North Carolina Baby Names: Trends & Data (1910–2025)
Boys
Examining North Carolina's male baby naming trends reveals shifts over decades. In 2025, Noah was the top male name, recorded for 684 births. This contrasts sharply with the 1950s, when James dominated. Over the last 30 years, Andrew saw the fastest rise, gaining 6 rank positions. Meanwhile, Christopher experienced the biggest decline, dropping 10 rank positions.
Girls
In North Carolina, female baby naming trends reveal significant shifts across generations. Amelia is projected as the top name in 2025, with 459 births, a stark contrast to Mary, the dominant name of the 1950s. Examining changes over 30 years, Alexis has seen the fastest rise, climbing +8 rank positions. Conversely, Samantha experienced the biggest decline, dropping -10 rank positions, reflecting evolving parental preferences.
#1 Boy (2025)
Noah
#1 Girl (2025)
Amelia
Fastest Rising
Andrew
↑ +6
Biggest Decline
Christopher
↓ −10
Longest #1 Run
James
6 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
22,943
births tracked
Fastest Rising
Alexis
↑ +8
Biggest Decline
Samantha
↓ −10
Longest #1 Run
Mary
5 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
18,041
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 | William | James | Liam | Oliver | Elijah |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | Rank #2 | Rank #1 | — | — | — |
| 1920s | Rank #2 | Rank #1 | — | — | — |
| 1930s | Rank #2 | Rank #1 | — | — | — |
| 1940s | Rank #2 | Rank #1 | — | — | — |
| 1950s | Rank #2 | Rank #1 | — | — | — |
| 1960s | Rank #4 | Rank #1 | — | — | — |
| 1970s | Rank #4 | Rank #2 | — | — | — |
| 1980s | Rank #6 | Rank #4 | — | — | — |
| 1990s | Rank #4 | Rank #6 | — | — | — |
| 2000s | Rank #1 | Rank #7 | — | — | — |
| 2010s | Rank #1 | Rank #5 | Rank #6 | — | Rank #4 |
| 2020s | Rank #3 | Rank #5 | Rank #1 | Rank #4 | Rank #6 |
Baby Names by Decade
Most popular · Runner-up per decade
Biggest Name Shifts
Names that climbed or fell the most in popularity
Andrew
+6 rank positions · since 1980sChristopher
-10 rank positions · since 1980sAlexis
+8 rank positions · since 1990sSamantha
-10 rank positions · since 1990sHow North Carolina Compares to the Nation
Names that rank notably higher or lower here vs. the U.S. overall
More Popular in North Carolina
- Malachi#95 here · #134 nationally↑ +39
- Colton#68 here · #104 nationally↑ +36
- Sawyer#87 here · #122 nationally↑ +35
- Carson#93 here · #124 nationally↑ +31
- Grayson#21 here · #51 nationally↑ +30
Less Popular in North Carolina
- Santiago#63 here · #26 nationally↓ −37
- Julian#58 here · #25 nationally↓ −33
- Ezekiel#91 here · #61 nationally↓ −30
- Anthony#70 here · #46 nationally↓ −24
- Enzo#96 here · #72 nationally↓ −24
More Popular in North Carolina
- Kehlani#92 here · #150 nationally↑ +58
- Savannah#80 here · #135 nationally↑ +55
- Oaklynn#99 here · #153 nationally↑ +54
- Magnolia#71 here · #123 nationally↑ +52
- Emerson#73 here · #122 nationally↑ +49
Less Popular in North Carolina
