Most Popular Baby Names in Oklahoma
A 113-year retrospective of how Oklahoma parents named their children, drawn from 3,371,668 US Social Security Administration state-level records (1910–2025). Top 20 all-time, latest-year top 10, signature names most distinctly associated with the state, and the complete year-by-year #1 history.
3,371,668
US births tracked
3,058
Distinct names
116
Years covered
Across 116 years of records, James
leads Oklahoma's all-time boys' list with 75,638 in-state births;
Mary leads the girls' with 56,054.
The single longest #1 streak in the state's recorded history belongs to James
(boys),
which held #1 for 39 years from 1911 to 1952 — a dominance that's increasingly rare in today's fragmenting name pool.
The state's most distinctive signature is Billie — 26.6%
of all national births of that name occurred in Oklahoma.
Top 20 All-Time in Oklahoma
Aggregate Oklahoma births across all years 1910–2025. Source: SSA state-level records.
Across the full 113-year record, James has more aggregate
Oklahoma births than any other boys' name —
31% ahead of #2 John.
On the girls' side, Mary leads
with a 107% margin over Betty.
These all-time totals are weighted heavily toward names that were dominant during the high-volume mid-20th-century baby boom — when Oklahoma's state-level birth records were at their thickest — so the list reflects an era when single names captured a much larger share of newborns than they do today.
Boys (top 20)
| #1 | James | 75,638 |
| #2 | John | 57,609 |
| #3 | Robert | 55,636 |
| #4 | William | 50,279 |
| #5 | Michael | 46,818 |
| #6 | David | 43,966 |
| #7 | Charles | 39,364 |
| #8 | Richard | 26,849 |
| #9 | Christopher | 24,867 |
| #10 | Billy | 23,162 |
| #11 | Kenneth | 22,593 |
| #12 | Donald | 22,446 |
| #13 | Thomas | 21,450 |
| #14 | Jerry | 19,119 |
| #15 | Larry | 18,134 |
| #16 | Joshua | 17,510 |
| #17 | Joseph | 17,365 |
| #18 | Jack | 16,896 |
| #19 | Matthew | 16,824 |
| #20 | George | 16,760 |
Girls (top 20)
| #1 | Mary | 56,054 |
| #2 | Betty | 27,059 |
| #3 | Linda | 22,023 |
| #4 | Patricia | 18,174 |
| #5 | Barbara | 18,046 |
| #6 | Jennifer | 17,345 |
| #7 | Dorothy | 16,183 |
| #8 | Elizabeth | 16,075 |
| #9 | Helen | 13,599 |
| #10 | Donna | 12,950 |
| #11 | Wanda | 12,593 |
| #12 | Margaret | 11,817 |
| #13 | Sarah | 11,800 |
| #14 | Jessica | 11,647 |
| #15 | Shirley | 11,290 |
| #16 | Ashley | 11,185 |
| #17 | Ruth | 10,885 |
| #18 | Ruby | 10,813 |
| #19 | Karen | 10,784 |
| #20 | Sharon | 10,656 |
Latest Year — Oklahoma Top 10 in 2025
Most popular names in Oklahoma for the most recent year of SSA records.
In 2025, Oklahoma's top 5 girls' picks
(Olivia, Charlotte, Amelia, Sophia, Emma) overlapped with the national top 5 on
5 of 5 names; the boys' top 5
(Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Elijah) overlapped on 4 of 5.
On the boys' side, Elijah
held a top-5 spot in the state but not nationally.
How Concentrated Is Naming in Oklahoma?
Top-10 names as a share of state births in 2025, compared to the US national average. A higher percentage means parents in the state pile onto fewer mainstream names; a lower percentage means more diverse, fragmented choices.
Oklahoma top-10 share, 2025
Girls' top 108.96%
Boys' top 109.54%
National top-10 share, 2025
Girls' top 1011.11%
Boys' top 1011.17%
Oklahoma is more diverse than the national average in 2025:
girls' top-10 captured only 8.96% of state births (vs 11.11% nationally),
boys' only 9.54% (vs 11.17%).
