Oh baby, there’s going to be a lot of Emmas in school.
Of the nearly 100,000 babies born in New York City in 2022, the most popular names were Emma for girls and Liam for boys, the Health Department announced Tuesday.
It’s no surprise Liam reigned supreme for newborn boys, as it’s been the most popular moniker for little lads since 2016. The same goes for Emma, which was the top choice for parents since 2017.
New York City birth certificate records show 99,459 children were born in 2022, with almost an even split between boys and girls, at 50,595 and 48,864, respectively.
Of those little ones born in the Big Apple, 388 were Emmas and 739 were Liams.
For girls, Mia, Olivia, Sophia and Leah rounded out the rest of the top five names while Noah, Ethan, Lucas and David were the top ones chosen for boys.
“What makes our city special are the New Yorkers – big and small – who call the five boroughs home,” Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement. “So welcome Emma, Liam, Mia, Noah and all the other newborns to New York. Our city and world are better for your presence in the new year and beyond.”
However, the Health Department noted that if the number four most popular name Sophia also included babies named with the alternate spelling, Sofia, it would be the number one most popular name.
There were also several other surprises in the birth certificate records, including a trend that the Health Department called a reflection of an “inward look” with names like Serenity (no. 82), Journey (no. 110) and Justice (no. 141). There was also what the agency called a “hope for a celestial destination” in names like Heaven (no. 111) or Orion (no. 127).
Other newborns were bestowed royal names like Prince, Princess, Majesty, King and even Khaleesi, an ode to “Game of Thrones.”
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“Adventure” also seemed to be a recurring theme, with names like Maverick (no. 117), Ocean (no. 124), Artist (no. 142), Princeton (no. 143), Denver (no. 143) and Saint (no. 104) making the list.
For girls, parents also looked to nature to choose a moniker with Luna at number nine, Lily at number 25 and Rose at number 52.
Jade ranked at number 59, a name that experts told The Post would be a popular name for 2024.
“Today’s parents are fixated on sending the right messages with the names they choose,” said Pamela Redmond, founder of Nameberry, a global site devoted to monikers.
“The perfect baby name for 2024 is one that is ahead of the style curve, personally significant and identity-defining,” added Redmond.
As for boroughs, the most babies were born in Manhattan (39,320), followed by Brooklyn (23,318), Queens (20,109), Bronx (11,048) and Staten Island (5,664).
“The [names] are a real reflection of what’s going on for people in the most fundamental way when it comes to birth,” Gretchen Van Wye, assistant commissioner of the city’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, told Gothamist. “We are seeing what parents are thinking.”
“We put this out every year because people ask us for it and they really enjoy it,” she added.
“Babies – our newest New Yorkers – bring a lot of excitement and hope for us, especially at this time of year.”
