Oh baby, there’s going to be a lot of Johns and Avas in Mississippi schools.
The state’s health department released its annual list of the most popular baby names in the Magnolia State. For the second year in a row, Ava maintained the top spot on the list of girl names while John overcame James to get back in the No. 1 spot.
According to the MSDH and compiled through its office of vital records and public health statistics, these were the top baby names in Mississippi for 2023.
Baby Boy Names
- John (175)
- James (164)
- William (150)
- Elijah (134)
- Noah (117)
- Liam (109)
- Waylon (106)
- Mason (91)
- Grayson (90)
- Asher (86)
- Levi (83)
- Kingston (82)
- Henry / Michael (81)
- Josiah (79)
- Oliver (76)
- Maverick (75)
- Lucas (73)
- Thomas (70)
- Legend / Samuel (69)
- Wyatt (65)
- Walker (64)
- Benjamin / Christopher / Jackson / Nolan (63)
- Carter (62)
- Aiden / Ezra (61)
- Hudson (59)
A couple of notes here. 106 Waylons?? I guess that makes sense for a state that listens to a lot of country music. The name, Maverick, rose eight spots from 2022 as Tom Cruise’s Top Gun must still be affecting the Magnolia State. Bible Belt through and through, four of the top five names are biblical.
Now to the girls.
Baby Girl Names
- Ava (123)
- Amelia (118)
- Olivia (117)
- Charlotte (97)
- Harper (96)
- Elizabeth (86)
- Emma (80)
- Mary (75)
- Nova (71)
- Evelyn (66)
- Ella (60)
- Brooklyn (59)
- Kinsley (58)
- Emery / Journee (56)
- Layla (55)
- Autumn (54)
- Serenity (53)
- Chloe / Ellie / Ivy / Millie (52)
- Naomi (51)
- Khloe (50)
- Paisley (49)
- Skylar (48)
- Anna / Hazel (47)
- Nevaeh / Sadie / Willow (46)
- Addison (45)
Elizabeth and Mary making a big comeback after barely cracking the top 10 last year while Addison climbed back into the rankings after a short absence. Journee also made a big jump, flying 10 spots up from its No. 24 ranking in 2022.
On a national basis, the top U.S. baby name in 2023 for boys was Noah and for girls Olivia, both of which fall into Mississippi’s top five.