Lower concentration usually reflects a more demographically diverse population pulling from a wider pool of cultural traditions.
For full historical context, see the state distinctiveness atlas.
Signature Names — Most Distinctly Oklahoma
Names whose Oklahoma share is unusually high relative to the national total. A high "state share" means a disproportionate fraction of all US babies given that name were born in Oklahoma.
These signature names tell the cultural story of Oklahoma's naming geography
more sharply than any top-20 list. The list below is ordered by the state-share ratio: how big a
slice of all US births of that name happened in Oklahoma.
The strongest signature is Billie
(girls) — 26.6%
of all US births of that name occurred in Oklahoma, on
5,723 in-state births.
Other state-defining picks include Opal and
Jimmie.
Many of these are surnames, nicknames, or cultural-tradition names that survived as concentrated regional markers
even as the broader American naming pool fragmented.
| Name | Gender | Oklahoma births | National births | State share |
| Billie | Girls | 5,723 | 21,494 | 26.6% |
| Opal | Girls | 4,889 | 30,048 | 16.3% |
| Jimmie | Boys | 5,171 | 42,451 | 12.2% |
| Tommy | Boys | 7,603 | 80,639 | 9.4% |
| Bill | Boys | 7,421 | 98,355 | 7.6% |
| Don | Boys | 5,454 | 81,779 | 6.7% |
| Billy | Boys | 23,162 | 348,375 | 6.7% |
| Wilma | Girls | 5,946 | 94,707 | 6.3% |
| Juanita | Girls | 7,044 | 118,649 | 5.9% |
| Floyd | Boys | 5,183 | 90,917 | 5.7% |
| Jimmy | Boys | 13,281 | 234,968 | 5.7% |
| Bobby | Boys | 14,613 | 267,970 | 5.5% |
Oklahoma Then vs Now — 1950 vs 2025
Side-by-side top 5 from a 70+ year window. Names that disappear entirely between 1950 and 2025 are typical of how dramatically American naming taste has reset across three generations.
On the girls' side, 1950's Oklahoma top 5 was
Linda, Mary, Patricia, Deborah, Sharon;
in 2025 it became
Olivia, Charlotte, Amelia, Sophia, Emma.
None of the 1950 top 5 girls' names remained in the 2025 top 5 — total turnover.
Boys went from James, Robert, Michael, John, David
to Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Elijah
— no overlap at all.
Longest #1 Streaks in Oklahoma
Names that held the state-level #1 spot for the most consecutive (or non-consecutive) years over the full 113-year record. The early-1900s entries reflect an era when single names dominated for decades; modern entries reflect today's much shorter top-1 reigns.
James (boys)
held Oklahoma's #1 spot for 39 years
between 1911 and 1952 — by far the longest dominance in the state's recorded history.
Second-longest is Mary
(girls) at 31 years.
For comparison, today's #1 names typically hold the spot for 1–4 years before being displaced — a structural shift driven by the fragmenting modern name pool.
| Name | Sex | Years at #1 | First year | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James | Boys | 39 | 1911 | 1952 |
| Mary | Girls | 31 | 1910 | 1960 |
| Michael | Boys | 20 | 1953 | 1992 |
| Jennifer | Girls | 14 | 1971 | 1984 |
| Emma | Girls | 12 | 2005 | 2018 |
| Jacob | Boys | 11 | 1997 | 2010 |
| David | Boys | 11 | 1954 | 1964 |
| Linda | Girls | 10 | 1944 | 1953 |
Year-by-Year #1 in Oklahoma
Who held #1 each year. Names listed alphabetically by year with US birth counts in Oklahoma.
The full year-by-year scroll below shows every Oklahoma #1 boy and girl from 2025 back to 1910.
Click any year to drill into that year's full top-20 with year-over-year movement, signature names, and decade context.
