Noah, Olivia Top Lists of California’s Most Popular Baby Names in 2023

Top baby names in California in 2023 were Noah for boys and Olivia for girls. (Dreamstime/TNS)

California’s top baby name choices have been revealed in a recent list released by the Social Security Administration, aligning closely with national name trend choices.

According to the administration’s data, Noah was the top name for baby boys in 2023 in California, and Olivia was No. 1 for baby girls.

Noah originates from the Hebrew language and means rest or comfort, according to Names.org. Olivia is an English name that, similarly, means peace and love.

Liam, Mateo, Sebastian, Santiago, and Julian were next on the list of most popular names for boys. Girl names trended in a more classic direction with choices such as Mia, Camila, Emma, Isabella, Sophia, and Luna.

In 2013, Jacob was the No. 1 name choice in California. Noah was the most popular name for boys between 2014 and 2021. Liam moved to the No. 1 choice for baby boys in 2022 in California, but Noah reclaimed the top spot in 2023.

Over the past 10 years, the top name for girls has jumped among Olivia, Sophia, Mia, and Emma. Olivia has remained the consistent No. 1 choice since 2019.

Here are California’s top 10 baby boy and girl names in 2013 compared to 2023:

• 2013 Boys: Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Jayden, Matthew, Noah, Alexander, Anthony, Nathan, and David.
• 2013 Girls: Sophia, Isabella, Mia, Emma, Emily, Olivia, Sofia, Abigail, Camila, and Samantha.
• 2023 Boys: Noah, Liam, Mateo, Sebastian, Santiago, Julian, Oliver, Benjamin, Elijah, and Ezekiel.
• 2023 Girls: Olivia, Mia, Camila, Emma, Isabella, Sophia, Sofia, Luna, Amelia, and Gianna.

The data go back to 1960, when the top boy’s name was David and the top girl’s name was Karen. Here’s how California’s top 10 looked when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy were running for president:

• 1960 Boys: David, Michael, John, Robert, Mark, James, Richard, Steven, William, and Daniel.
• 1960 Girls: Karen, Susan, Lisa, Mary, Linda, Cynthia, Patricia, Sandra, Debra, and Lori.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California had around 1,000 fewer births in 2023 than in 2022—33,757 last year compared with 34,502 in 2022.

The 100th most popular names on the list in 2023 for Californians were Austin for boys and Isabel for girls.

Nationwide, the Social Security Administration found that the most popular boy’s name in 2023 was Liam. For girls, Olivia was the top pick.

According to Pamela Redmond,  creator and CEO of Nameberry—a website providing comprehensive data on baby names, lists, and name ideas—California’s top name choices for girls and boys are reflective of national trends.

She told The Epoch Times that California has the greatest number of babies born every year, so it “makes sense” that state data would correlate with national trends.

Exclusive data from Nameberry also shared some quirkier names gaining popularity in California in 2024 via artificial intelligence, including Ryder, Catalina, Summer, and Logan.

The data accrued from the administration on popular names are based on Social Security card applications for births every year, beginning in 1879.