"When it comes to choosing a baby name, studying the Social Security Administration (SSA) website might not make your initial list of to-dos. But each year, this organization pulls together the list of the most popular baby boy names given to the prior year’s crop of newborns, making it a useful place to read up on well-loved names for little ones. The SSA baby name list is usually released right before Mother’s Day using compiled data from the previous year’s United States social security applications.
If the popularity of a name gives you pause, consider that even the top baby names account for only a small percentage of each year’s newborns. For example, Liam, the top boy baby name for the seventh year in a row, only accounted for 1.1 percent of all babies born in 2023. So while your child won’t have the world’s most unique baby name, they won’t get lost in a sea of kids with the same name either. Climbing up the charts for 2023 are Mateo, Ezra, Maverick (Top Gun fans rejoice!) and Leo (maybe owing to Lionel Messi’s arrival in the US!).
Whether you’re at the start of your naming journey, or in the throes of decision fatigue, take a moment to read through the monikers parents around the U.S. gave to their baby boys last year. Below, check out the 50 most popular baby boy names of 2023 that are sure to inspire the most popular baby boy names of 2024, too.
The 20 Most Popular Baby Boy Names of 2023
1. Liam: This Irish name is seeing its seventh year at the top of this list, and it means “strong-willed warrior and protector.”
2. Noah: Of Hebrew origin, meaning “rest” and “comfort.”
3. Oliver: Comes from old Norse, meaning “ancestor’s descendant.”
4. James: A biblical name meaning “supplanter” or “replacer.”
5. Elijah: A biblical name meaning “My God is Yahweh.”
6. Mateo: Of Latin origin, Mateo means “gift of God.”
7. Theodore: Now in the top 10 list for the second year and of Greek origin, Theodore means “Gift of God” and comes with the cute nickname Theo or Teddy.
8. Henry: This English name means “estate ruler.”
9. Lucas: Of Latin origin, meaning “bringer of light.”
10. William: A traditionally English name, it means “With Gilded Helmet.”
11. Benjamin: Son of the south, or son of the right hand.
12. Levi: Of Hebrew origin, it means to “join.”
13. Sebastian: This name jumped from 19 in 2021 to 13 in 2022! Of Latin origin, Sebastian means “revered.”
14. Jack: Jack was originally a nickname for the names John and James, but has grown in popularity as a given name over the last century.
15. Ezra: Ezra is a name of Biblical origin meaning “helper.”
16. Michael: A biblical name meaning “one who is like God.”
17. Daniel: Another biblical name, meaning “God is my judge.”
18. Leo: Leo comes from the latin word for “lion” and can mean “brave person” or “lion-hearted.”
19. Owen: A new name to the top 20 list, the moniker means “noble-born” and “young warrior.”
20. Samuel: Of Hebrew origin meaning “name of God.”
The Most Popular Baby Boy Names 21-50
21. Hudson
22. Alexander
23. Asher
24. Luca
25. Ethan
26. John
27. David
28. Jackson
29. Joseph
30. Mason
31. Luke
32. Matthew
33. Julian
34. Dylan
35. Elias
36. Jacob
37. Maverick
38. Gabriel
39. Logan
40. Aiden
41. Thomas
42. Isaac
43. Miles
44. Grayson
45. Santiago
46. Anthony
47. Wyatt
48. Carter
49. Jayden
50. Ezekiel
Baby Boy Name Trends of 2023
You can always spot some boy name trends while reading through the top 1000 baby boy names. For example, in 2023 social media and pop culture played a big part in some of the fastest rising names. Eiden is one of the fastest rising names for boys of the year, which the SSA attributes to the succecss of TikToker Wyatt Eiden. The 2022 movie release of Top Gun Maverick still continues to influence with the boy name Maverick still hitting the top 20 of this list. While millennial parents may be taking inspo from the Karate Kid Netflix reboot Cobra Kai with the name Chozen, which is the second fastest rising baby boy name of the year.
The Top 5 Fastest-Rising Baby Boy Names of 2023
This year, the Social Security Administration also ranked the top five fastest-rising boys’ names in 2023:
1. Izael: With Hebrew roots, Izael means “All powerful being”
2. Chozen: A powerful name and a cute moniker for your family’s “chosen” little one—and another gender-neutral option. This name means “selected.”
3. Eiden: This is a modern take on the name Aidan, meaning “little fire.”
4. Cassian: Of Roman origin, meaning “youth.”
5. Kyren: This name is of Persian origin and means “harsh ruler,” “royalty,” or “nobility.”
