New Jersey parents are favoring these baby names — and the No. 1 pick might be a shock
Home of the Jersey Shore, Wawa and Tony Soprano — in 2025, there are specific baby names that are popular in New Jersey, and the top spot for both boys and girls might not be what you would think.
Nor are they grandma or grandpa-sounding by any means, despite a recent surge in popularity in old-fashioned baby names.
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Sad news for Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi — parents in the Garden state love the names Liam and Noah for their baby boys — as those two came in first and second place, according to the Social Security Administration.
Despite old-fashioned baby names coming back into style — New Jersey isn't jumping on the trend.
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Liam being the most popular shouldn't come as a total shock, considering it's held the No. 1 spot for boys' names for eight years in a row.
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The adorable name Lucas came in third, and to no one's surprise, for those who are from the tri-state area, Joseph and Michael got the fourth and fifth spots.
For baby girls — Mia was the No. 1 choice for New Jerseyans. Sophia came in second. And Emma came in third while Olivia fell into fourth place.
Similar to how popular Liam is for boys — the name Olivia has topped the list of baby girl names for six years in a row.
Charlotte rounded out the list by coming in fifth place.
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Some other notable mentions for both guys' and girls' names include Anthony, James, Oliver — and Amelia, Isabella and Ava.
It seems like the state of the pork roll versus Taylor ham debacle might not be the biggest fan of old-fashioned names, like the rest of the country.
According to Jennifer Moss, founder and CEO of BabyNames.com and baby-name consultant Taylor A. Humphrey, grandma-like names such as Eleanor, Eloise, Elodie, Alma, Margaret, Nora and Bennett are popular for 2025, originally reported by Yahoo! Life.
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'On the boys' side, we're seeing the 'trad name,' or old-fashioned names, stick — like Theodore, Oliver, Owen, Silas and Jasper,' Colleen Slagen, author of the forthcoming book 'Naming Bebe,' also told the outlet.
'…I'm hearing Hayes, Lachlan, Palmer, Soren, Sterling and Theodore,' added Humphrey.
While some parents are giving their babies rather mature names — others are opting for the simpler route.
'More families in the US come from mixed cultural backgrounds, and I hear parents commonly request that they want their child to travel and have a relatively easy-to-understand name,' said Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry, a baby naming website.
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