Patterns to watch: the long mid-century plateaus when the same name held #1 for decades; the
1970s–1990s transition when American naming fragmented and #1 reigns shortened to single-digit years;
and the 2010s–present era when even #1 names rarely hold the top spot for more than a few years.
| Year | #1 boy | Births | #1 girl | Births |
| 2025 → | Liam | 232 | Olivia | 178 |
| 2023 → | Liam | 210 | Olivia | 197 |
| 2022 → | Liam | 218 | Olivia | 229 |
| 2021 → | Liam | 229 | Olivia | 233 |
| 2020 → | Liam | 222 | Olivia | 233 |
| 2019 → | Liam | 237 | Olivia | 229 |
| 2018 → | Liam | 221 | Emma | 222 |
| 2017 → | William | 204 | Emma | 237 |
| 2016 → | Liam | 216 | Emma | 245 |
| 2015 → | Elijah | 218 | Emma | 270 |
| 2014 → | William | 218 | Emma | 263 |
| 2013 → | Mason | 216 | Emma | 288 |
| 2012 → | Elijah | 219 | Emma | 285 |
| 2011 → | William | 234 | Emma | 263 |
| 2010 → | Jacob | 233 | Isabella | 254 |
| 2009 → | Ethan | 245 | Isabella | 252 |
| 2008 → | Ethan | 267 | Emma | 289 |
| 2007 → | Ethan | 324 | Emma | 262 |
| 2006 → | Jacob | 345 | Emma | 283 |
| 2005 → | Jacob | 329 | Emma | 280 |
| 2004 → | Jacob | 376 | Madison | 330 |
| 2003 → | Jacob | 396 | Emily | 311 |
| 2002 → | Jacob | 436 | Madison | 357 |
| 2001 → | Jacob | 456 | Madison | 385 |
| 2000 → | Jacob | 467 | Madison | 329 |
| 1999 → | Jacob | 502 | Madison | 317 |
| 1998 → | Jacob | 486 | Hannah | 337 |
| 1997 → | Jacob | 521 | Taylor | 309 |
| 1996 → | Tyler | 419 | Madison | 321 |
| 1995 → | Tyler | 471 | Jessica | 311 |
| 1994 → | Tyler | 488 | Ashley | 388 |
| 1993 → | Joshua | 489 | Ashley | 426 |
| 1992 → | Michael | 514 | Ashley | 498 |
| 1991 → | Joshua | 577 | Ashley | 575 |
| 1990 → | Joshua | 599 | Jessica | 597 |
| 1989 → | Joshua | 646 | Ashley | 623 |
| 1988 → | Joshua | 697 | Jessica | 652 |
| 1987 → | Michael | 676 | Ashley | 746 |
| 1986 → | Christopher | 844 | Ashley | 759 |
| 1985 → | Christopher | 907 | Ashley | 746 |
| 1984 → | Christopher | 964 | Jennifer | 798 |
| 1983 → | Christopher | 1,020 | Jennifer | 972 |
| 1982 → | Christopher | 978 | Jennifer | 981 |
| 1981 → | Michael | 822 | Jennifer | 871 |
| 1980 → | Michael | 872 | Jennifer | 881 |
| 1979 → | Michael | 825 | Jennifer | 827 |
| 1978 → | Michael | 834 | Jennifer | 794 |
| 1977 → | Michael | 842 | Jennifer | 790 |
| 1976 → | Michael | 864 | Jennifer | 780 |
| 1975 → | Michael | 853 | Jennifer | 761 |
| 1974 → | Michael | 885 | Jennifer | 755 |
| 1973 → | Michael | 854 | Jennifer | 649 |
| 1972 → | Michael | 927 | Jennifer | 637 |
| 1971 → | Michael | 928 | Jennifer | 525 |
| 1970 → | Michael | 1,031 | Kimberly | 460 |
| 1969 → | Michael | 908 | Lisa | 438 |
| 1968 → | Michael | 880 | Lisa | 449 |
| 1967 → | Michael | 848 | Lisa | 470 |
| 1966 → | Michael | 747 | Lisa | 544 |
| 1965 → | Michael | 767 | Lisa | 593 |
| 1964 → | David | 842 | Lisa | 578 |
| 1963 → | David | 825 | Lisa | 592 |
| 1962 → | David | 947 | Lisa | 504 |
| 1961 → | David | 915 | Lisa | 532 |
| 1960 → | David | 1,005 | Mary | 469 |
| 1959 → | David | 932 | Mary | 461 |
