2023's MOST Popular Baby Names are OUT! | Country 107.3 WRWD

If you're expecting and looking for a name for your baby, does a name's popularity affect your decision? Here are the names poppin in 23! Click on any name andthe link will take you to BabyCenter to find out more about the name and see which way the name is moving on the popularity chart.

Noah, the new No. 1 boy’s name: For the first time in five years, there is a new No. 1 baby name for boys. Noah trades places with Liam, which was the top boy name from 2019 to 2022.
Ezra appears in the top 10 boy names for the first time: Registrations for Ezra rose quickly in the second half of this year, causing it to leap from No. 12 to No. 9.
Half of the top 10 boys’ names start with “L”: Liam, Lucas, Levi, Leo, and Luca are all among the 10 most popular boys' names, making up the largest portion of names that start with a similar letter.
Girl names starting with “M” are rising in popularity: BabyCenter saw spikes in registrations for the names Miley (up 501 spots), Mckinley (up 242 spots), Mavis and Milan (each up 228 spots), and Mallory (up 217 spots).
Nicknames are overtaking “proper” names: Names that were once considered nicknames are now, in many cases, being used on their own as first names. Ellie (No. 15) is more popular than Elizabeth (No. 41) and Eleanor (No. 31); Josie (No. 85) outranks Josephine (No. 146); Theo (No. 20) tops Theodore (No. 38); and Leo (No. 8) stands above Leonardo (No. 141).
In baby names, Rihanna actually won the Super Bowl: Rihanna’s pregnant halftime show performance left parents in awe. So it’s no wonder that her name is up 261 spots, to No. 1,721.
London is falling, along with other travel-inspired names: Some of the names seeing the sharpest declines are those associated with popular cities and states around the world, including: 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).
It’s about to get Messi: Lionel is a top rising name, up 283 spots this year to No. 456, coinciding with Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi’s move to play for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami FC. He also starred in the Apple TV documentary Messi Meets America.
Wednesday and Jenna are in style: Thanks to the popularity of Netflix's Wednesday series, the name Wednesday is up 1,425 spots in the rankings, to No. 1,183. The name Jenna (Ortega) is also up six spots, to No. 722, after the actress’s momentous year portraying Wednesday Addams and being cast in the revival of Scream.
Barbie beats Oppenheimer at the box office and for baby names: Barbie’s full name, Barbara, is up a whopping 994 spots, to No. 1,336. Greta (Gerwig) is up 313 spots, to No. 95; and Margot (Robbie) is up 65 spots, to No. 221. Meanwhile, Robert (Oppenheimer) is down 29 spots, to No. 178; and Katherine (Oppenheimer) is down 18 spots, to No. 471. Behind the scenes, the name Christopher (Nolan) is down 9 spots, to No. 83, as is Cillian (Murphy), which is down 10 spots, to No. 677.

“Ya”-sounding names are a new trend for girls: More parents are using names that feature the sound and spelling “ya” in names like Siya, Haya, Inaya, Aadhya, and Ariyah.

Michael J.