May 28, 2024 - Culture
North Carolina's trendiest names of the last decade
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Thinking of naming your baby "Theo," "Atlas," "Nova" or "Beau"? You're not alone.
The big picture: Those four names have risen the most in popularity in North Carolina since 2013, according to new Social Security Administration data.
- The names that have seen the largest declines in popularity are "Alyssa," "Jase," "Gabrielle," "Alexa" and "Makayla."
Zoom in: The most popular boy names in North Carolina in 2023 were "Liam," "Noah," "William," "James" and "Oliver," according to the SSA.
- "Olivia," "Amelia," "Charlotte," "Emma" and "Sophia" were last year's most popular girl names.
Zoom out: There's a lot that goes into naming a child. Young parents often turn to classic names that are starting to feel fresh again, as the New York Times noted.
- What's more, picking names drawn from myth, legend and religion "is one of the strongest and most surprising trends of the past decade," per the NYT.
- Atlas, after all, is the name of the mythical Greek Titan who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.