Top NYC Baby Names: Here's The Full List of Most Popular Names from Last Year

Newborn baby
Getty Images

Know any little Liams or Emmas born recently? If so, you're not alone — far from it, actually.

The New York City Health Department announced Tuesday the most popular baby names for 2021, and it's more of the same at the top of the list. As it has been since 2016, Liam was the most common boys name for NYC babies, with 703 born for 2021.

For girls, Emma was once again the number one name. It marks the fifth year in a row that it has taken the top spot, with 434 Emmas born in the city, according to NYC birth certificate recipes.

Out of the top girls names from 2020, eight appeared on the list once again, with Luna and Sofia being the only newcomers, according to the Health Department. Sarah and Chloe fell off the list. Sophia and Sofia both were among the top names, showing just how popular it has become for girls.

The boys' list was very similar to the previous year, with only one newcomer added. Benjamin replaced Alexander on the 2022 list, the Health Department said. In addition to Liam once again finishing in the top spot, Noah repeated its second-place finish for the second straight year.

Here's a look at the full list:

RankGirlsBoys
1EmmaLiam
2OliviaNoah
3MiaEthan
4SophiaLucas
5LeahJacob
6AvaJoseph
7IsabellaDavid
8AmeliaDaniel
9LunaAiden
10SofiaBenjamin

Of all the boroughs, Manhattan had the most babies born, with 39,559 in 2022, the Health Department said. Brooklyn had just over 23,200, while Queens had just under 18,000 newborns.

Overall, the number of births went down .07 percent from 2020 to 2021, the department found, dipping below 100,000 to 99,262. That number has decreased by just over 10 percent since 2019.

Contact Us