State name profile
Most Popular Baby Names in Georgia
The boys' and girls' names most often given in Georgia, ranked by total recorded births in Social Security Administration state data, 1910–2025.
- James
- #1 boy name
- Mary
- #1 girl name
- 3,287,260
- Births recorded
- 1910–2025
- Years covered
Georgia's all-time #1 names are James for boys and Mary for girls, based on 3,287,260 SSA birth registrations since 1910.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Georgia has recorded 3,287,260 births across its top 50 boy and top 50 girl names since 1910. James leads all boys with 187,301 births, while Mary tops the girls with 125,808. This profile covers decade-by-decade leaders and the full top-50 rankings for both sexes.
- James #1 boy name
- Mary #1 girl name
- 3,287,260 births recorded
Data updated Jun 2026
What the Data Says About Baby Names in Georgia
The Social Security Administration has registered 3,287,260 births across the top 50 boy and top 50 girl names in Georgia from 1910 through 2025, the portion of state-level naming data released publicly. Among boys, James leads with 187,301 cumulative births, while Mary tops the girl rankings with 125,808 births. The top 50 boy names collectively account for 2,037,399 births versus 1,249,861 for the top 50 girl names, reflecting the typical U.S. pattern in which boy-name distributions are more concentrated among fewer high-frequency entries. SSA state files include any name appearing five or more times in a given state-year, so lower-frequency names are suppressed for privacy and are not counted in these totals.
Decade-by-decade data for Georgia extends back to 1910, making it possible to track how Georgia parents' naming choices have shifted across more than a century of birth records. In the 1910s, the #1 boy name was James and the #1 girl name was Mary. By the 2020s, the top names had shifted to Noah for boys and Olivia for girls. Across 12 decades with complete data, the turnover in #1 rankings reflects broader cultural and generational forces, baby-boom naming conformity, the 1970s individualism shift, and the current resurgence of short, classic names.
Because Georgia reports under the same SSA framework as every other jurisdiction, these figures are directly comparable across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The cumulative totals reflect every recorded birth registration rather than a survey sample, though names with four or fewer annual occurrences are excluded per SSA privacy policy. This means the true naming distribution in Georgia is slightly broader than what appears here, particularly for rare and emerging names. The dataset does not distinguish between alternate spellings (for example, Sophia and Sofia are tracked as separate names) or middle names, and reflects first names as they appear on Social Security card applications only. This page is for informational and research purposes.
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Top 10 girls' names in Georgia
Cumulative births recorded in state SSA files (1910–2025)
- Mary
Mary
125,808 births
- Elizabeth 43,477
Elizabeth
43,477 births
- Betty 40,802
Betty
40,802 births
- Annie 35,946
Annie
35,946 births
- Sarah 35,786
Sarah
35,786 births
- Linda 35,649
Linda
35,649 births
- Patricia 34,134
Patricia
34,134 births
- Jennifer 34,046
Jennifer
34,046 births
- Barbara 33,317
Barbara
33,317 births
- Dorothy 32,072
Dorothy
32,072 births
What this shows Mary leads Georgia girls with 125,808 recorded births.
Top 10 boys' names in Georgia
Cumulative births recorded in state SSA files (1910–2025)
- James
James
187,301 births
- William
William
138,034 births
- John
John
125,942 births
- Robert
Robert
110,568 births
- Michael
Michael
91,691 births
- Charles
Charles
79,249 births
- David
David
78,425 births
- Christopher 64,038
Christopher
64,038 births
- Willie 60,684
Willie
60,684 births
- Thomas 56,326
Thomas
56,326 births
What this shows James leads Georgia boys with 187,301 recorded births.
Decade-by-Decade Leaders
The #1 boy and girl name in Georgia for each decade
How we calculated this
For each decade, we sum every year's SSA state-level birth count per name, then take the single name with the highest ten-year total for each sex. A name can lead a decade with a strong single peak year or with steady, moderate demand across all ten years, the total treats both the same way.
