These are the most popular baby names in every state, birth records reveal
(NEXSTAR) – There were lots of Liams and Olivias born last year — but there were far more in Colorado and Florida than there were in Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Liam and Olivia were the two most popular names nationally, but that trend didn't hold true in all 50 states. Each U.S. state had its own trendy and popular names in 2024, according to new data released by the Social Security Administration, which tracks every birth in the U.S.
In California, for example, every single girl's name in the top 10 ends with an A. The Golden State's 10 most popular names include some that are more under-the-radar nationally, like Gianna (for a girl) and Santiago (for a boy).
In Alabama, old-school classic names like William, John and James dominate for boys. Meanwhile in Hawaii, Kai and Kaia both ranked very high, but are pretty rare in other states.
Nova is ultra-trendy in Georgia (No. 11 among all girls born last year), but less common nationwide (No. 39 in 2024).
The 10 most popular baby names in the U.S. are in the chart below. To find the most popular names in your state last year, you can use the Social Security Administration's lookup tool.
The government agency also tracks which names are experiencing rapid rises in popularity, even if they're still outside the top 20. Truce, Colsen and Bryer rose most in the ranks for baby boys over the past year, while Ailany, Aylani and Marjorie had huge jumps for girls.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
W-4 form: How to fill it out in 2025
If you got a big tax refund this year — or faced a big tax bill — now is a good time to revisit your W-4 form. Also known as the the Employee's Withholding Certificate, the W-4 is a crucial tax document that tells your employer how much in federal taxes to withhold from your paycheck. The more that your employer withholds from your paychecks, the more likely it is that you'll get a large tax refund. On the other hand, if you don't have enough withheld, then you'll face a tax bill come tax time. (The W-4 form is for employees, not independent contractors or gig workers, who must make estimated tax payments.) If you submit a revised W-4 now, then you have a number of months of paycheck withholding to set you up for exactly the situation you want come tax time next year. Learn more: The average tax refund each year, and how tax refunds work You can do all five steps below to fill in your W-4, but only Steps 1 and 5 are required by the IRS. Steps 2 to 4 are optional — only do them if they apply to your situation. The first step is to fill out your name, address and Social Security number in sections 1(a) and 1(b). Make sure your name is as it appears on your Social Security card — if it's different, the IRS says you'll need to contact the Social Security Administration to ensure you receive credit for your earnings. For your tax filing status, check one of the three boxes in section 1(c). Single or married filing separately. Married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse. Head of household (for single taxpayers who pay more than half the cost of keeping up a home for themselves and a qualifying person). The second step applies only if you're holding down two jobs at once or if you're married filing jointly and you and your spouse both work. If one of these scenarios applies to you, then you have three options: Use the IRS tax withholding estimator, which is the most accurate way to calculate how much you should have withheld. Once you complete the process, the tool lets you download a W-4 (and one for your spouse, if married) with the withholding information filled out correctly. Use the multiple jobs worksheet on page 3 of the W-4 form. After filling out the worksheet, enter the amount on line 4(c) on your W-4. If you and/or your spouse work a total of only two jobs, simply check the box at the end of line 2(c) on the W-4 (you must also check the same box on the W-4 for the other job). By checking the box, your standard deduction and tax brackets will be cut in half for each job to calculate withholding. This option is somewhat accurate for jobs with similar pay; if one job pays more than the other job, more tax than necessary may be withheld, and this extra amount will be larger the greater the difference in pay between the two jobs, according to the IRS. Learn more: Current tax brackets and federal income tax rates The third step is for figuring out how much of the child tax credit (and credit for other dependents) you might be able to claim. The IRS has a tool to help you determine who you can claim as a dependent. If you have dependent children under age 17, multiply the number of children by $2,000. If, for example, you have three children under 17, enter $6,000 on the first blank line. If you have other qualified dependents, you can multiply the number of them by $500 and enter this amount in the second blank line of this section. Add these two figures together and enter the sum on line 3. Need an advisor? Need expert guidance when it comes to managing your money? Bankrate's AdvisorMatch can connect you to a CFP® professional to help you achieve your financial goals. The fourth step is for other adjustments you might want to make. This step has three parts. Other income (not from jobs): You can