Here Are NYC's Most Popular Baby Names

Jen Chung

Published Dec 28, 2016

Modified Dec 28, 2016

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Jen Chung

Published Dec 28, 2016

Modified Dec 28, 2016

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Teachers of the future, get ready for an onslaught of Olivias and Ethans! The NYC Health Department announced the top names given to babies in 2015, and Olivia returned to the #1 position for girls, while Ethan remained the most popular boy name for another year in a row. 773 Ethans and 595 Olivias were born in New York City in 2015, according to birth certificate records.

Last year, Sophia was the number one girl's name (it was also number in 2012 and 2013)—now it's number two. Ethan supplanted Jayden, the reigning champ since 2008, last year, and Jayden has tumbled to number five.

The most births occurred in Brooklyn, which had 40,982; followed by Queens, 26,848; the Bronx, 19,887; Manhattan, 17,766; and Staten Island, 5,261. The Health Department also broke out the popularity of names by race/ethnicity, noting, "The top 10 most popular baby names have a strong representation across racial and ethnic groups. Isabella and Sophia remained the most popular baby names for girls among Latino families. Madison retained the top spot among Black families, while Skylar displaced Ava as the second most popular name with Black families. Olivia remained the most popular name with Asian families and remained the most popular name with White families. Among boys, Latino families again chose Liam most frequently, while Black families preferred Noah. In 2015, Asian families again chose Jayden as the most popular name, while White families preferred David."

Here are some more fun facts about 2015 baby names—did you realize that Leia ranks number 136 for girls' names?

Star Power

Celebrity names were influential in 2015, with many parents naming their children after television, movie, music and sport celebrities. Last year’s big draw among females included Ariana (#24), Kylie (#43), Aaliyah (#44), and Serena (#114). Movie stars, musicians and athletes’ names like Justin (#39), Leonardo (#89) and Stephen (#147), were also popular.

Movie Characters

Some parents may have sought inspiration from film. Pixar’s Inside Out may have influenced parents’ choice of Riley (#39 for girls, #152 for boys) and Joy (#123 for girls). The blockbuster movie series, Marvel’s The Avengers, may have inspired parents. The Avengers, such as Iron Man (Anthony, #22; Tony, #167), Captain America (Steven, #75), and the Hulk (Bruce, #156), proved to be popular. The return of the Star Wars franchise may have also influenced the choice of names: Luke (#62), Leia (#136), and Finn (#141).

19th Century Names

Names that were most popular in 1898, the first year that baby names were available, are still being chosen by parents for their infants: for girls, the top three names in 1898 were Mary (#124 in 2015), Catherine (#83) and Margaret (#106); the top three names in 1898 for boys were John (#35 in 2015), William (#20), and Charles (#54).

Rare names

Some New Yorkers gave their children rare names with as few as 10 parents naming their daughters Damaris, Eunice, and Shirin and sons Dimitri, and Immanuel, and Ousmane.

According to the Social Security Administration

, Emma and Noah are the most popular names across the country.

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nyc health department

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