Annual field notes / 2020
2020 U.S. baby names: the published record
The ten leading spellings in each national SSA recorded-sex field, with published birth counts and their change in calculated position from 2019.
What stands out in 2020
Olivia and Liam led their respective published fields. Charlotte advanced from sixth to fifth in the female-field list, while Henry moved from thirteenth to ninth in the male-field list.
Gianna moved from position 79 in 2019 to 13 in 2020. The count and position change are observable; the national file does not identify a cause. A single-year shift is best checked against the years on both sides.
Female recorded field
| Position* | Name | Count | From 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olivia | 17,691 | same |
| 2 | Emma | 15,723 | same |
| 3 | Ava | 13,201 | same |
| 4 | Sophia | 13,105 | same |
| 5 | Charlotte | 13,100 | up 1 |
| 6 | Amelia | 12,802 | up 1 |
| 7 | Isabella | 12,226 | down 2 |
| 8 | Mia | 11,269 | same |
| 9 | Evelyn | 9,517 | up 1 |
| 10 | Harper | 8,849 | down 1 |
Male recorded field
| Position* | Name | Count | From 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam | 19,865 | same |
| 2 | Noah | 18,464 | same |
| 3 | Oliver | 14,277 | same |
| 4 | Elijah | 13,238 | up 1 |
| 5 | William | 12,676 | down 1 |
| 6 | James | 12,390 | same |
| 7 | Benjamin | 12,264 | same |
| 8 | Lucas | 11,386 | same |
| 9 | Henry | 10,793 | up 4 |
| 10 | Alexander | 10,268 | same |
What these lists leave out
These are exact spellings, not totals for related forms. Birth counts are raw published SSA observations and are not adjusted for total births or historical coverage. The same spelling may appear in both recorded-sex fields. Published national files omit rows below the SSA disclosure threshold; absence is never proof of zero births.
*Positions are calculated from the pinned published file and are not official SSA ranks. Changes compare calculated positions in the two adjacent files.
Explore the name profiles or look up a different spelling in the annual popularity tool.
Sources: SSA national data and suppression rules · our data method. Data reviewed 1 November 2026.