McKay and Quincy take the spot as the most "Utah" baby names of 2024
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McKay and Quincy were the most distinctly Utah baby names of 2024 — and they're very Utahn.
Why it matters: It turns out our reputation for unusual baby names is supported by the data.
How it works: Axios analyzed the Social Security Administration's annual list of top baby names to find the most distinctive names in each state — that is, names that are far more popular in one state than the others.
- They may not be the most popular Utah names, but they are the most "Utah" names.
By the numbers: In most states, the 10 most distinctive names are two or three times as popular as they are in the U.S. overall.
- Here it's a factor of at least five.
Case in point: McKay was almost 53 times as popular in the Beehive State as it was nationally. In the 48 contiguous states, only Nebraska had a more state-distinctive name: Bergen.
Zoom in: McKay was adapted as a given name from a surname that's been prominent in Utah since the mid-19th century in a variety of spellings.
- David O. McKay was the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1951 to 1970.
Meanwhile, Quincy — the most "Utah" girl name — was more than nine times as popular here as elsewhere.
- The origin of the name is less clear, but we envy all who get to write a capital letter "Q" on a regular basis.
Caveat: We aren't the only state with unique names. Many of Hawaii's most distinctive names were 70 to 100 times as common there as in the rest of the country.
- Louisiana and Minnesota also had particularly distinctive names.
Zoom out: Oliver and Olivia were the most popular Utah names in 2024, both up from No. 2 the previous year.
- They unseated Liam and Charlotte.
The big picture: Olivia and Liam were the most popular baby names nationally.