State name profile
Most Popular Baby Names in Louisiana
The boys' and girls' names most often given in Louisiana, ranked by total recorded births in Social Security Administration state data, 1910–2025.
- James
- #1 boy name
- Mary
- #1 girl name
- 2,062,996
- Births recorded
- 1910–2025
- Years covered
Louisiana's all-time #1 names are James for boys and Mary for girls, based on 2,062,996 SSA birth registrations since 1910.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Louisiana has recorded 2,062,996 births across its top 50 boy and top 50 girl names since 1910. James leads all boys with 89,320 births, while Mary tops the girls with 78,977. This profile covers decade-by-decade leaders and the full top-50 rankings for both sexes.
- James #1 boy name
- Mary #1 girl name
- 2,062,996 births recorded
Data updated Jun 2026
What the Data Says About Baby Names in Louisiana
The Social Security Administration has registered 2,062,996 births across the top 50 boy and top 50 girl names in Louisiana from 1910 through 2025, the portion of state-level naming data released publicly. Among boys, James leads with 89,320 cumulative births, while Mary tops the girl rankings with 78,977 births. The top 50 boy names collectively account for 1,278,085 births versus 784,911 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 Louisiana extends back to 1910, making it possible to track how Louisiana parents' naming choices have shifted across more than a century of birth records. In the 1910s, the #1 boy name was John and the #1 girl name was Mary. By the 2020s, the top names had shifted to Liam for boys and Amelia 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana
Cumulative births recorded in state SSA files (1910–2025)
- Mary
Mary
78,977 births
- Linda 26,500
Linda
26,500 births
- Patricia 24,460
Patricia
24,460 births
- Elizabeth 24,172
Elizabeth
24,172 births
- Barbara 23,639
Barbara
23,639 births
- Dorothy 23,089
Dorothy
23,089 births
- Betty 20,460
Betty
20,460 births
- Jennifer 20,444
Jennifer
20,444 births
- Ashley 17,769
Ashley
17,769 births
- Shirley 16,873
Shirley
16,873 births
What this shows Mary leads Louisiana girls with 78,977 recorded births.
Top 10 boys' names in Louisiana
Cumulative births recorded in state SSA files (1910–2025)
- James
James
89,320 births
- John
John
85,000 births
- Michael
Michael
66,334 births
- Robert
Robert
64,425 births
- Joseph
Joseph
59,030 births
- William
William
51,713 births
- Charles
Charles
50,873 births
- David
David
49,398 births
- Christopher
Christopher
37,426 births
- Thomas 29,870
Thomas
29,870 births
What this shows James leads Louisiana boys with 89,320 recorded births.
Decade-by-Decade Leaders
The #1 boy and girl name in Louisiana 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 | John | 5,441 | Mary | 8,057 |
| 1920s | James | 9,191 | Mary | 12,910 |
| 1930s | James | 9,692 | Mary | 12,697 |
| 1940s | James | 14,039 | Mary | 15,584 |
| 1950s | James | 15,012 | Mary | 13,989 |
| 1960s | Michael | 13,837 | Lisa | 9,166 |
| 1970s | Michael | 11,299 | Jennifer | 7,801 |
| 1980s | Christopher | 11,554 | Ashley | 10,032 |
| 1990s | Joshua | 6,293 | Ashley | 4,642 |
| 2000s | Joshua | 3,488 | Madison | 4,119 |
| 2010s | Mason | 2,656 | Ava | 2,829 |
| 2020s | Liam | 1,536 | Amelia | 1,261 |
Boy Top 50 Boy Names
| # | Name | Total Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | 89,320 |
| 2 | John | 85,000 |
| 3 | Michael | 66,334 |
