Top unisex baby names of 2022

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Which unisex baby names were the most popular in 2022?

To figure this out, I did two things. First, I identified all the gender-neutral names in the latest batch of U.S. baby name data. (To qualify as gender-neutral, a name must be given to girls at least one-third of the time and to boys at least one-third of the time.) Second, I sorted those hundreds of gender-neutral names by total usage: male plus female.

The following names came out on top:

  1. Parker
  2. River
  3. Charlie
  4. Blake
  5. Emerson
  6. Finley
  7. Phoenix
  8. Remington
  9. Tatum
  10. Rory
  11. Dakota
  12. Ari
  13. Shiloh
  14. Alexis
  15. Armani
  16. Remy
  17. Salem
  18. Legacy
  19. Skyler
  20. Denver

The first four names — Parker, River, Charlie, and Blake — were also the top four in 2021.

The five names that entered the top 20 were Shiloh, Salem, Legacy, Skyler, and Denver. Four of the five qualified as unisex in 2021, but ranked lower on the list. Legacy, on the other hand, was slightly over two-thirds male in 2021.

The five names that dropped out of the top 20 were Hayden, Amari, Oakley, Reign, and Milan. All five failed to qualify as unisex in 2022. Hayden, Amari and Milan were given to too many boys; Oakley and Reign were given to too many girls.

Here are those top 20 names again, this time with total counts and gender percentages:

Number of babies*Percentage girlsPercentage boys
Parker6,24338.49%61.51%
River5,37935.55%64.45%
Charlie4,42052.53%47.47%
Blake3,01447.81%52.19%
Emerson2,97557.61%42.39%
Finley2,57152.74%47.26%
Phoenix2,33543.08%56.92%
Remington2,21735.14%64.86%
Tatum2,20252.32%47.68%
Rory2,18143.83%56.17%
Dakota2,13756.34%43.66%
Ari1,73641.24%58.76%
Shiloh1,54359.82%40.18%
Alexis1,53356.69%43.31%
Armani1,49646.86%53.14%
Remy1,41135.08%64.92%
Salem1,08763.75%36.25%
Legacy1,00065.00%35.00%
Skyler97358.38%41.62%
Denver96333.33%66.67%
*Male and female usage added together

So which names came next on the list?

The following, ranked 21st through 35th, all fell within both the girls’ top 1,000 and the boys’ top 1,000 of 2022:

  • Briar, 924 total babies
  • Azariah, 903
  • Drew, 896
  • Amiri, 880
  • Bellamy, 847
  • Ocean, 842
  • Jamie, 841
  • Sevyn, 792
  • Dior, 745
  • Chandler, 719
  • Tru, 710
  • Murphy, 709
  • Layne, 702
  • Justice, 643
  • Robin, 637

And here are the rest of the unisex names that had a combined usage of at least 200 babies (in descending order):

Quincy, Kingsley, Jessie, Sol, Khari, Ira, Landry, Joey, Campbell, Kacey, Arden, True, Yael, Jaylin, Shea, Harlem, Joan, Kodi, Hollis, Sidney, Shai, Jireh, Ripley, Laken, Bowie, Kit, Ever, Montana, Kasey, Kadence, Yuri, Jael, Azari, Gentry, Rain, Storm, Perry, Honor, Denim, Isa, Divine, Merritt, Dominique, Camdyn, Jelani, Cove, Ashtyn, Jean, Armoni, Jules, Brighton, Channing

Kacey was one of the few names that happened to hit 50/50 usage — exactly 202 baby girls and 202 baby boys — in 2022. Movie-fueled Marvel was another 50/50 name.

Source: SSA
Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

Top lengths of U.S. baby names in 2022

Which lengths were the most and least popular for U.S. baby names in 2022?

Top length for girl names: 6 letters

For baby girls, the most-used length was 6 letters, followed by 5 and 7.

Top lengths for U.S. baby girl names, 2022

The most popular girl names per length were…

  • 2 letters (given to over 200 baby girls): Jo, An, Bo, Zo
  • 3 letters (over 58,300): Ava, Mia, Zoe, Ivy
  • 4 letters (over 227,100): Emma, Luna, Mila, Aria
  • 5 letters (over 351,100): Sofia, Emily, Chloe, Avery
  • 6 letters (over 464,600): Olivia, Amelia, Sophia, Evelyn
  • 7 letters (over 306,400): Eleanor, Abigail, Madison, Lillian
  • 8 letters (over 141,400): Isabella, Scarlett, Penelope, Victoria
  • 9 letters (over 70,700): Charlotte, Elizabeth, Valentina, Josephine
  • 10 letters (over 7,800): Evangeline, Alessandra, Alexandria, Jacqueline
  • 11 letters (over 300): Christianna, Anavictoria, Oliviagrace, Mariaisabel
  • 12 letters (90): Marymargaret
  • 13 letters (over 100): Oluwadarasimi
  • 14 letters (19): Elizabethgrace/Mariadelcarmen (tie)
  • 15 letters (5): Sophiaelizabeth

Top length for boy names: 6 letters

For baby boys, the most-used length was also 6 letters, followed by 5 and 4.

