Washington D.C. Baby Names: Trends & Data (1910–2025)
Boys
Washington D.C.'s male baby naming trends show significant shifts over decades. Noah was the top name in 2025 with 58 births, a stark contrast to Michael's dominance throughout the 1950s. Over the past 30 years, Joshua has seen the fastest rise, climbing 8 rank positions. Conversely, David experienced the biggest decline, dropping 9 rank positions. These figures illustrate dynamic changes in parental preferences across the city.
Girls
In Washington D.C., Emma is projected to be the top female baby name in 2025, with 36 births. This contrasts sharply with the 1950s, when Mary dominated. Analyzing a century of data reveals Kayla as the fastest rising name, up 14 rank positions compared to 30 years ago. Conversely, Sarah saw the biggest decline, dropping 7 rank positions.
#1 Boy (2025)
Noah
#1 Girl (2025)
Emma
Fastest Rising
Joshua
↑ +8
Biggest Decline
David
↓ −9
Longest #1 Run
Michael
5 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
1,857
births tracked
Fastest Rising
Kayla
↑ +14
Biggest Decline
Sarah
↓ −7
Longest #1 Run
Mary
5 decades at #1
Total Births (2025)
1,469
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 | John | James | William | Noah | Theodore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | Rank #2 | Rank #3 | Rank #1 | — | — |
| 1920s | Rank #2 | Rank #3 | Rank #1 | — | — |
| 1930s | Rank #2 | Rank #4 | Rank #3 | — | — |
| 1940s | Rank #1 | Rank #3 | Rank #4 | — | — |
| 1950s | Rank #2 | Rank #3 | Rank #5 | — | — |
| 1960s | Rank #2 | Rank #3 | Rank #6 | — | — |
| 1970s | Rank #5 | Rank #2 | Rank #7 | — | — |
| 1980s | Rank #6 | Rank #4 | Rank #7 | — | — |
| 1990s | Rank #3 | Rank #4 | Rank #5 | — | — |
| 2000s | Rank #3 | Rank #6 | Rank #1 | — | — |
| 2010s | Rank #5 | Rank #3 | Rank #1 | Rank #6 | — |
| 2020s | Rank #7 | Rank #4 | Rank #6 | Rank #2 | Rank #5 |
Baby Names by Decade
Most popular · Runner-up per decade
Biggest Name Shifts
Names that climbed or fell the most in popularity
Joshua
+8 rank positions · since 1980sDavid
-9 rank positions · since 1970sKayla
+14 rank positions · since 1990sSarah
-7 rank positions · since 1990sHow Washington D.C. Compares to the Nation
Names that rank notably higher or lower here vs. the U.S. overall
More Popular in Washington D.C.
- Ari#97 here · #403 nationally↑ +306
- Khalil#89 here · #379 nationally↑ +290
- Cairo#84 here · #343 nationally↑ +259
- Martin#90 here · #336 nationally↑ +246
- Saint#72 here · #268 nationally↑ +196
Less Popular in Washington D.C.
- Elias#100 here · #13 nationally↓ −87
- Levi#63 here · #12 nationally↓ −51
- Asher#75 here · #28 nationally↓ −47
- Roman#81 here · #42 nationally↓ −39
- Rowan#95 here · #58 nationally↓ −37
More Popular in Washington D.C.
- Zora#92 here · #991 nationally↑ +899
- Anne#76 here · #619 nationally↑ +543
- Helen#80 here · #469 nationally↑ +389
- Madeleine#84 here · #459 nationally↑ +375
- Ariyah#77 here · #365 nationally↑ +288
Less Popular in Washington D.C.
- Gianna#98 here · #33 nationally↓ −65
- Avery#96 here · #37 nationally↓ −59
- Isla#82 here · #28 nationally↓ −54
- Harper#60 here · #16 nationally↓ −44
- Violet#56 here · #13 nationally↓ −43
Top 100 Baby Names in Washington D.C.
