Just Released: These Are New York’s Top Baby Names

A delivery room can go from complete silence to tears, laughter, and exhausted smiles in a matter of seconds. Then comes one of the biggest decisions a parent will ever make.

“What are we naming the baby?”

For thousands of families across New York in 2025, the answer was Noah or Emma.

The Social Security Administration just released the most popular baby names in New York for 2025, and some of the names at the top may not surprise you. Others might make you stop for a second and think, “Wow, that really is everywhere right now.”

Noah And Emma Took The Top Spots In New York

If you’ve been to a preschool graduation, birthday party, or little league game lately, you’ve probably heard these names called out more than once.

According to the Social Security Administration, Noah ranked as the most popular boys' name in New York this year, while Emma ranked as the most popular girls' name.

The Most Popular Boy Names In New York

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Theodore
4. Lucas
5. Oliver

The Most Popular Girl Names In New York

1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Mia
4. Sophia
5. Charlotte

Some of these names feel timeless. Others have exploded in popularity over the last decade. And somehow, names that once sounded old-fashioned now feel fresh again.

Theodore being in the top three? A few years ago, that might have surprised people. Now it feels completely normal.

New York Parents Chose Different Favorites Than The Rest Of America

Here’s where things get interesting.

Across the country, Liam and Olivia were the most popular baby names overall in 2025. But New York families went their own direction, with Noah and Emma rising to the top instead.

That tiny difference says a lot about how personal naming trends can be. Every state develops its own personality over time. Some parents lean toward classic names. Others want names that feel softer, stronger, trendier, or more unique.

And sometimes a name suddenly catches fire because of a movie, TV show, athlete, singer, or even a viral TikTok creator.

Baby Names Say More About A Generation Than You Think

Baby name lists are strangely emotional.

One name can instantly bring back memories of your childhood. Another might remind you of your grandparents. Some names feel warm and comforting the second you hear them. Others sound brand new, even if they’ve existed for over a century.

That’s part of why people love these rankings every year. They become little snapshots of American life.

The Social Security Administration has tracked baby names dating all the way back to 1880. That means you can actually see how names rise, disappear, and then circle back generations later.

Names really do come back around.

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See Where Your Own Name Ranks

Now comes the fun part.

The Social Security Administration lets you search names from the past 145 years to see how popular they’ve been over time. You can look up your own name, your kids’ names, your parents’ names, or even the name you almost got stuck with.

You can also check out the fastest-rising names in America and see which trends are starting to take over.

For the full list of New York baby names for 2025, visit the Social Security baby names database.

And fair warning. Once you start searching names, it’s surprisingly hard to stop.