Top lengths for U.S. baby boy names, 2022

The most popular boy names per length were…

  • 2 letters (given to over 1,700 baby boys): Bo, Ty, Aj, Cy
  • 3 letters (over 52,300): Leo, Kai, Eli, Ian
  • 4 letters (over 294,400): Liam, Noah, Levi, Jack
  • 5 letters (over 452,900): James, Henry, Lucas, Mateo
  • 6 letters (over 509,300): Oliver, Elijah, Daniel, Samuel
  • 7 letters (over 261,500): William, Michael, Jackson, Gabriel
  • 8 letters (over 107,300): Benjamin, Theodore, Maverick, Santiago
  • 9 letters (over 41,500): Sebastian, Alexander, Christian, Nathaniel
  • 10 letters (over 3,700): Alessandro, Maximilian, Kristopher, Montgomery
  • 11 letters (over 7,700): Christopher, Maximiliano, Abdulrahman/Constantine/Muhammadali (3-way tie)
  • 12 letters (over 200): Michelangelo
  • 13 letters (over 100): Muhammadyusuf
  • 14 letters (11): Michaelanthony
  • 15 letters (7): Muhammadibrahim

Source: SSA

Top first letters of U.S. baby names in 2022

Which first letters were the most and least popular for U.S. baby names in 2022?

Top first letters for girl names: A, E, M

For baby girls, the most-used first letter was A, followed by E and M. The least-used first letter was U.

Top first letters for U.S. baby girl names, 2022

The most popular girl names per letter were…

  • A-names (given to over 267,800 baby girls): Amelia, Ava, Aria, Abigail
  • B-names (over 47,600): Brooklyn, Bella, Brielle, Blakely
  • C-names (over 91,300): Charlotte, Camila, Chloe, Claire
  • D-names (over 41,500): Delilah, Daisy, Diana, Delaney
  • E-names (over 154,200): Emma, Evelyn, Elizabeth, Eleanor
  • F-names (over 17,000): Freya, Faith, Finley, Fatima
  • G-names (over 41,500): Gianna, Grace, Genesis, Gabriella
  • H-names (over 55,000): Harper, Hazel, Hannah, Hailey
  • I-names (over 46,000): Isabella, Isla, Ivy, Iris
  • J-names (over 71,600): Josephine, Jade, Julia, Juniper
  • K-names (over 86,400): Kinsley, Kennedy, Kehlani, Kaylee
  • L-names (over 118,000): Luna, Layla, Lily, Lucy
  • M-names (over 147,000): Mia, Mila, Madison, Maya
  • N-names (over 59,400): Nora, Nova, Naomi, Natalie
  • O-names (over 30,500): Olivia, Oakley, Olive, Oaklynn
  • P-names (over 36,600): Penelope, Paisley, Piper, Parker
  • Q-names (over 4,000): Quinn, Quincy, Queen, Quinley
  • R-names (over 74,200): Riley, Ruby, Raelynn, Rylee
  • S-names (over 119,300): Sophia, Sofia, Scarlett, Stella
  • T-names (over 23,500): Taylor, Tatum, Teagan, Thea
  • U-names (over 600): Unique, Uma, Una, Unity
  • V-names (over 34,700): Violet, Victoria, Valentina, Vivian
  • W-names (over 16,100): Willow, Wren, Wrenley, Winter
  • X-names (over 4,900): Ximena, Xiomara, Xyla, Xena
  • Y-names (over 9,100): Yaretzi, Yara, Yareli, Yamileth
  • Z-names (over 29,500): Zoe, Zoey, Zuri, Zara

Top first letters for boy names: J, A, L

For baby boys, the most-used first letter was J, followed by A and L. The least-used first letter was U.

