhoan, Kaelem, Kanaan, Khylo, Lennix, Nakari, Stafford, Stanton, Zakhari |
North Dakota
| Most popular in North Dakota | Unique to ND’s data |
| 1. Liam, 56 2. Henry, 49 (tie) 3. Theodore, 49 (tie) 4. Noah, 48 5. Oliver, 47 | Boy |
“Boy” is a placeholder.
Ohio
| Most popular in Ohio | Unique to OH’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 653 2. Theodore, 611 3. Noah, 551 4. Henry, 543 5. Liam, 530 | Dakai, Jayveon, Rhyett, Zymeir, Barret, Cylas, Dannie, Jaymir, Jettsen, Jim, Keandre, Leviathan, Loic, Lynnox, Nylan, Rayshawn |
Oklahoma
| Most popular in Oklahoma | Unique to OK’s data |
| 1. Liam, 232 2. Noah, 189 3. Oliver, 188 4. Theodore, 177 5. Elijah, 175 | Takoda, Koehn, Swayze |
Oregon
| Most popular in Oregon | Unique to OR’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 199 2. Theodore, 188 3. Liam, 185 4. Henry, 182 5. Noah, 151 | Unknown |
“Unknown” is another placeholder.
Pennsylvania
| Most popular in Pennsylvania | Unique to PA’s data |
| 1. Noah, 744 2. Liam, 566 3. Theodore, 549 4. Oliver, 545 5. Henry, 464 | Elam, Benuel, Enos, Ahzir, Larson, Aasim, Azar, Joniel, Joash, Makiah, Nadir, Aasir, Asaan, Azhar, Brendon, Cavan, Finan, Haneef, Humza, Kayde… (top 20 of 27 total) |
Rhode Island
| Most popular in Rhode Island | Unique to RI’s data |
| 1. Noah, 67 2. Liam, 64 3. Oliver, 56 4. Theodore, 52 5. Luca, 48 | (none) |
South Carolina
| Most popular in South Carolina | Unique to SC’s data |
| 1. Noah, 276 2. Liam, 271 3. William, 269 4. James, 250 5. Elijah, 215 | Drayton, Calhoun, Gaines, Kavon, Khosen, Kymere, Townsend |
South Dakota
| Most popular in South Dakota | Unique to SD’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 66 2. Liam, 60 3. Henry, 50 (3-way tie) 4. Hudson, 50 (3-way tie) 5. Noah, 50 (3-way tie) | (none) |
Tennessee
| Most popular in Tennessee | Unique to TN’s data |
| 1. Noah, 444 2. Liam, 425 3. Oliver, 411 4. James, 385 5. Henry, 376 | Holston, Hutson, Akoa, Asta, Baxter, Conley, Jakarri, Johndavid |
Texas
| Most popular in Texas | Unique to TX’s data |
| 1. Liam, 2,688 2. Noah, 2,450 3. Mateo, 2,081 4. Santiago, 1,829 5. Sebastian, 1,498 | Roel, Stoney, Arnoldo, Vedh, Jonatan, Arch, Guadalupe, Judge, Seager, Sloan, Azazel, Brazos, Esiah, Karthikeya, Orlin, Riven, Tex, Texas, Tilden, Weldon |
The Spanish word brazos — which appears in several Texas place names (e.g., Brazos River, Brazos County) — means “arms.” (It was also unique to TX’s data as a girl name.)
Other unique-to-Texas boy names were Tuff, Cuauhtemoc, Leeroy, Rocker, and Lynn.
Utah
| Most popular in Utah | Unique to UT’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 274 2. Liam, 227 3. Theodore, 221 4. Jack, 209 5. Noah, 206 | Covey, Stockton, Dallin, Viliami, Tyr, Knoxx, Parley, Willard, Beaumont, Bram, Rev, Semisi |
The name Dallin refers to Dallin H. Oaks, the current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Vermont
| Most popular in Vermont | Unique to VT’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 35 2. Theodore, 34 3. Henry, 27 4. Cooper, 26 5. Hudson and Jack, 24 each (tie) | (none) |
Virginia
| Most popular in Virginia | Unique to VA’s data |
| 1. Liam, 590 2. Noah, 556 3. Theodore, 392 4. Oliver, 390 5. Henry, 372 | Beauregard, Burhan, Jhonatan, Salaar |
Washington
| Most popular in Washington | Unique to WA’s data |
| 1. Noah, 426 2. Liam, 403 3. Oliver, 383 4. Theodore, 372 5. Henry, 338 | Avenir, Ruvim, Arth, Theophilus, Denny, Ezana, Kaveh, Niles, Orest, Roscoe, Rufus |
West Virginia
| Most popular in West Virginia | Unique to WV’s data |
| 1. Waylon, 115 2. Hudson, 106 3. Oliver, 96 4. Noah, 85 5. Wyatt, 70 | (none) |
Wyatt was a top-five name in West Virginia only.
Wisconsin
| Most popular in Wisconsin | Unique to WI’s data |
| 1. Oliver, 336 2. Theodore, 323 3. Henry, 307 4. Liam, 274 5. Noah, 245 | Buckley |
Wyoming
| Most popular in Wyoming | Unique to WY’s data |
| 1. Theodore, 27 2. James, 25 3. William, 24 4. Oliver, 23 5. Rowan, 19 | (none) |
Rowan was a top-five name in Wyoming only.
And here are several of the boy names that appeared in the data for two states last year:
- Ammon – Utah & Pennsylvania
- Hyrum – Utah & Idaho (influence: Hyrum Smith of the LDS Church)
- Mckay – Utah & Idaho (influence: David O. McKay of the LDS Church)
- Menno – Missouri & Pennsylvania
- Rainier – Washington & California (influence: Mount Rainier)
- Taysom – Louisiana & Utah (influence: football player Taysom Hill)
- Zohran – New York & California (influence: NYC politician Zohran Mamdani)
Do you have thoughts/theories about any of the names above?
(Explanations for many of them can be found in the comments to the corresponding posts from 2024, 2023, 2022, etc.)
*Names that appear in the data for a just one state were bestowed at least five times in that state, but could have been bestowed up to four times in any other state. (The SSA’s state-by-state data omits names given to fewer than five babies per gender, per year.)
Sources:
- Betancourt, Sarah. “New report says Brazilians, the biggest immigrant group in Mass., shouldn’t be forgotten.” WGBH 24 Oct. 2024.
- “New census data confirms more Native Hawaiians reside on the continent than in Hawai’i.” OHA 25 Sept. 2023.
- Meigs, Doug. “Finding Refuge in Omaha: The Karen Community’s Perseverance through War, Displacement, and Pandemic.” Omaha Magazine 30 Mar. 2024.
- SSA
Image: Adapted from Topographical Map of the USA (public domain)
