Iowa, Do You Have One Of The Most Popular Baby Names In 2023?

There are some new names at the top of the popular trending baby name list and some names are seeing a big increase thanks to pop culture.

Is your child's name on the list?  Or, is your name on this list?  Check out what's hot in baby names in Iowa and around the country below.

Trends In Baby Names

Babycenter.com has been tracking popular baby names and has discovered some trends in 2023.

One of the top trends is giving a baby a nickname instead of the proper name.  For example, Ellie (No. 15) is more popular than Elizabeth (No. 41) and Josie (No. 85) outranks Josephine (No. 146).  On the boy's side, Theo (No. 20) tops Theodore (No. 38); and Leo (No. 8) stands above Leonardo (No. 141).

Geography names are on a decline.  While names like Cali, Paris, Sydney, and Memphis have been popular over the past few years all are now down in the popularity rankings.  Apparently, people don't want to be named after locations anymore.

But while locations are out, pop culture is in.  Wednesday is in style thanks to Netflix's Wednesday series.  The name Wednesday is up 1,425 spots in the rankings, to No. 1,183.  And opposite from Wednesday Adams, was the other pop icon of the year, Barbie.  Barbie’s full name, Barbara, is up 994 spots, to No. 1,336.

Most Popular Boys and Girls Names of 2023

For the first time in five years, there is a new top baby name for boys.  Noah trades places with Liam, the top boy name from 2019 to 2022.   But don't feel bad for Liam or any of the "L" boy names as half of the top ten start with "L".  Liam, Lucas, Levi, Leo, and Luca are all among the 10 most popular boys' names.

This year’s top three baby girl names are the same as last year’s, with Olivia, Emma, and Amelia taking spots one, two, and three. For girls, the hot letter is "M" with 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).

Here is the full list of names thanks to Babycenter.com.