Baby names vary dramatically by state
The U.S. is one country, but naming trends split sharply by region — and once you start looking at the data, the pattern is impossible to miss. Click Utah versus New York for the same year and you get two different America. Louisiana's top names feel French-Acadian; Texas leans evangelical-conservative; Vermont and Oregon run toward nature and gender-neutral; Hawaii holds onto traditional Hawaiian names that don't crack the national top 500.
The Social Security Administration has tracked this at the state level since 1910, publishing every name given to 5 or more babies in any state-year. That's the raw data powering this map. Every count you see is exact — not modeled, not estimated — straight from the SSA's public release.
The regional patterns you'll find
- Utah — Distinct LDS-influenced naming: Brinley, Brixton, Kaysen, Kimber, Saylor. Names that are top-20 locally barely register nationally.
- Louisiana — French-Acadian influence keeps Remi, Beau, Adeline, Elise in regular rotation.
- Hawaii — Traditional Hawaiian names (Kai, Leilani, Nainoa, Kawena) in the top 50 every year, while the mainland barely sees them.
- Texas — Earlier adoption of Spanish-language names in top 20 — Mateo, Emilia, Santiago — reflecting demographics.
- Vermont, Oregon — Faster adoption of gender-neutral and nature names. Nova, Wren, River appear higher here than nationally.
- Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky — Classic Southern names stay in the top 20 longer. William, Elizabeth, James, Margaret are still mainstream here when they've faded in the Northeast.
- California, New York — First to go multicultural. Mohammed, Aisha, Leilany, Santiago hit the top 50 before reaching other states.
How to use the interactive map
- Hover any state to see the #1 boy and girl names for the currently-selected year with exact counts.
- Click a state to open a detail panel showing top 10 boys and top 10 girls with ranks and counts.
- Use the year slider (1910-2025) to jump back through time. Step one year at a time or jump by decade with the ◀◀ and ▶▶ buttons.
- Click "Explore all names in X" on the detail panel to open a state's dedicated page with the full name list and historical #1 timeline.
What the data tells us about America
State-level name data is one of the best sociological records we have. You can watch immigration waves arrive in the numbers — Italian names in New York and New Jersey in the 1920s, Spanish-language names rising in Texas and California in the 2000s, Arabic names expanding in Michigan and Minnesota in the 2010s. You can see cultural movements land — the 1970s folk-music Joshua and Rebecca surge, the 1990s soap-opera Jessica peak, the 2010s Instagram-friendly short vowel-heavy names (Ava, Mia, Emma, Luna).
It's also a map of where identity gets expressed through naming. Higher-population coastal states churn through fashion names faster. Rural and midwestern states hold onto classics longer. Specific enclaves (Utah, Hawaii, Louisiana) have strong local naming cultures that barely interact with the national chart at all.
Explore state pages
Every state has its own page with full data, #1 name history by year, and distinctive-names analysis comparing local rank to national rank. Click any state on the map above, or jump directly:
California ·
Texas ·
New York ·
Florida ·
Pennsylvania ·
Illinois ·
Ohio ·
Georgia ·
North Carolina ·
Michigan ·
Washington ·
Massachusetts ·
Utah ·
Louisiana ·
Hawaii
Frequently asked questions
Where does this data come from?
The U.S. Social Security Administration's state-level baby names release. SSA tracks every first name registered on a Social Security application with 5 or more occurrences per state-year, back to 1910. It's updated each May with the previous year's data.
What states have the most distinctive naming?
Utah, Louisiana, and Hawaii stand out. Utah's LDS-influenced picks (Brinley, Brixton, Kimber), Louisiana's French-Acadian inheritance (Remi, Beau, Elise), and Hawaii's continued Hawaiian-language choices (Kai, Leilani, Nainoa) all produce state rankings noticeably different from the national chart.
Why do some states have fewer listed names?
SSA's 5-occurrence threshold per state-year means low-population states like Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota have shorter lists than California or Texas. It's a completeness issue from the source, not a display limit. The data shown is genuinely what's publicly available.
Can I see how a name moved across states over time?
Yes, indirectly — slide the year back to 1960 and walk forward. You'll watch specific names appear first in a few coastal states, then spread inward. "Emma" shows this pattern clearly from 2002 onward. For a single-name popularity chart, visit the name's dedicated page.
Is international data available?
Yes — BabyNa.me has regional baby name maps for 21 countries including France, Norway, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Brazil, and more. Visit
France,
Norway,
Netherlands,
Spain,
Brazil, or the main
country index.
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