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, 1910–2024.

James
#1 boy name
Mary
#1 girl name
3,277,633
Births recorded
1910–2024
Years covered

What the Data Says About Baby Names in Georgia

The Social Security Administration has registered 3,277,633 births across the top 50 boy and top 50 girl names in Georgia from 1910 through 2024 — the portion of state-level naming data released publicly. Among boys, James leads with 186,842 cumulative births, while Mary tops the girl rankings with 125,674 births. The top 50 boy names collectively account for 2,030,955 births versus 1,246,678 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.

Top 10 girls' names in Georgia

Cumulative births recorded in state SSA files (1910–2024)

births

What this shows Mary leads Georgia girls with 125,674 recorded births.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration As of Georgia · 1910–2024

Top 10 boys' names in Georgia

Cumulative births recorded in state SSA files (1910–2024)

births

What this shows James leads Georgia boys with 186,842 recorded births.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration As of Georgia · 1910–2024

Decade-by-Decade Leaders

The #1 boy and girl name in Georgia for each decade

Boy Top 50 Boy Names

Rank Name Total Births
1 James 186,842
2 William 137,552
3 John 125,562
4 Robert 110,416
5 Michael 91,472
6 Charles 79,017
7 David 78,218
8 Christopher 63,840
9 Willie 60,676
10 Thomas 56,092
11 Joseph 53,756
12 Richard 42,489
13 Joshua 40,584
14 George 39,903
15 Matthew 37,116
16 Daniel 34,597
17 Anthony 32,424
18 Andrew 32,009
19 Kenneth 30,680
20 Henry 30,304
21 Larry 29,046
22 Timothy 28,579
23 Jonathan 26,926
24 Samuel 26,716
25 Brandon 26,608
26 Jacob 25,470
27 Jason 25,124
28 Benjamin 24,633
29 Donald 23,910
30 Justin 23,682
31 Edward 23,681
32 Jerry 22,804
33 Bobby 22,467
34 Johnny 22,337
35 Kevin 21,917
36 Walter 21,614
37 Steven 21,152
38 Mark 20,837
39 Paul 20,489
40 Brian 20,473
41 Ronald 20,439
42 Jack 20,078
43 Jimmy 19,480
44 Charlie 19,427
45 Stephen 18,886
46 Gregory 18,867
47 Eric 18,453
48 Nicholas 18,217
49 Billy 18,015
50 Ryan 17,079

Girl Top 50 Girl Names

Rank Name Total Births
1 Mary 125,674
2 Elizabeth 43,181
3 Betty 40,794
4 Annie 35,868
5 Sarah 35,695
6 Linda 35,645
7 Patricia 34,124
8 Jennifer 34,040
9 Barbara 33,317
10 Dorothy 32,049
11 Jessica 28,289
12 Ashley 28,234
13 Martha 26,817
14 Margaret 26,329
15 Emily 25,081
16 Kimberly 24,738
17 Brenda 24,605
18 Emma 24,136
19 Angela 23,094
20 Amanda 22,731
21 Sandra 22,367
22 Shirley 20,643
23 Carolyn 20,460
24 Ruby 20,282
25 Lisa 20,066
26 Frances 19,682
27 Rebecca 19,587
28 Evelyn 19,363
29 Deborah 19,101
30 Cynthia 19,034
31 Laura 18,811
32 Stephanie 18,710
33 Susan 18,610
34 Anna 18,284
35 Donna 17,838
36 Helen 17,824
37 Melissa 17,662
38 Willie 17,661
39 Nancy 17,590
40 Katherine 17,164
41 Virginia 17,067
42 Sara 16,967
43 Pamela 16,610
44 Madison 16,251
45 Olivia 16,001
46 Hannah 15,987
47 Catherine 15,862
48 Mildred 15,748
49 Amy 15,632
50 Karen 15,373

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular baby name in Georgia?
The most popular boy name in Georgia is James with 186,842 births since 1910. The most popular girl name is Mary with 125,674 births. These rankings are based on cumulative SSA birth registration data.
How have baby names changed in Georgia over the decades?
Georgia's most popular names have evolved significantly. In the 1910s, the top names were James and Mary. By the 2020s, they shifted to Noah and Olivia. See the decade-by-decade breakdown above.
How many babies are named in Georgia?
Our data covers 3,277,633 name registrations in Georgia for the top 50 boys and top 50 girls names. The SSA records all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year, from 1910 through 2024.

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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, 1910–2024 (ssa.gov).

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details.