State name profile

Most Popular Baby Names in Oklahoma

The boys' and girls' names most often given in Oklahoma, ranked by total recorded births in Social Security Administration state data, 1910–2024.

James
#1 boy name
Mary
#1 girl name
1,626,939
Births recorded
1910–2024
Years covered

What the Data Says About Baby Names in Oklahoma

The Social Security Administration has registered 1,626,939 births across the top 50 boy and top 50 girl names in Oklahoma from 1910 through 2024 — the portion of state-level naming data released publicly. Among boys, James leads with 75,625 cumulative births, while Mary tops the girl rankings with 56,040 births. The top 50 boy names collectively account for 1,004,662 births versus 622,277 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 Oklahoma extends back to 1910, making it possible to track how Oklahoma 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 Liam 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

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

births

What this shows Mary leads Oklahoma girls with 56,040 recorded births.

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

Top 10 boys' names in Oklahoma

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

births

What this shows James leads Oklahoma boys with 75,625 recorded births.

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

Decade-by-Decade Leaders

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

Boy Top 50 Boy Names

Rank Name Total Births
1 James 75,625
2 John 57,609
3 Robert 55,633
4 William 50,290
5 Michael 47,100
6 David 43,969
7 Charles 39,361
8 Richard 26,851
9 Christopher 25,056
10 Billy 23,564
11 Kenneth 22,731
12 Donald 22,659
13 Thomas 21,474
14 Jerry 19,761
15 Larry 18,680
16 Jack 17,619
17 Joshua 17,613
18 Matthew 17,381
19 Joseph 17,367
20 George 17,156
21 Gary 16,437
22 Steven 16,306
23 Paul 16,172
24 Daniel 15,971
25 Mark 15,108
26 Bobby 14,927
27 Ronald 14,245
28 Joe 14,184
29 Jimmy 13,760
30 Jason 13,477
31 Jacob 12,817
32 Kevin 12,256
33 Justin 12,107
34 Roy 11,457
35 Brian 11,403
36 Andrew 11,218
37 Harold 11,067
38 Timothy 10,997
39 Brandon 10,996
40 Raymond 10,870
41 Carl 10,722
42 Anthony 10,708
43 Ryan 10,694
44 Terry 10,324
45 Edward 10,259
46 Stephen 10,197
47 Samuel 9,754
48 Jeffrey 9,601
49 Johnny 9,588
50 Tyler 9,541

Girl Top 50 Girl Names

Rank Name Total Births
1 Mary 56,040
2 Betty 27,498
3 Linda 22,877
4 Barbara 18,835
5 Patricia 18,682
6 Jennifer 17,634
7 Dorothy 16,757
8 Elizabeth 16,062
9 Helen 14,232
10 Donna 13,621
11 Wanda 13,135
12 Sarah 12,880
13 Margaret 12,586
14 Shirley 12,120
15 Jessica 11,830
16 Ruth 11,533
17 Ruby 11,400
18 Ashley 11,374
19 Virginia 11,235
20 Karen 11,232
21 Sharon 11,119
22 Carolyn 11,032
23 Amanda 10,925
24 Nancy 10,571
25 Kimberly 10,561
26 Lisa 10,458
27 Anna 10,379
28 Carol 10,065
29 Sandra 10,048
30 Rebecca 9,832
31 Emily 9,762
32 Susan 9,737
33 Angela 9,706
34 Emma 9,500
35 Stephanie 9,215
36 Mildred 9,069
37 Brenda 8,981
38 Joyce 8,977
39 Amy 8,955
40 Deborah 8,921
41 Laura 8,874
42 Melissa 8,769
43 Evelyn 8,444
44 Norma 8,319
45 Frances 8,312
46 Pamela 8,305
47 Cynthia 8,141
48 Doris 8,100
49 Juanita 7,848
50 Martha 7,789

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular baby name in Oklahoma?
The most popular boy name in Oklahoma is James with 75,625 births since 1910. The most popular girl name is Mary with 56,040 births. These rankings are based on cumulative SSA birth registration data.
How have baby names changed in Oklahoma over the decades?
Oklahoma's most popular names have evolved significantly. In the 1910s, the top names were James and Mary. By the 2020s, they shifted to Liam and Olivia. See the decade-by-decade breakdown above.
How many babies are named in Oklahoma?
Our data covers 1,626,939 name registrations in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma with other state-level SSA rankings

Compare Oklahoma'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.