| 1958 → | David | 1,021 | Mary | 467 |
| 1957 → | David | 997 | Debra | 571 |
| 1956 → | David | 1,053 | Debra | 695 |
| 1955 → | David | 1,143 | Debra | 785 |
| 1954 → | David | 1,080 | Deborah | 748 |
| 1953 → | Michael | 1,068 | Linda | 885 |
| 1952 → | James | 1,042 | Linda | 935 |
| 1951 → | James | 1,087 | Linda | 1,162 |
| 1950 → | James | 1,102 | Linda | 1,380 |
| 1949 → | James | 1,074 | Linda | 1,576 |
| 1948 → | James | 1,094 | Linda | 1,796 |
| 1947 → | James | 1,155 | Linda | 2,064 |
| 1946 → | James | 1,206 | Linda | 1,266 |
| 1945 → | James | 1,015 | Linda | 1,007 |
| 1944 → | James | 1,149 | Linda | 1,004 |
| 1943 → | James | 1,185 | Mary | 1,047 |
| 1942 → | James | 1,132 | Mary | 1,067 |
| 1941 → | James | 1,153 | Mary | 1,057 |
| 1940 → | James | 1,089 | Mary | 1,042 |
| 1939 → | James | 1,128 | Mary | 1,080 |
| 1938 → | James | 1,052 | Mary | 1,117 |
| 1937 → | James | 1,092 | Mary | 1,093 |
| 1936 → | James | 1,055 | Mary | 1,098 |
| 1935 → | James | 1,088 | Shirley | 1,159 |
| 1934 → | James | 1,068 | Mary | 1,222 |
| 1933 → | James | 1,040 | Mary | 1,255 |
| 1932 → | James | 1,090 | Betty | 1,246 |
| 1931 → | James | 1,079 | Betty | 1,308 |
| 1930 → | James | 1,151 | Betty | 1,463 |
| 1929 → | James | 1,139 | Betty | 1,484 |
| 1928 → | James | 1,200 | Betty | 1,453 |
| 1927 → | James | 1,181 | Mary | 1,502 |
| 1926 → | James | 1,231 | Mary | 1,411 |
| 1925 → | James | 1,273 | Mary | 1,451 |
| 1924 → | James | 1,229 | Mary | 1,462 |
| 1923 → | James | 1,207 | Mary | 1,445 |
| 1922 → | James | 1,143 | Mary | 1,358 |
| 1921 → | James | 1,231 | Mary | 1,338 |
| 1920 → | James | 1,149 | Mary | 1,313 |
| 1919 → | James | 881 | Mary | 1,051 |
| 1918 → | James | 967 | Mary | 1,035 |
| 1917 → | James | 789 | Mary | 931 |
| 1916 → | James | 720 | Mary | 815 |
| 1915 → | William | 667 | Mary | 763 |
| 1914 → | James | 536 | Mary | 572 |
| 1913 → | William | 438 | Mary | 525 |
| 1912 → | William | 378 | Mary | 431 |
| 1911 → | James | 198 | Mary | 348 |
| 1910 → | John | 171 | Mary | 326 |
Related Resources
- All states 1910–2025 — index of all 51 state pages
- The State of Baby Naming 2026 — flagship 145-year retrospective
- Baby Names by Decade — 15 standalone decade pages
- Origins of American Baby Naming — 145-year tradition atlas
- Methodology · Press kit
Methodology
All figures derived from the US Social Security Administration's state-level baby-names dataset (1910–2025), public domain (CC0). State-level data starts in 1910 (rather than 1880 like the national data) because pre-1910 SSN records lack state granularity. SSA suppresses any name-state-year-gender combination with fewer than 5 occurrences for privacy. The "all-time" rankings on this page are computed across all years available; signature-name share percentages compare state-level totals to the national totals from our companion table. See the full methodology page for complete details.
Citation: Tang, M. (2026). Most Popular Baby Names in Oklahoma. 9BabyNames. https://9babynames.com/reports/state/oklahoma