Whether inspired by scripture, royalty, a favorite singer, Disney character, or family heritage, parents are choosing diverse names for their newborns.
The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records unveils its lists of Top 15 baby names for children born in the commonwealth in 2022, perhaps providing some inspiration for stressed-out parents-to-be.
Topping the list of the most popular names for boys in 2022 was Noah, while Charlotte was the most popular for girls. In 2021, there were 95,618 babies born in Virginia. While the numbers for 2022 are still being counted, the state Office of Vital Records estimates there were a similar number of births last year, according to a recent news release.
“It’s always fascinating to see the top names for babies in any given year,” said Seth Austin, director of VDH’s Office of Vital Records. “We see names from a number of sources: a movie, religious texts, a family’s personal history. They all represent the commonwealth’s wonderfully diverse cultures.”
Rounding out the Top 15 for boys in 2022 are James, Liam, William, Henry, Theodore, Oliver, Elijah, Levi, Benjamin, Owen, John, Jack, Asher, and Lucas.
For girls, after Charlotte, the most popular names were Olivia, Ava, Amelia, Emma, Harper, Evelyn, Eleanor, Sophia, Elizabeth, Lilly, Abigail, Riley, Nora and Chloe.
Office of Vital Records data also indicate the most popular 2022 baby names for the largest ethnic groups in the state: Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White.
Among Asian babies born in 2022, Noah and Sophia were the most popular names, while Muhammad, Liam, Kai and Henry filled out the top five list for boys. For girls, Chloe, Olivia, Mia, and Charlotte complete the top five list for Asian babies.
For Black babies born in Virginia in 2022, Noah and Ava were the most popular names. Elijah, Josiah, Amir and Micah rounded out the top five for boys, while Naomi, Nova, Zuri and Leilani filled out the top five for girls.
For Hispanic little ones, Liam and Mia were the top names for boys and girls born in Virginia in 2022. Mateo, Dylan, Noah and Lucas filled out the top five list for boys’ names, while Camila, Isabella, Emma and Genesis completed the top five list for girls’ names.
For Caucasian babies, William and Charlotte were the top boy and girl names in 2022, followed by Henry, James, Theodore and Oliver for boys; and Olivia, Amelia, Harper and Emma for girls.
Half a century ago, in 1972, VDH data shows that Michael and Jennifer were the most popular names for baby boys and girls born that year. James, Christopher, David, Robert, John, William, Brian, Jason, Kevin, Jeffrey, Charles, Richard, Matthew and Thomas filled out the rest of the top 15 for boys’ names that year.
For girls, the top names 50 years ago included Kimberly, Amy, Angela, Melissa, Lisa, Michelle, Tammy, Mary, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Heather, Susan and Karen, the press release said.
Information about popular names in each of the 50 states going back to 1960 is available from the Social Security Administration by using its Popular Names by Decade tool.
Office of Vital Records data also reveals other interesting information about 2022 births.
The most births occurred in August with 8,917 babies delivered, with Aug. 17 seeing the most number of babies born during that month with 359.
Fridays are the busiest day of the week in Virginia delivery rooms: 14,429 babies were born on a Friday in 2022; Sundays, on the other hand, are the slowest days of the week, with only 8,746 born on a Sunday in 2022.
There were 1,344 sets of twins born in Virginia in 2022, while there were 19 sets of triplets born in the state, according to the press release.
And on New Year’s Day 2022, 178 new Virginians came into the world.
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