Read 2025 as the birth year

The 2025 list describes names recorded for that birth year. It is not a forecast of what parents will choose during 2026. In the published U.S. rankings, Liam and Noah occupy the first two positions for boys, while Olivia and Charlotte lead the girls’ list. Those four names make a useful starting point if you want familiar choices with substantial recorded use.

NameForUs includes annual U.S. files through 2025. An article’s publication date and the year of its statistics answer different questions: one tells you when the article was prepared, and the other tells you which births the figures describe.

A stable rank can hide a changing count

Liam remained first, but its recorded count moved from 22,252 in 2024 to 20,818 in 2025. Noah remained second, with 20,409 and 20,358 respectively. The unchanged positions conceal a much narrower gap between the two names.

Charlotte moved from fourth to second in the girls’ list, while its count increased from 12,597 to 13,400. Read the position and count together before describing a name as growing, steady, or declining. These are observations about the annual records, not explanations of parents’ motives.

Turn the list into a manageable shortlist

Choose a handful of names you would consider even without a ranking beside them. Open their histories, compare the same years, and save a sentence about what attracts you to each. That note will remain useful when a new statistical release appears.

A national top ten is a discovery tool, not a verdict. If a favorite appears there, the next question is whether you enjoy using it with your family’s complete name. If none appeals, move further down the list without treating a lower position as a mark of quality.