| 4 | Robert | 64,425 |
| 5 | Joseph | 59,030 |
| 6 | William | 51,713 |
| 7 | Charles | 50,873 |
| 8 | David | 49,398 |
| 9 | Christopher | 37,426 |
| 10 | Thomas | 29,870 |
| 11 | Richard | 28,595 |
| 12 | Donald | 25,189 |
| 13 | Kenneth | 24,679 |
| 14 | George | 23,694 |
| 15 | Joshua | 23,575 |
| 16 | Anthony | 23,128 |
| 17 | Willie | 22,732 |
| 18 | Paul | 21,746 |
| 19 | Edward | 21,501 |
| 20 | Daniel | 21,102 |
| 21 | Ronald | 20,935 |
| 22 | Kevin | 20,608 |
| 23 | Matthew | 19,693 |
| 24 | Henry | 19,682 |
| 25 | Mark | 18,679 |
| 26 | Larry | 18,597 |
| 27 | Brandon | 18,509 |
| 28 | Jason | 17,481 |
| 29 | Andrew | 17,055 |
| 30 | Louis | 15,755 |
| 31 | Brian | 15,570 |
| 32 | Frank | 14,845 |
| 33 | Steven | 14,595 |
| 34 | Jerry | 14,462 |
| 35 | Eric | 14,402 |
| 36 | Timothy | 14,334 |
| 37 | Patrick | 14,113 |
| 38 | Gregory | 14,046 |
| 39 | Jacob | 13,991 |
| 40 | Justin | 13,875 |
| 41 | Raymond | 13,570 |
| 42 | Jonathan | 13,431 |
| 43 | Stephen | 13,153 |
| 44 | Gary | 13,074 |
| 45 | Albert | 13,019 |
| 46 | Samuel | 13,004 |
| 47 | Nicholas | 12,780 |
| 48 | Ryan | 12,564 |
| 49 | Walter | 11,489 |
| 50 | Johnny | 11,444 |
Girl Top 50 Girl Names
| # | Name | Total Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 78,977 |
| 2 | Linda | 26,500 |
| 3 | Patricia | 24,460 |
| 4 | Elizabeth | 24,172 |
| 5 | Barbara | 23,639 |
| 6 | Dorothy | 23,089 |
| 7 | Betty | 20,460 |
| 8 | Jennifer | 20,444 |
| 9 | Ashley | 17,769 |
| 10 | Shirley | 16,873 |
| 11 | Sarah | 16,183 |
| 12 | Jessica | 15,882 |
| 13 | Lisa | 15,447 |
| 14 | Brenda | 15,148 |
| 15 | Sandra | 14,954 |
| 16 | Cynthia | 14,863 |
| 17 | Carolyn | 14,666 |
| 18 | Margaret | 14,511 |
| 19 | Karen | 14,236 |
| 20 | Helen | 14,088 |
| 21 | Angela | 13,956 |
| 22 | Gloria | 13,610 |
| 23 | Anna | 13,300 |
| 24 | Donna | 13,232 |
| 25 | Marie | 13,215 |
| 26 | Emily | 13,105 |
| 27 | Kimberly | 12,863 |
| 28 | Susan | 12,857 |
| 29 | Melissa | 12,757 |
| 30 | Sharon | 12,730 |
| 31 | Amanda | 12,694 |
| 32 | Michelle | 12,674 |
| 33 | Joyce | 12,529 |
| 34 | Laura | 12,394 |
| 35 | Rebecca | 12,277 |
| 36 | Emma | 12,147 |
| 37 | Pamela | 11,887 |
| 38 | Catherine | 11,878 |
| 39 | Stephanie | 11,706 |
| 40 | Annie | 11,584 |
| 41 | Debra | 11,448 |
| 42 | Deborah | 11,404 |
| 43 | Rose | 11,179 |
| 44 | Alice | 10,508 |
| 45 | Katherine | 10,418 |
| 46 | Evelyn | 10,350 |
| 47 | Amy | 10,315 |
| 48 | Doris | 10,059 |
| 49 | Ruby | 10,017 |
| 50 | Lauren | 9,457 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular baby name in Louisiana? ▼
How have baby names changed in Louisiana over the decades? ▼
How many babies are named in Louisiana? ▼
What to do with Louisiana's data
- James (89,320 births) and Mary (78,977 births) are Louisiana's all-time #1s -- see each name's national profile for how it compares outside Louisiana. James's profile
- In the 1910s, Louisiana's top names were John and Mary; by the 2020s the leaders had shifted to Liam and Amelia -- the decade breakdown above shows every step between.
- Curious how Louisiana 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 Louisiana with other state-level SSA rankings
Compare Louisiana'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 Louisiana - #1 James & Mary | SSA Data." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/state/LA. 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 Louisiana 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.