Joel Katz

Joel Katz

Joel Katz

Before having children I always said that I would give my kids a name that would be easy to spell. That way they wouldn’t have to spend their lives explaining how to spell it. I did alright with my two sons, Tyler and Liam, but when it came to my daughter, Kiera, epic fail. My wife, Kathleen, and I learned of this mistake while driving home from the hospital after Kiera was born. We saw a billboard advertising the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie starring “Keira” Knightley. Kathleen became hysterical and screamed, “I misspelled my baby’s name.” Then, of course, there’s “Kyra” Sedgewick, and the name “Kira” is also used. To add insult to injury, Kiera’s name is often mispronounced by teachers and many others who think it’s pronounced: “KEE-Air-A.”

Like all expectant parents, choosing a name can be tough, you want something unique, but not too weird.
Names.org has come out with its list of the 100 Most Popular Baby Names in America for 2023. They claim a 98% accuracy rate, as its rankings are based on recent Social Security Administration data.

Long story short, if you were thinking of naming your son-to-be Liam, so has, or is, everyone else, like us. For 2023, about 20,636 other parents are naming their son that, and its topped the list since 2017.

For girls, the most popular name is Olivia, which has topped the list since 2019 and will adorn the birth certificates of over 18,000 little female bundles of joy this year.

Name.org also says that Noah is the second-most popular name for boys, with 19,267 kids expected to be named that this year. Oliver took third, with 15,211, James was fourth, with 12,252, and Elijah rounded out the top 5, with more than 12,000.

For girls, Emma placed second (14,726), Amelia was third (13,760), then Charlotte (13,599), and Ava (12,190) in fourth and fifth, respectively.

The company predicts that the following names will hit the top 10 in the near future. For boys, Jack, Levi, and Mateo. For girls, it’s Eleanor, Gianna, and Nora.

But, what about the least popular names? I predict that the following names will not be that popular over the next few years…

  • "Snort"

    While it has a pleasant sound, parents seem leaning away from unisex or gender-neutral names like “Pat,” “Gizmo,” or in this case, “Snort.”

  • "Pomegranate"

    While Gweneth Paltrow naming her daughter “Apple” inspired many to name their children after fruit, “Pomegranate” is not one that’s taken off. However, it looks like “Jabuticaba” and “Rambutan” may be climbing up the popularity list.

  • "Assassination"

    This doesn’t make a good baby name for the same obvious reason I mentioned earlier, it’s commonly misspelled. Many people leave out at least one “S” which could cause some issues for anyone with that name, especially those who may serve in public office. You can’t even shorten it.

  • "Baby"

    This name gained prominence in the late 1980s, especially among doctors who would punish their children by making them sit in a corner. Many came to the realization that it was like naming a dog “dog” or a cat “cat.”

  • "Spackle"

    All would agree that names like “Grout,” “Caulk,” and other crack fillers are obviously desirable monikers for one’s offspring. However, “Spackle” is considerably less popular because it rhymes with the somewhat unpopular candy bar “Krackel.”

  • "Zagnut"

    Another victim of the unpopular candy bar curse, “Zagnut,” has become one of the least popular baby names in recent years.

  • "Fallopian"

    Many parents balk at naming their baby “Fallopian” claiming it sounds too ethnic. However, “Fallopina” is gaining popularity thanks to the well-liked family vacation destination “Fallopia.”

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