If you’ve ever called your kid’s name at the playground and watched three other children turn around, this will explain a lot.
The Social Security Administration just released its 2025 baby name rankings by state. Whether you’re expecting, curious, or just wondering why every other boy in kindergarten seems to be named Liam, here’s where New Jersey parents landed last year.
Most Popular Boy Names in New Jersey
- Liam
- Noah
- Lucas
- Luca
- Joseph
- James
- Michael
- Theodore
- Oliver
- Jack
Most Popular Girl Names in New Jersey
- Emma
- Mia
- Olivia
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Ailany
- Sofia
- Ava
New Jersey tracks closely with national trends at the top, but a few names stand out as distinctly Jersey.
Ailany cracking the top 10 for girls—and names like Thiago, Luca, Giovanni, and Moshe appear further down the list—reflects the state’s diverse population in a way the national rankings simply don’t.
It’s also worth noting: Liam and Noah were far and away the top two, with nearly twice as many New Jersey babies given those names as any other in 2025.
It’s one of the more interesting things about New Jersey: even the baby name data tells a story about who lives here.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.