include other income you receive not related to jobs, such as interest, dividends and retirement income. Enter the total on line 4(a). Deductions: If you plan to claim itemized deductions (rather than the standard deduction) to lower your tax liability, fill out the worksheet on the bottom of page 3 and enter the result on line 4(b). Extra withholding: You can withhold additional tax from your paychecks for each pay period, including any amounts from the multiple jobs worksheet. You can designate a specific amount for withholding, like an extra $50 from your paychecks, on line 4(c). Once you've reviewed your form and verified that the data you provided is correct, sign and date it and return it to your employer. You can change information on your W-4 as needed. If you start a second job, for example, consider filling out a W-4 for the new job and submitting an updated W-4 to your existing employer, checking the box on line 2(c) on both forms. If your life situation changes, that's another good reason to submit an updated W-4 to your employer. For example, perhaps you became the sole caregiver for a dependent child and now qualify for head of household status. That could entitle you to a higher standard deduction, resulting in lower tax liability compared with a single filer status. Changing the status on your W-4 could mean more money for you in each paycheck, rather than waiting till tax time to get your money back as a refund. Learn more: How to adjust what's withheld from your paycheck for taxes If you had no tax liability in the previous year and don't expect to owe any taxes this year, you may be able to claim exempt status on your W-4. Doing so tells your employer to refrain from withholding any of your pay for federal taxes. See page 2 of the W-4 form for more information. If you choose this option, you'll have to fill out a W-4 form each year by Feb. 15 (or by the first business day after if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday) to maintain your exempt status. Here are some frequently asked questions about filling out the W-4 form. What should you put on your W-4? The information you should put on your W-4 depends on how much you would like taken out of your every paycheck and put toward taxes. If you want to be sure you're having the correct amount withheld, and thus avoid a large tax bill when you file your tax return, use the IRS' tax withholding estimator to determine how much you should have withheld from each paycheck. Alternatively, if you have more than one job you can use the multiple jobs worksheet on page 3 of the W-4 form. You can also enter extra withholdings in line 4(c), or decrease your number of dependents. Increasing your withholding — which is the amount your employer sends out of your paycheck to the IRS on your behalf — makes it more likely that you end up with a refund come tax time. On the other hand, if you got a large refund last year and you'd rather have bigger paychecks each month instead of waiting until tax time to get your money back, you can use the W-4 reduce how much is withheld from your paychecks. You can do this by reducing the amount of untaxed income that you entered on line 4(a), by increasing the figure for itemized deductions in line 4(b) or by reducing any 'extra withholding' amount you entered on line 4(c). Do you claim 0 or 1 on your W-4? Up until 2020, the W-4 form required you to choose 0, 1 or more allowances. But the IRS updated the form in 2020, establishing a new, more accurate way for taxpayers to calculate their tax withholdings. What do you put on your W-4 if no taxes are taken out? If you want to have zero taxes withheld from your paychecks, then you need to claim exempt status. To do that, you must have had no tax liability in the previous year and expect to have no tax liability for the current year. If you meet these qualifications, you can inform your employer not to withhold federal income tax from your paycheck by writing 'exempt' below line 4(c). Read 'exemption from withholding' on page 2 of the W-4 form for more information. Your employer will still withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes regardless of your exempt status. Also, your exemption will only last for one year. You'll have to file a new W-4 claiming you're exempt from withholding by Feb. 15 of a given year in order to maintain that status. How do you have more taxes taken out of your paycheck? To have more taxes taken out of your paycheck, simply enter the dollar amount you'd like withheld from each paycheck on line 4(c) of the W-4. How do you have less tax taken out of your paycheck? You can use the W-4 form to reduce how much is taken out of your paycheck, as well. To do this, decrease the figure that affects your withholdings. That includes additional withholdings indicated in line 4(c), as well as non-job related income identified in form 4(a). You can also submit a new W-4 if you have a new dependent, which will reduce your withholdings.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Social Security and remarriage: Understanding the impact on your benefits
