JACKSON, Wyo. — The most popular baby names in Wyoming followed a distinct trend last year.
Olivia kept its place as the state’s most popular name for newborn girls in 2021. The most popular name for boys? Just two letters different: Oliver.
That’s according to Vital Statistics Services, part of the Wyoming Department of Health.
For girls in 2021, Olivia was followed by Charlotte and Amelia. Emma, Evelyn and Harper tied for the fourth place girls’ spot, with Sophia, Elizabeth, Ava and Lucy rounding out the top ten.
For newborn Wyoming boys, Oliver was followed by Liam, Henry and Lincoln. Owen, Noah, William and Wyatt tied for the fifth place boys’ spot. James and Jack were next on the list of top names.
“In addition to family traditions, we know many factors can influence the attractiveness of names over time such as popular movies, television shows or music, or current popular and celebrity culture,” said Guy Beaudoin, VSS deputy state registrar with WDH. “Ultimately, parents make the choice that sounds right to them.”
There were 6,232 births among Wyoming resident mothers in 2021 compared with 6,132 in 2020. The high over the past decade was in 2015 with 7,678 resident births.
“Last year was the first in quite some time with an increase recorded in the number of new babies in Wyoming,” Beaudoin said. “Previously, we had seen an ongoing significant downward trend over several years.”