Most popular names in 2020–2025, ranked by total births
Top 10
- #1Noah58#2
- #2Theodore53#4
- #3Henry49#5
- #4Liam49#1
- #5William43#9
- #6James37#6
- #7Charles34#48
- #8John34#23
- #9Mateo34#8
- #10George33#126
Names #11–100
- #11 Oliver
- #12 Samuel
- #13 Julian
- #14 Leo
- #15 Lucas
- #16 Daniel
- #17 Thomas
- #18 Amir
- #19 Jack
- #20 Luca
- #21 Sebastian
- #22 Benjamin
- #23 Isaac
- #24 Jacob
- #25 Anthony
- #26 Arthur
- #27 Gabriel
- #28 Joshua
- #29 Owen
- #30 Aiden
- #31 Alexander
- #32 Miles
- #33 Logan
- #34 Luke
- #35 David
- #36 Elijah
- #37 Ethan
- #38 Santiago
- #39 Caleb
- #40 Dylan
- #41 Max
- #42 August
- #43 Ezra
- #44 Graham
- #45 Michael
- #46 Peter
- #47 Robert
- #48 Thiago
- #49 Bennett
- #50 Connor
- #51 Jayden
- #52 Nico
- #53 Nolan
- #54 Wesley
- #55 Carter
- #56 Joseph
- #57 Maxwell
- #58 Rafael
- #59 Theo
- #60 Amari
- #61 Christopher
- #62 Felix
- #63 Levi
- #64 Messiah
- #65 Simon
- #66 Andrew
- #67 Callum
- #68 Jonah
- #69 Kairo
- #70 Legend
- #71 Nathaniel
- #72 Saint
- #73 Xavier
- #74 Adrian
- #75 Asher
- #76 Austin
- #77 Calvin
- #78 Edward
- #79 Everett
- #80 Josiah
- #81 Roman
- #82 Adam
- #83 Beau
- #84 Cairo
- #85 Cameron
- #86 Declan
- #87 Elliott
- #88 Enzo
- #89 Khalil
- #90 Martin
- #91 Micah
- #92 Milo
- #93 Parker
- #94 Richard
- #95 Rowan
- #96 Ryan
- #97 Ari
- #98 Axel
- #99 Dominic
- #100 Elias
Top 10
- #1Emma36#3
- #2Sophia36#5
- #3Charlotte34#2
- #4Lucy31#24
- #5Zoe31#32
- #6Eleanor30#12
- #7Ava29#11
- #8Sofia29#9
- #9Amelia27#4
- #10Olivia27#1
Names #11–100
- #11 Chloe
- #12 Josephine
- #13 Lily
- #14 Mia
- #15 Elizabeth
- #16 Eliana
- #17 Naomi
- #18 Evelyn
- #19 Isabella
- #20 Sophie
- #21 Caroline
- #22 Margaret
- #23 Camila
- #24 Maya
- #25 Nora
- #26 Ailany
- #27 Aria
- #28 Aurora
- #29 Grace
- #30 Layla
- #31 Lucia
- #32 Madison
- #33 Penelope
- #34 Alice
- #35 Autumn
- #36 Eloise
- #37 Emilia
- #38 June
- #39 Riley
- #40 Margot
- #41 Nova
- #42 Phoebe
- #43 Abigail
- #44 Clara
- #45 Genesis
- #46 Hazel
- #47 Lillian
- #48 Maeve
- #49 Rose
- #50 Ruby
- #51 Amira
- #52 Elena
- #53 Hannah
- #54 Maria
- #55 Mila
- #56 Violet
- #57 Claire
- #58 Emily
- #59 Eva
- #60 Harper
- #61 Lila
- #62 Vivienne
- #63 Zuri
- #64 Audrey
- #65 Ayla
- #66 Camille
- #67 Celine
- #68 Cora
- #69 Ella
- #70 Frances
- #71 Genevieve
- #72 Valentina
- #73 Aaliyah
- #74 Amara
- #75 Anna
- #76 Anne
- #77 Ariyah
- #78 Daphne
- #79 Harmony
- #80 Helen
- #81 Isabel
- #82 Isla
- #83 Katherine
- #84 Madeleine
- #85 Madeline
- #86 Mary
- #87 Mira
- #88 Nina
- #89 Sage
- #90 Sydney
- #91 Victoria
- #92 Zora
- #93 Alexandra
- #94 Alina
- #95 Ashley
- #96 Avery
- #97 Catherine
- #98 Gianna
- #99 Jane
- #100 Julia
Explore Neighboring States
See how naming trends differ in nearby states