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Fifty years ago, top-10 names were bestowed upon 1 in 4 newborn boys and 1 in 6 baby girls. That figure is about 1 in 14 now, for both sexes. A 1973 baby was four times as likely to be named

Jennifer or Michael as a newborn last year was to be christened Olivia or Liam. The SSA began compiling and releasing lists of the most popular baby names in 1997, but its database has

nomenclature information going back to 1880, when the most popular names were John (which stayed in the top 10 until the late 1980s and now ranks 26th) and Mary (No. 1 for more than half of

the 20th century but now 135th). As the SSA noted in issuing the latest list May 10, “Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop culture on naming trends.” In 2022, for example, it seems

like a lot of _Yellowstone__ _fans were having kids: The two fastest-growing boys’ names that year were Dutton, the surname of the family the hit TV Western swirled around, and Kayce, the

first name of a major character.  In 2023, social media was making its influence felt on new parents. Kaeli, the fastest-rising girl’s name of the year, jumped nearly 1,700 spots to No. 678,

likely riding the coattails of YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen (aka Kaeli Mae), known for her “clean girl” fashion aesthetic. The SSA credits another TikTok fixture, Wyatt Eiden (known

for his videos springing trivia quizzes on college students as they exit bars), with Eiden making the third-biggest jump among boy’s names. Entertainment media continues to have pull,

though. The second-biggest leap for a boy’s name was Chozen, a character from the _Karate Kid_ universe who has a major role in the latest season of the Netflix sequel show _Cobra Kai_. (The

fastest-growing boy’s name, for the record, was Izael.) That reflects a longtime trend, wherein a name can rise up the baby charts in the wake of a hit song (Rosanna went from No. 821 to

439 in 1982, the year of the Toto smash of that name); a hit movie (Trinity as a girl’s name jumped from 525 in 1998 to 209 in 1999, the year _The Matrix_ came out, and was in the top 100

for the next dozen years); or a death (Elvis peaked No. 404 in 1978, the year after the King’s passing). Research has shown that hurricanes, too, can affect baby-naming, with monikers

affixed to powerful storms (such as Katrina and Sandy) falling out of favor in years after the disaster. Curious how your name has fared over the years? Dive into the data at the SSA’s baby

names website. You'll find links there to other Social Security information for parents, such as how to get your baby their nine-digit number.