Kentucky Baby Names: Trends & Data (1910–2025)

Boys

Kentucky's male baby naming trends reveal significant shifts. Oliver is projected as the top name in 2025, with 278 births. This contrasts sharply with James, dominant throughout the 1950s. Andrew has seen the fastest rise over the past 30 years, climbing 7 rank positions. Michael, however, experienced the biggest decline, dropping 8 rank positions in the same period, reflecting evolving preferences.

Girls

Kentucky's female baby naming trends reveal significant shifts. Amelia is projected as the top name in 2025, with 212 births. This marks a clear departure from the 1950s, when Mary dominated choices. Over the last 30 years, Madison has seen the fastest rise, climbing 15 rank positions. Sarah, however, experienced the biggest decline, dropping 4 rank positions. Such data illustrates evolving preferences across generations.

#1 Boy (2025)

Oliver

#1 Girl (2025)

Amelia

Fastest Rising

Andrew

↑ +7

Biggest Decline

Michael

↓ −8

Longest #1 Run

James

7 decades at #1

Total Births (2025)

9,928

births tracked

How the Most Popular Names Changed Over Time

Popularity by decade — lower ranks indicate greater popularity (#1 is the most popular name).

Decade	Oliver	James	Joshua	Ethan	Jacob
1910s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1920s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1930s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1940s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1950s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1960s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1970s	—	Rank #1	—	—	—
1980s	—	Rank #4	Rank #1	—	—
1990s	—	Rank #2	Rank #3	—	Rank #1
2000s	—	Rank #4	Rank #5	Rank #3	Rank #1
2010s	—	Rank #4	—	—	Rank #8
2020s	Rank #2	Rank #6	—	—	—

Baby Names by Decade

Biggest Name Shifts

Names that climbed or fell the most in popularity

Fastest Rising

Andrew

+7 rank positions · since 1980s

Biggest Decline

Michael

-8 rank positions · since 1970s

How Kentucky Compares to the Nation

Names that rank notably higher or lower here vs. the U.S. overall

More Popular in Kentucky

Bentley
#81 here · #214 nationally↑ +133
Ryker
#53 here · #182 nationally↑ +129
Kingston
#97 here · #204 nationally↑ +107
Tucker
#84 here · #181 nationally↑ +97
Knox
#99 here · #195 nationally↑ +96

Less Popular in Kentucky

Luca
#90 here · #14 nationally↓ −76
Sebastian
#80 here · #16 nationally↓ −64
Mateo
#63 here · #8 nationally↓ −55
Leo
#74 here · #19 nationally↓ −55
Anthony
#91 here · #46 nationally↓ −45

Top 100 Baby Names in Kentucky

Most popular names in 2020–2025, ranked by total births

Top 10

RankNameBirthsNational

#1Oliver278#3
#2Liam253#1
#3Hudson229#17
#4Waylon223#56
#5Noah203#2
#6Henry191#5
#7Theodore191#4
#8Elijah185#7
#9James181#6
#10William173#9

Names #11–100

#11 Asher
#12 John
#13 Grayson
#14 Levi
#15 Samuel
#16 Lucas
#17 Cooper
#18 Maverick
#19 Walker
#20 Weston
#21 Carter
#22 Jackson
#23 Ezra
#24 Wyatt
#25 Lincoln
#26 Benjamin
#27 Beau
#28 Owen
#29 Bennett
#30 Michael
#31 Joseph
#32 Silas
#33 Jack
#34 Thomas
#35 Colton
#36 Easton
#37 Rowan
#38 David
#39 Elias
#40 Alexander
#41 Charles
#42 Mason
#43 Sawyer
#44 Luke
#45 Roman
#46 Gabriel
#47 Atlas
#48 Miles
#49 Dylan
#50 Carson
#51 Everett
#52 Daniel
#53 Ryker
#54 Stetson
#55 Ethan
#56 Myles
#57 Jasper
#58 Brooks
#59 Logan
#60 Matthew
#61 Wesley
#62 Dawson
#63 Mateo
#64 Ryder
#65 Colter
#66 Hayden
#67 Beckett
#68 Nolan
#69 Axel
#70 Harrison
#71 Isaiah
#72 Jaxon
#73 Joshua
#74 Leo
#75 Parker
#76 August
#77 Isaac
#78 Jacob
#79 River
#80 Sebastian
#81 Bentley
#82 Caleb
#83 Hunter
#84 Tucker
#85 Andrew
#86 Greyson
#87 Luka
#88 Nathan
#89 Beckham
#90 Luca
#91 Anthony
#92 Archer
#93 Christopher
#94 Jameson
#95 Jaxson
#96 Jonah
#97 Kingston
#98 Braxton
#99 Knox
#100 Micah

Explore Neighboring States

See how naming trends differ in nearby states