RICHMOND — Whether inspired by scripture, royalty, a favorite singer, Disney character, or family heritage, parents choose different names for their newborns.
In a Monday press release, the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records unveiled its lists of the 15 best baby names for babies born in the Commonwealth in 2022, perhaps providing some inspiration for stressed-out parents-to-be.
Topping the list of most popular names for girls in 2022 was Charlotte. Noah was the most popular with the boys.
In 2021, 95,618 babies were born. Numbers for 2022 are still being tallied, the Office of Vital Records said. They estimate that there will be a similar number of births.
“It’s always fascinating to see the top names for babies in any given year,” Seth Austin, director of VDH’s Office of Vital Records said in the release. “We see names from a variety of sources: a film, religious texts, a family’s personal history. They all represent the wonderfully diverse cultures of the Commonwealth.”
The 15 best baby names for boys in 2022
Noah, James, Liam, William, Henry, Theodore, Oliver, Elijah, Levi, Benjamin, Owen, John, Jack, Asher and Lucas.
The 15 best baby names for girls in 2022
Charlotte, Olivia, Ava, Amelia, Emma, Harper, Evelyn, Eleanor, Sophia, Elizabeth, Lilly, Abigail, Riley, Nora and Chloe.
The most popular baby names for Virginia’s largest ethnic groups
Data from the Office of Vital Records also points to 2022’s most popular baby names for the state’s largest ethnic groups: Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White.
- Among Asian babies born in 2022, Noah and Sophia were the most popular names. Muhammad, Liam, Kai and Henry round out the top five guys list; Chloe, Olivia, Mia and Charlotte round out the girls top five.
- For black babies born in Virginia in 2022, Noah and Ava were the most popular names. Elijah, Josiah, Amir and Micah round out the top five for boys, while Naomi, Nova, Zuri and Leilani round out the top five for girls.
- Liam and Mia were the top names for Hispanic boys and girls born in Virginia in 2022. Mateo, Dylan, Noah and Lucas round out the top five list for Hispanic boy names, while Camila, Isabella, Emma and Genesis round out the top five list for girl names.
- William and Charlotte were the top names for white babies born in 2022, followed by Henry, James, Theodore and Oliver for boys and Olivia, Amelia, Harper and Emma for girls.
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More interesting info on births in 2022
- The highest number of births occurred in August with 8,917 babies born, with August 17 seeing the highest number of babies born – 359.
- Friday is the busiest day of the week in Virginia delivery rooms: 14,429 babies were born on a Friday in 2022; Sundays, however, are the slowest days of the week, with only 8,746 being born on Sunday in 2022.
- There were 1,344 sets of twins born in Virginia in 2022, while there were 19 sets of triplets born in the state.
- And on New Year’s Day 2022, 178 new Virginians were born into the world.
Half a century ago, in 1972, VDH data shows that Michael and Jennifer were the most popular names for boys and girls born that year, the release said.
James, Christopher, David, Robert, John, William, Brian, Jason, Kevin, Jeffrey, Charles, Richard, Matthew and Thomas round out the rest of the top 15 for boy names in 1972. Among girls in 1972, the rest of the top 15 include Kimberly, Amy, Angela, Melissa, Lisa, Michelle, Tammy, Mary, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Heather, Susan and Karen.
To find out more, visit the registry office. The public can also access the services of the Vital Data Bureau through local district health offices and Department of Motor Vehicles offices.
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Journalist Monique Calello can be reached at [email protected] Story ideas are always welcome. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com and support local journalism.