Social Security and remarriage: Understanding the impact on your benefits Show Caption Hide Caption Social Security uncertainty and policy changes are driving more people to file With a significant rise in Social Security applications, retirees face financial decisions influenced by legislation and economic concerns in today's climate. Scripps News If you've recently gotten remarried or you're about to, retirement might not be the first thing on your mind. But there's no denying that marriage has a serious effect on what your retirement will look like. You may no longer have to save for it on your own, and you'll probably have to make room for your partner's goals as well as your own. Social Security rules get a little more complicated too, but it's not all bad news. Remarriage could help some people get even more than they were eligible for previously. It depends on several factors, including how well you understand the way the Social Security Administration calculates your benefits. How marriage and remarriage affect your Social Security benefits Marriage makes you eligible for spousal Social Security benefits. These are worth up to one-half of what your partner qualifies for at their full retirement age (FRA) — 67 for most people today. You can claim this benefit even if you've never worked a day in your life, though you must wait until your partner applies for checks before you can apply for spousal Social Security. You can also be eligible for benefits on your ex's work record if you were married for at least 10 years before divorcing. You may do this even if your ex hasn't applied yet, as long as you've been divorced for at least two years. It doesn't matter if your ex has remarried. You and their new spouse can both claim spousal benefits on their work record. But if you remarry, you can no longer claim spousal benefits on your ex's work record. You will have the option to claim spousal Social Security on your new partner's work record, though. If they qualify for a larger check than your former spouse, you'll get a larger benefit going forward. Things are a little trickier if your previous spouse died, and you were claiming a survivor benefit on their work record. In that case, you may be able to continue receiving this benefit after you remarry as long as you're at least 60 at the time of remarriage (50 if you're disabled). Otherwise, you will lose this option. You may not receive a spousal benefit, even if you're eligible for one It's possible you won't receive a Social Security benefit based on your current or former spouse's work record if your own retirement benefit is worth more. The Social Security Administration automatically gives you the larger of the two amounts. If you're not sure which one would give you more, you can get an estimate of your own retirement benefit and your spousal benefit through your my Social Security account. You'll need to know the benefit your spouse is entitled to at their FRA to calculate your spousal benefit. They can find this in their own my Social Security account. If you have any questions about how remarriage will affect your Social Security benefit, reach out to the Social Security Administration for clarification. Do this as soon as possible so you can figure out how much to expect from the program per month and how much of your retirement costs you'll need to cover on your own. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook Offer from the Motley Fool: If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets"could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. One easy trick could pay you as much as $23,760 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. JoinStock Advisorto learn more about these strategies. View the "Social Security secrets" »
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lawmakers condemn Boulder attack
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Leaders in Washington are condemning the terror attack in Boulder, Colorado that left eight injured this weekend. A suspect is in custody after investigators say he attacked eight people Sunday in Boulder with a makeshift flamethrower and shouted, 'Free Palestine.' The injured were demonstrating for Hamas to release Israeli hostages. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet condemned the attack. 'The people in Boulder, Colorado were savagely attacked by a terrorist while they were expressing their First Amendment rights. that should never happen in this country,' said Bennet. The FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is urging authorities to fully investigate. 'After all, all they were doing was expressing a simple plea: bring the hostages home. And because of their Jewish identity, they were targeted by hate,' said Schumer. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman was in the country illegally. The White House says President Trump stands with Jewish Americans and with its plans to deport illegal immigrants. 'This terrorist was allowed into this country by the previous administration who was foolishly given a tourism visa and then was illegally allowed to stay. These individuals are going to be deported, and we're not going to tolerate such violence in our country,' said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. President Trump posted on Truth Social, 'Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law. This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE,' The attack comes just over a week after a man was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. He also shouted, 'Free Palestine.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
