Virginia Baby Names: Trends & Data (1910–2025)
Boys
Virginia's male baby naming trends demonstrate significant shifts across decades. In 2025, Liam was the top choice, given to 590 newborns. This marks a clear departure from the 1950s, when James stood as the dominant name. Over the past 30 years, Ryan has seen the fastest rise, climbing +6 rank positions. Meanwhile, Christopher experienced the biggest decline, dropping -11 rank positions.
Girls
Virginia's female baby naming trends reveal notable shifts across generations. In 2025, Charlotte led with 460 births, a significant change from Linda, the dominant name of the 1950s. Comparing current data to 30 years ago, Alexis shows the fastest ascent, climbing 9 rank positions. Conversely, Samantha experienced the biggest decline, dropping 11 rank positions. These figures underscore the dynamic nature of parental naming preferences.
#1 Boy (2025)
Liam
#1 Girl (2025)
Charlotte
Fastest Rising
Ryan
↑ +6
Biggest Decline
Christopher
↓ −11
Longest #1 Run
James
6 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
17,298
births tracked
Fastest Rising
Alexis
↑ +9
Biggest Decline
Samantha
↓ −11
Longest #1 Run
Mary
4 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
13,674
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 | Liam | James | William | Joshua | Oliver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #2 | — | — |
| 1920s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #2 | — | — |
| 1930s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #2 | — | — |
| 1940s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #2 | — | — |
| 1950s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #2 | — | — |
| 1960s | — | Rank #1 | Rank #6 | — | — |
| 1970s | — | Rank #3 | Rank #7 | — | — |
| 1980s | — | Rank #4 | Rank #8 | Rank #5 | — |
| 1990s | — | Rank #6 | Rank #5 | Rank #4 | — |
| 2000s | — | Rank #7 | Rank #1 | Rank #4 | — |
| 2010s | Rank #3 | Rank #4 | Rank #1 | — | — |
| 2020s | Rank #1 | Rank #3 | Rank #4 | — | Rank #5 |
Baby Names by Decade
Most popular · Runner-up per decade
Biggest Name Shifts
Names that climbed or fell the most in popularity
Ryan
+6 rank positions · since 1980sChristopher
-11 rank positions · since 1980sAlexis
+9 rank positions · since 1990sSamantha
-11 rank positions · since 1990sHow Virginia Compares to the Nation
Names that rank notably higher or lower here vs. the U.S. overall
More Popular in Virginia
- Declan#98 here · #139 nationally↑ +41
- Colton#65 here · #104 nationally↑ +39
- George#92 here · #126 nationally↑ +34
- Ryan#73 here · #99 nationally↑ +26
- Charles#23 here · #48 nationally↑ +25
Less Popular in Virginia
- Santiago#83 here · #26 nationally↓ −57
- Sebastian#51 here · #16 nationally↓ −35
- Julian#59 here · #25 nationally↓ −34
- Ezekiel#90 here · #61 nationally↓ −29
- Beau#85 here · #60 nationally↓ −25
More Popular in Virginia
- Serenity#72 here · #128 nationally↑ +56
- Margaret#63 here · #111 nationally↑ +48
- Caroline#58 here · #96 nationally↑ +38
- Savannah#100 here · #135 nationally↑ +35