| Decade | Top Boy | Births | Top Girl | Births |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | James | 16,138 | Mary | 15,843 |
| 1920s | James | 24,261 | Mary | 24,184 |
| 1930s | James | 22,204 | Mary | 21,338 |
| 1940s | James | 27,503 | Mary | 22,602 |
| 1950s | James | 25,284 | Mary | 16,808 |
| 1960s | James | 19,930 | Lisa | 10,800 |
| 1970s | Michael | 16,870 | Jennifer | 12,261 |
| 1980s | Christopher | 17,078 | Jessica | 13,409 |
| 1990s | Christopher | 12,661 | Ashley | 9,601 |
| 2000s | William | 10,539 | Madison | 7,450 |
| 2010s | William | 7,242 | Ava | 5,852 |
| 2020s | Noah | 3,887 | Olivia | 2,976 |
Boy Top 50 Boy Names
| # | Name | Total Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | 187,301 |
| 2 | William | 138,034 |
| 3 | John | 125,942 |
| 4 | Robert | 110,568 |
| 5 | Michael | 91,691 |
| 6 | Charles | 79,249 |
| 7 | David | 78,425 |
| 8 | Christopher | 64,038 |
| 9 | Willie | 60,684 |
| 10 | Thomas | 56,326 |
| 11 | Joseph | 53,990 |
| 12 | Richard | 42,541 |
| 13 | Joshua | 40,767 |
| 14 | George | 40,004 |
| 15 | Matthew | 37,327 |
| 16 | Daniel | 34,860 |
| 17 | Anthony | 32,591 |
| 18 | Andrew | 32,159 |
| 19 | Kenneth | 30,731 |
| 20 | Henry | 30,692 |
| 21 | Larry | 29,056 |
| 22 | Timothy | 28,651 |
| 23 | Jonathan | 27,040 |
| 24 | Samuel | 26,982 |
| 25 | Brandon | 26,668 |
| 26 | Jacob | 25,625 |
| 27 | Jason | 25,191 |
| 28 | Benjamin | 24,911 |
| 29 | Donald | 23,924 |
| 30 | Justin | 23,744 |
| 31 | Edward | 23,724 |
| 32 | Jerry | 22,813 |
| 33 | Bobby | 22,481 |
| 34 | Johnny | 22,348 |
| 35 | Kevin | 21,981 |
| 36 | Walter | 21,658 |
| 37 | Steven | 21,203 |
| 38 | Mark | 20,876 |
| 39 | Paul | 20,516 |
| 40 | Brian | 20,499 |
| 41 | Ronald | 20,457 |
| 42 | Jack | 20,300 |
| 43 | Charlie | 19,516 |
| 44 | Jimmy | 19,499 |
| 45 | Stephen | 18,920 |
| 46 | Gregory | 18,889 |
| 47 | Eric | 18,494 |
| 48 | Nicholas | 18,300 |
| 49 | Billy | 18,029 |
| 50 | Alexander | 17,184 |
Girl Top 50 Girl Names
| # | Name | Total Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 125,808 |
| 2 | Elizabeth | 43,477 |
| 3 | Betty | 40,802 |
| 4 | Annie | 35,946 |
| 5 | Sarah | 35,786 |
| 6 | Linda | 35,649 |
| 7 | Patricia | 34,134 |
| 8 | Jennifer | 34,046 |
| 9 | Barbara | 33,317 |
| 10 | Dorothy | 32,072 |
| 11 | Jessica | 28,307 |
| 12 | Ashley | 28,289 |
| 13 | Martha | 26,827 |
| 14 | Margaret | 26,418 |
| 15 | Emily | 25,234 |
| 16 | Kimberly | 24,767 |
| 17 | Brenda | 24,605 |
| 18 | Emma | 24,534 |
| 19 | Angela | 23,130 |
| 20 | Amanda | 22,754 |
| 21 | Sandra | 22,375 |
| 22 | Shirley | 20,648 |
| 23 | Carolyn | 20,460 |
| 24 | Ruby | 20,402 |
| 25 | Lisa | 20,065 |
| 26 | Frances | 19,734 |
| 27 | Evelyn | 19,660 |
| 28 | Rebecca | 19,615 |
| 29 | Deborah | 19,118 |
| 30 | Cynthia | 19,044 |
| 31 | Laura | 18,842 |
| 32 | Stephanie | 18,725 |
| 33 | Susan | 18,610 |
| 34 | Anna | 18,373 |
| 35 | Helen | 17,853 |
| 36 | Donna | 17,843 |
| 37 | Melissa | 17,687 |
| 38 | Willie | 17,661 |
| 39 | Nancy | 17,594 |
| 40 | Katherine | 17,225 |
| 41 | Virginia | 17,105 |
| 42 | Sara | 17,023 |
| 43 | Pamela | 16,610 |
| 44 | Madison | 16,445 |
| 45 | Olivia | 16,429 |
| 46 | Hannah | 16,105 |
| 47 | Catherine | 15,893 |
| 48 | Mildred | 15,754 |
| 49 | Amy | 15,680 |
| 50 | Karen | 15,381 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular baby name in Georgia? ▼
How have baby names changed in Georgia over the decades? ▼
How many babies are named in Georgia? ▼
What to do with Georgia's data
- James (187,301 births) and Mary (125,808 births) are Georgia's all-time #1s -- see each name's national profile for how it compares outside Georgia. James's profile
- In the 1910s, Georgia's top names were James and Mary; by the 2020s the leaders had shifted to Noah and Olivia -- the decade breakdown above shows every step between.
- Curious how Georgia compares to another state? Browse the full state directory. All states
Rankings reflect SSA state-level files (1910-2025); names with fewer than 5 occurrences per state per year are suppressed for privacy and excluded from these totals.
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Nearby State Rankings
Compare baby names in Georgia with other state-level SSA rankings
Compare Georgia's #1 names side by side → or pick any two names →
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
According to the Social Security Administration, as of June 2026 this profile draws directly on the agency's state-level public-use files, which document 6,696,687 state-level records across all 51 reporting jurisdictions spanning 1910-2025.
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Most Popular Baby Names in Georgia - #1 James & Mary | SSA Data." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/state/GA. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This Georgia profile draws directly on SSA state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.