The most popular baby names of 2023 include some interesting trends
Half of the top 10 boys' names start with the letter "L," for starters.

Naming a baby is a big decision.
Few things prompt people's interest—and approval or disapproval—as quickly as what someone decides to name their child. It's this weird phenomenon where the tension between traditional-but-not-too-traditional, popular-but-not-too-popular, and unique-but-not-too-unique all blend together to push the evolution of naming humans forward.
It's always interesting to look at trends in baby names, as the question of how the ubiquitousness of Jennifer and Angela shifted to Emma and Olivia remains. It's not like society decides as a whole that some names are out and others are in; it just seems to happen organically.
However, as BabyCenter's annual baby names report shows, there are sometimes specific reasons certain names climb in the chart while others dip. Sometimes it's a hit television show. Sometimes it's a beloved celebrity or public figure. Sometimes it's a resurgence of naming kids after grandparents or great-grandparents, bringing back names that had long fallen out of favor.
So what are the latest name trends? BabyCenter analyzed the data from over 300,000 parents who registered their baby's names, and here the top 10 names that popped up for girls and boys in 2023:
Top 10 Girls' Names of 2023
1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Amelia
4. Sophia
5. Charlotte
6. Ava
7. Isabella
8. Mia
9. Luna
10. Evelyn
Top 10 Boys' Names of 2023
1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Oliver
4. Elijah
5. Mateo
6. Lucas
7. Levi
8. Leo
9. Ezra
10. Luca
This is the first time in five years that Liam has not been in the No. 1 spot for boys, being taken over by Noah. The top 3 girls' names are the same as they were in 2022.
Ezra and Luca are new additions to the boys' top 10, booting Asher and James into No. 11 and No. 12. For girls, Charlotte climbed the furthest up the latter, from No. 9 to No. 5. Names starting with "M" appear to be making a move for girls as well, with names like Miley, McKinley, Mavis, and Milan all climbing the charts by three digits.
Oddly, half of the boys' top 10 names start with the letter "L" and 9 out of 10 of the girls' top 10 end with the letter "A." Any explanation? Who knows.
BabyCenter shared some other trends in the baby naming world as well:
- Names are getting shorter and sweeter as nicknames take over "proper" names: For instance, Ellie (No. 15) is more popular than Elizabeth (No. 41) and Eleanor (No. 31); Josie (No. 85) outranks Josephine (No. 146); Theo (No. 20) has bested Theodore (No. 38); and Leo (No. 8) is much preferred to Leonardo (No. 141).
- London is falling, along with other travel-inspired names: It's been popular for some time to name kids after popular cities and states, but that trend is slowing as shown by: Cali (down 137 spots), Paris (down 136 spots), Sydney (down 116 spots), Memphis (down 78 spots), London (down 56 spots), Cairo (down 55 spots), Phoenix (down 46 spots), Aspen (down 43 spots), and Dakota (down 25 spots).
- Rihanna and Lionel climb thanks to football and soccer: Rihanna's pregnant halftime performance at the 2023 Super Bowl appears to have inspired some parents as Rihanna has climbed the baby name chart 261 spots, to No. 1,721. And Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi's move to Major League Soccer appears to have inspired a name shift as Lionel is up 283 spots this year to No. 456.
- Wednesday's child is not so full of woe, apparently: The popularity of Netflix's Wednesday series seems to have launched the name Wednesday, as it's up 1,425 spots in the rankings, to No. 1,183.
- Barbie has also launched a few names of her own: Barbie’s full name, Barbara, is up a whopping 994 spots, to No. 1,336. Greta (as in Greta Gerwig, Barbie director) is up 313 spots, to No. 95; and Margot (as in Robbie) is up 65 spots, to No. 221.
- The rise of the Ya Ya Sisterhood: More girls are being given names that feature the sound and spelling “ya” with names like Siya, Haya, Inaya, Aadhya, and Ariyah.
- We may be approaching the end of the -en endings: Boys' names that end in -en are on their way down, so all of those Jaydens and Kaydens you know may start seeing less of themselves in the younger set.
People tend to have fairly strong feelings about baby names, especially when they stray too far off the beaten path. But every generation sees it's popular names rise and fall and there's always an influx of new names that start rising in the ranks, so name your kiddo whatever you darn well please. As long as your kid's name isn't offensive or completely unpronounceable (looking at you, Elon), the possibilities are wide open.
You can follow BabyCenter on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.
- Woman nearly loses friend after admitting her baby names are 'godawful' and dangerous ›
- Husband asks the world for help after fallout from wife's secret choice of 'horrible' baby name ›
- Mom's video on why parents should give their kids adult names, not baby names, has parents debating ›
- A surprising amount of parents admit to feeling baby name regret, study finds - Upworthy ›
- Pregnant woman seeks out her baby's name in a cemetery - Upworthy ›
- Study claims people with these 10 first names are most successful in business. Only one is female. - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."