Most popular baby names of 2020

The baby name landscape saw some interesting shifts from 2019 to 2020, with certain classics holding strong while newcomers made impressive gains. In the US, Olivia maintained her reign as the top girls' name for both years, with Emma and Ava similarly holding their positions at second and third. The stability of these three names demonstrates their enduring appeal to American parents, showing little sign of losing popularity anytime soon.

Looking at the US top 10 girls' names in 2020, we see Charlotte climbing to fourth place from sixth in 2019, while Sophia slipped from fourth to fifth. Amelia continued its impressive rise, reaching sixth place in 2020 after sitting at seventh the year before. Perhaps most notably, Evelyn broke into the top 10, landing at ninth place and pushing Harper to tenth. The continued popularity of names ending in "a" (Olivia, Emma, Ava, Sophia, Isabella, Amelia, Mia) remains a dominant pattern, accounting for seven of the top ten girls' names.

For US boys, the top three remained remarkably stable with Liam, Noah, and Oliver holding onto their respective first, second, and third place rankings. However, significant movement occurred just below, with Elijah rising to fourth place in 2020 after ranking fifth the previous year, while William dropped to fifth after holding the fourth position in 2019. The top 10 also welcomed Henry as a new entrant at ninth place, showing the continued rise of this classic name that ranked thirteenth in 2019.

Interesting patterns emerge when comparing naming trends between the US and UK. In the UK, Amelia claimed the top spot for girls in both years, contrasting with its sixth place position in the US for 2020. More notably, UK parents showed a stronger preference for shorter names ending in "a" among their top choices, including Isla (#2), Ava (#3), and Mia (#4). For boys, Noah rose dramatically to become the UK's top boy's name in 2020 after ranking second in 2019, while George, previously the top name, fell to second place.

The letter "E" gained prominence in 2020 names on both sides of the Atlantic. Names like Evelyn, Ella, Elizabeth, and Eleanor for girls, and Elijah, Ethan, and Ezra for boys all enjoyed popularity. Vintage names continued their resurgence, with classics like Henry, Theodore, and William for boys and Charlotte, Eleanor, and Evelyn for girls ranking highly in both countries, suggesting parents increasingly value traditional names with historical significance.

Short, melodic names also gained traction in 2020, particularly in the UK. Names like Ivy, Lily, and Mia for girls and Leo, Jack, and Max for boys exemplify this trend toward brief, punchy choices that are both traditional and modern. Meanwhile, names with royal connections remained fashionable in both countries, with Charlotte, William, Henry, and George all appearing in top rankings, perhaps reflecting the continued public fascination with royal families and their cultural influence.

Top baby names of 2020