Top first letters for U.S. baby boy names, 2022

The most popular boy names per letter were…

  • A-names (given to over 181,000 baby boys): Alexander, Asher, Aiden, Anthony
  • B-names (over 82,300): Benjamin, Brooks, Bennett, Beau
  • C-names (over 121,500): Carter, Charles, Caleb, Cooper
  • D-names (over 84,000): Daniel, David, Dylan, Dominic
  • E-names (over 109,900): Elijah, Ethan, Ezra, Elias
  • F-names (over 20,500): Finn, Felix, Finley, Francisco
  • G-names (over 51,500): Gabriel, Grayson, Greyson, Gael
  • H-names (over 50,000): Henry, Hudson, Hunter, Harrison
  • I-names (over 32,300): Isaac, Isaiah, Ian, Ivan
  • J-names (over 195,800): James, Jack, Jackson, John
  • K-names (over 94,800): Kai, Kayden, Kingston, Kaiden
  • L-names (over 132,400): Liam, Lucas, Levi, Leo
  • M-names (over 128,900): Mateo, Michael, Mason, Matthew
  • N-names (over 56,200): Noah, Nathan, Nolan, Nicholas
  • O-names (over 40,500): Oliver, Owen, Oscar, Omar
  • P-names (over 23,100): Parker, Peter, Patrick, Preston
  • Q-names (over 2,800): Quinn, Quentin, Quincy, Quinton
  • R-names (over 82,200): Roman, Ryan, Robert, Rowan
  • S-names (over 73,500): Sebastian, Samuel, Santiago, Silas
  • T-names (over 61,100): Theodore, Thomas, Theo, Thiago
  • U-names (over 2,600): Uriel, Uriah, Ulises, Ulysses
  • V-names (over 11,100): Vincent, Victor, Valentino, Vicente/Vincenzo (tie)
  • W-names (over 50,300): William, Wyatt, Waylon, Wesley
  • X-names (over 7,000): Xavier, Xander, Xzavier, Xavion
  • Y-names (over 9,000): Yusuf, Yosef, Yehuda, Yahir
  • Z-names (over 27,600): Zion, Zachary, Zayden, Zane

Source: SSA

Boy names that debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2022

crocus in snow

Which boy names emerged in the U.S. baby name data in 2022 for the first time ever?

A total of 536 boy names debuted in the data last year, and the most impressive debut was made by Maziyon. Here are the top debuts overall:

  1. Maziyon, 82 baby boys
  2. Kaiyzen, 67
  3. Jahkarri, 36
  4. Xacari, 20
  5. Amiriyon, 18
  6. Heziah, 18
  7. Airmiess, 15
  8. Nogivenname, 15
  9. Kaymere, 14

Airmiess comes from late rapper Nipsey Hussle. His legal name was said to be Ermias (the fastest-rising boy name of 2019) around the time he was killed. More recently, it must have come to light that the spelling of his birth name was actually “Airmiess.”

(“Nogivenname,” as I mentioned in the post about girl name debuts, is just a placeholder.)

Here are some more:

13 baby boysCaylix, Khyrein, Monaco, Xaivius, Yoisel
12 baby boysEnael, Jaimeer, Kaymir, Neyzan
11 baby boysAsen, Caizer, Nawab, Uziyah, Zoro
10 baby boysAtlys, Boman, Cyre, Drakeo, Jahzeir, Jettsyn, Kalian, Prophecy
9 baby boysAmiko, Asun, Cheskal, Claysen, Culture, Dawensky, Ezz, Giveon, Jhream, Kreid, Raymari, Record, Zyarie
8 baby boysAarshiv, Ahson, Ahziel, Arqam, Astrid, Baheer, Bellami, Bhodie, Cardiff, Cazmir, Demiri, Densley, Hendon, Ikaris, Kaiyir, Kosmo, Marvensky, Meruem, Muhammadomar, Oracle, Siddhik, Subhanullah, Xailen, Xandro, Zyland

Zoro probably comes from One Piece character Roronoa Zoro. (The name Roronoa, listed below, also debuted in 2022.)

Giveon is a California-born R&B singer whose early 2020 song “Heartbreak Anniversary” didn’t become a hit until mid-2021.

Finally, here’s a sampling of the rest of the debuts:

  • 7 baby boys: Alaska, Arceus, Boudreaux, Dasher, Eliante, Ezrakai, Johnkerry, Pluto, Rachamim, Rudiger, Shukuru, Skandha, Sofonias, Woodensky, Zeeland
  • 6 baby boys: Alteo, Coa, Dumier, Fiorenzo, Grand, Hareth, Hyperion, Ionut, Jamazi, Kaoir, Kigen, Kobra, Lunar, Meadow, Metzli, Miami, Rakhari, Sacai, Spruce, Wit, Zypher
  • 5 baby boys: Alchemy, Andor, Asmodeus, Azurite, Bilolbek, Brynjar, Crux, Dessalines, Eklavya, Euler, Imperial, Jeneral, Lassen, Lokela, Luxor, Matvii, Mojave, Mosaic, Nanakofi, Oguzhan, Reacher, Rival, Roronoa, Ryuk, Shire, Shoal, Sihtric, Swede, Tiamo, Tribe, Truist, Vandal, Zillion

Rudiger is the surname of German soccer player Antonio Rüdiger, Andor is the surname of Star Wars character Cassian Andor (now being featured in the TV series Star Wars: Andor), and Sihtric is a character from the TV series The Last Kingdom.

Other than that… Arceus is a Pokémon character, Asmodeus is a demon, Azurite is a (blue) mineral, and Tiamo means “I love you” in Italian.

If you can explain any of the above debuts, please leave a comment!

Source: SSA
Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay