Top Baby Names in Michigan Compared to Top in the Nation
(Kurt Metzger, June 28, 2026)
Michigan – What’s In A Name?
“What’s in a name?” is a famous philosophical inquiry originating from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It questions whether a label holds intrinsic value or if a person’s true essence remains independent of what they are called.
The Social Security Administration releases every May its listing of top baby names from the previous year. It follows its national release, several weeks later, with similar rankings for each state.
The 2025 lists are in, and the Top 10 Names for boys and girls are shown for the U.S. and Michigan in the two charts below.
The first finding is that Michigan did not follow the national trend of top name for either boys or girls. While the nation put Liam first, Michigan had it 8th. And, while the nation chose the name Olivia, Michigan put it in 6th place.
Secondly, Michigan’s Top 10 names for boys substitutes Jack, Hudson, and Levi for Mateo, William, and Lucas. The girls’ side of the ledger has four differences, as Michigan substitutes Mia, Isabella, Sofia, and Eliana, with Eleanor, Violet, Lainey, and Harper.
I hope you will peruse these lists and follow up on the Social Security site (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/) where your national listing tracks the Top 1,000 names nationally and Top 100 for States, and provides historical rankings by decade back to the 1880’s.
For stories about voter turnout rates, dog licensing statistics, population trends, and other interesting numbers, visit the Data-Based Stories Archives on Oakland County Times. Thanks to Data Expert Kurt Metzger for this work!