- Valentina#82 here · #35 nationally↓ −47
- Mila#69 here · #43 nationally↓ −26
- Leah#84 here · #58 nationally↓ −26
- Victoria#79 here · #54 nationally↓ −25
- Maya#81 here · #62 nationally↓ −19
Top 100 Baby Names in North Carolina
Most popular names in 2020–2025, ranked by total births
Top 10
- #1Noah684#2
- #2Liam680#1
- #3Oliver507#3
- #4William500#9
- #5James471#6
- #6Henry450#5
- #7Elijah426#7
- #8Theodore425#4
- #9Levi376#12
- #10John360#23
Names #11–100
- #11 Lucas
- #12 Hudson
- #13 Samuel
- #14 Elias
- #15 Mateo
- #16 Benjamin
- #17 Ezra
- #18 Wyatt
- #19 Asher
- #20 Luke
- #21 Grayson
- #22 Jack
- #23 Jackson
- #24 Michael
- #25 Daniel
- #26 Luca
- #27 Waylon
- #28 Carter
- #29 David
- #30 Owen
- #31 Thomas
- #32 Mason
- #33 Charles
- #34 Cooper
- #35 Bennett
- #36 Matthew
- #37 Sebastian
- #38 Alexander
- #39 Joseph
- #40 Weston
- #41 Ethan
- #42 Leo
- #43 Silas
- #44 Thiago
- #45 Josiah
- #46 Gabriel
- #47 Maverick
- #48 Roman
- #49 Isaac
- #50 Rowan
- #51 Wesley
- #52 Miles
- #53 Cameron
- #54 Joshua
- #55 Brooks
- #56 Nolan
- #57 Caleb
- #58 Julian
- #59 Lincoln
- #60 Jacob
- #61 Logan
- #62 Walker
- #63 Santiago
- #64 Dylan
- #65 Atlas
- #66 Christopher
- #67 Everett
- #68 Colton
- #69 Axel
- #70 Anthony
- #71 Micah
- #72 Aiden
- #73 Nathan
- #74 Andrew
- #75 Eithan
- #76 Isaiah
- #77 Christian
- #78 Beau
- #79 Ian
- #80 Jeremiah
- #81 Amir
- #82 Angel
- #83 Jonathan
- #84 August
- #85 Easton
- #86 Jayden
- #87 Sawyer
- #88 Parker
- #89 River
- #90 Robert
- #91 Ezekiel
- #92 Theo
- #93 Carson
- #94 Jace
- #95 Malachi
- #96 Enzo
- #97 Harrison
- #98 Adrian
- #99 Archer
- #100 Graham
Top 10
- #1Amelia459#4
- #2Charlotte453#2
- #3Olivia441#1
- #4Sophia396#5
- #5Emma391#3
- #6Isabella342#7
- #7Mia325#6
- #8Eliana321#10
- #9Evelyn317#8
- #10Eleanor315#12
Names #11–100
- #11 Ava
- #12 Ailany
- #13 Sofia
- #14 Harper
- #15 Elizabeth
- #16 Isla
- #17 Violet
- #18 Lily
- #19 Lucy
- #20 Aurora
- #21 Naomi
- #22 Nora
- #23 Ella
- #24 Lainey
- #25 Ellie
- #26 Hazel
- #27 Willow
- #28 Chloe
- #29 Nova
- #30 Zoe
- #31 Sadie
- #32 Ivy
- #33 Lillian
- #34 Penelope
- #35 Camila
- #36 Abigail
- #37 Gianna
- #38 Avery
- #39 Madison
- #40 Luna
- #41 Aria
- #42 Layla
- #43 Scarlett
- #44 Eloise
- #45 Riley
- #46 Emily
- #47 Grace
- #48 Caroline
- #49 Eden
- #50 Emilia
- #51 Madelyn
- #52 Adeline
- #53 Elena
- #54 Josephine
- #55 Kennedy
- #56 Emery
- #57 Josie
- #58 Paisley
- #59 Claire
- #60 Genesis
- #61 Leilani
- #62 Sophie
- #63 Delilah
- #64 Stella
- #65 Iris
- #66 Zoey
- #67 Clara
- #68 Hannah
- #69 Mila
- #70 Madeline
- #71 Magnolia
- #72 Ruby
- #73 Emerson
- #74 Alice
- #75 Georgia
- #76 Millie
- #77 Addison
- #78 Vivian
- #79 Victoria
- #80 Savannah
- #81 Maya
- #82 Valentina
- #83 Hallie
- #84 Leah
- #85 Anna
- #86 Raelynn
- #87 Audrey
- #88 Melody
- #89 Mary
- #90 Natalie
- #91 Eliza
- #92 Kehlani
- #93 Autumn
- #94 Emersyn
- #95 Kinsley
- #96 Margaret
- #97 Aubrey
- #98 Charlie
- #99 Oaklynn
- #100 Parker
Explore Neighboring States
See how naming trends differ in nearby states