Annual field notes / 2021
2021 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 2020.
What stands out in 2021
Charlotte moved from fifth to third among the published female-field spellings, while Ava moved from third to fifth. The relative positions changed even though all four names remained in a familiar cluster near the top.
Theodore entered the male-field top ten from position 23 in 2020. Outside that first ten, Leilani moved from 92 to 68 in the female field and Waylon from 103 to 69 in the male field.
Female recorded field
| Position* | Name | Count | From 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olivia | 17,847 | same |
| 2 | Emma | 15,549 | same |
| 3 | Charlotte | 13,368 | up 2 |
| 4 | Amelia | 13,041 | up 2 |
| 5 | Ava | 12,873 | down 2 |
| 6 | Sophia | 12,585 | down 2 |
| 7 | Isabella | 11,309 | same |
| 8 | Mia | 11,177 | same |
| 9 | Evelyn | 9,495 | same |
| 10 | Harper | 8,448 | same |
Male recorded field
| Position* | Name | Count | From 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam | 20,424 | same |
| 2 | Noah | 18,919 | same |
| 3 | Oliver | 14,713 | same |
| 4 | Elijah | 12,845 | same |
| 5 | James | 12,474 | up 1 |
| 6 | William | 12,170 | down 1 |
| 7 | Benjamin | 11,895 | same |
| 8 | Lucas | 11,584 | same |
| 9 | Henry | 11,370 | same |
| 10 | Theodore | 9,600 | up 13 |
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.