Olivia, Liam top the baby name list in New York in 2021

The most popular names for boys and girls born in 2021?

In New York, it was Liam for boys and Olivia for girls, according to statistics released Thursday by the Social Security Administration.

Nationwide, just one new name broke into the top 10 for 2021, according to those statistics — with Theodore replacing Alexander as a favorite for new parents.

The top 5 girls' names in New York were: Olivia, Emma, Sophia, Mia and Amelia. For boys, the top 5 list was: Liam, Noah, Lucas, Joseph and Jacob.

The local health departments do not track baby name frequencies on Long Island. The SSA did not immediately respond to a request seeking a geographic breakdown for Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Nationally, the most common names differ somewhat in frequency, the SSA said.

The national top 10 for girls was: Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella, Mia, Evelyn and Harper. The boys' top 10 was: Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, James, William, Benjamin, Lucas, Henry and yes, Theodore.

The five fastest rising names for boys and girls?

Try Amiri, Eliam, Colter, Ozzy and Loyal for boys — and Raya, Wrenley, Angelique, Vida and Emberlynn for girls.

Robyn Penberg of Northport said she was deterred at first from the name Noah because of its commonality, but after consulting with family and friends, they all agreed the choice was fine because no one they knew had the name. In 2021, Robyn and Michael Penberg expected their first child, following a miscarriage.

"In the Bible itself, God presents Noah with a rainbow and so being that he was our rainbow baby we felt that it was the most perfect name choice for him," said Penberg, 35, who is Catholic. 

Noah Alexander Penberg was born Oct. 30, 2021.

The SSA said it began compiling the baby name list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880, and said: "At the time of a child's birth, parents supply the name to the agency when applying for a child's Social Security card, thus making Social Security America's source for the most popular baby names."

For all of the top baby names of 2021, and to see where your name ranks, go to Social Security’s website, www.socialsecurity.gov/babynames.

In case you are curious, according to baby name guides, the name Olivia is derived from olive or olive tree and is often used to convey the olive branch, the symbol of peace.

Meanwhile, Liam means strong-willed warrior, though it also means helmet of will, guardian and protection or protector.