- Autumn#55 here · #88 nationally↑ +33
Less Popular in Virginia
- Valentina#79 here · #35 nationally↓ −44
- Victoria#85 here · #54 nationally↓ −31
- Delilah#81 here · #51 nationally↓ −30
- Emilia#73 here · #45 nationally↓ −28
- Camila#44 here · #19 nationally↓ −25
Top 100 Baby Names in Virginia
Most popular names in 2020–2025, ranked by total births
Top 10
- #1Liam590#1
- #2Noah556#2
- #3Theodore392#4
- #4Oliver390#3
- #5Henry372#5
- #6James368#6
- #7William358#9
- #8Elijah314#7
- #9Lucas311#10
- #10John277#23
Names #11–100
- #11 Benjamin
- #12 Levi
- #13 Daniel
- #14 Thomas
- #15 Samuel
- #16 Ethan
- #17 Ezra
- #18 Jack
- #19 Owen
- #20 Luke
- #21 Michael
- #22 Mateo
- #23 Charles
- #24 Wyatt
- #25 Elias
- #26 Jackson
- #27 Alexander
- #28 Cooper
- #29 Hudson
- #30 Joseph
- #31 Asher
- #32 Matthew
- #33 Carter
- #34 Luca
- #35 Leo
- #36 Mason
- #37 Miles
- #38 Gabriel
- #39 David
- #40 Jacob
- #41 Thiago
- #42 Bennett
- #43 Caleb
- #44 Dylan
- #45 Aiden
- #46 Isaac
- #47 Wesley
- #48 Grayson
- #49 Rowan
- #50 Roman
- #51 Sebastian
- #52 Weston
- #53 Josiah
- #54 Logan
- #55 Waylon
- #56 Nathan
- #57 Christopher
- #58 Walker
- #59 Julian
- #60 Jayden
- #61 Joshua
- #62 Nolan
- #63 Andrew
- #64 Arthur
- #65 Colton
- #66 Maverick
- #67 Anthony
- #68 Silas
- #69 Robert
- #70 Isaiah
- #71 Brooks
- #72 Cameron
- #73 Ryan
- #74 Lincoln
- #75 Micah
- #76 Atlas
- #77 Axel
- #78 Adam
- #79 Adrian
- #80 Enzo
- #81 Jonathan
- #82 Everett
- #83 Santiago
- #84 August
- #85 Beau
- #86 Jeremiah
- #87 Aaron
- #88 Ian
- #89 Angel
- #90 Ezekiel
- #91 Eithan
- #92 George
- #93 Jace
- #94 Parker
- #95 Callum
- #96 Eli
- #97 Kai
- #98 Declan
- #99 Luka
- #100 Amir
Top 10
- #1Charlotte460#2
- #2Emma341#3
- #3Sophia319#5
- #4Olivia311#1
- #5Amelia296#4
- #6Isabella293#7
- #7Evelyn254#8
- #8Eleanor245#12
- #9Mia245#6
- #10Ava244#11
Names #11–100
- #11 Elizabeth
- #12 Eliana
- #13 Ailany
- #14 Sofia
- #15 Lucy
- #16 Aurora
- #17 Lily
- #18 Harper
- #19 Violet
- #20 Nora
- #21 Naomi
- #22 Isla
- #23 Chloe
- #24 Hazel
- #25 Abigail
- #26 Penelope
- #27 Zoe
- #28 Madison
- #29 Avery
- #30 Riley
- #31 Josephine
- #32 Ella
- #33 Scarlett
- #34 Layla
- #35 Ivy
- #36 Ellie
- #37 Willow
- #38 Grace
- #39 Lainey
- #40 Aria
- #41 Luna
- #42 Emily
- #43 Lillian
- #44 Camila
- #45 Sadie
- #46 Hannah
- #47 Genesis
- #48 Clara
- #49 Adeline
- #50 Madeline
- #51 Sophie
- #52 Claire
- #53 Eloise
- #54 Nova
- #55 Autumn
- #56 Gianna
- #57 Madelyn
- #58 Caroline
- #59 Elena
- #60 Maya
- #61 Natalie
- #62 Melody
- #63 Margaret
- #64 Mila
- #65 Stella
- #66 Leah
- #67 Eden
- #68 Iris
- #69 Vivian
- #70 Alice
- #71 Maeve
- #72 Serenity
- #73 Emilia
- #74 Leilani
- #75 Lydia
- #76 Millie
- #77 Ruby
- #78 Kennedy
- #79 Valentina
- #80 Zoey
- #81 Delilah
- #82 Cora
- #83 Hailey
- #84 Paisley
- #85 Victoria
- #86 Audrey
- #87 Kinsley
- #88 Addison
- #89 Eliza
- #90 Allison
- #91 Ayla
- #92 Georgia
- #93 Margot
- #94 Josie
- #95 Raelynn
- #96 Cecilia
- #97 Elsie
- #98 Maria
- #99 Emery
- #100 Savannah
Explore Neighboring States
See how naming trends differ in nearby states