Most Popular Baby Names in Pennsylvania
A 113-year retrospective of how Pennsylvania parents named their children, drawn from 13,981,841 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.
13,981,841
US births tracked
3,969
Distinct names
116
Years covered
Across 116 years of records, John
leads Pennsylvania's all-time boys' list with 421,655 in-state births;
Mary leads the girls' with 292,695.
The single longest #1 streak in the state's recorded history belongs to John
(boys),
which held #1 for 49 years from 1910 to 1964 — a dominance that's increasingly rare in today's fragmenting name pool.
The state's most distinctive signature is Dolores — 19.0%
of all national births of that name occurred in Pennsylvania.
Top 20 All-Time in Pennsylvania
Aggregate Pennsylvania births across all years 1910–2025. Source: SSA state-level records.
Across the full 113-year record, John has more aggregate
Pennsylvania births than any other boys' name —
19% ahead of #2 Robert.
On the girls' side, Mary leads
with a 154% margin over Margaret.
These all-time totals are weighted heavily toward names that were dominant during the high-volume mid-20th-century baby boom — when Pennsylvania'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 | John | 421,655 |
| #2 | Robert | 353,203 |
| #3 | James | 305,477 |
| #4 | William | 303,443 |
| #5 | Michael | 272,024 |
| #6 | Joseph | 257,642 |
| #7 | David | 223,055 |
| #8 | Richard | 185,989 |
| #9 | Thomas | 183,741 |
| #10 | Charles | 161,082 |
| #11 | Edward | 121,724 |
| #12 | George | 118,741 |
| #13 | Daniel | 111,815 |
| #14 | Paul | 105,097 |
| #15 | Donald | 101,642 |
| #16 | Anthony | 93,391 |
| #17 | Matthew | 91,523 |
| #18 | Christopher | 90,794 |
| #19 | Mark | 82,517 |
| #20 | Ronald | 81,993 |
Girls (top 20)
| #1 | Mary | 292,695 |
| #2 | Margaret | 115,023 |
| #3 | Patricia | 111,836 |
| #4 | Elizabeth | 108,746 |
| #5 | Barbara | 100,384 |
| #6 | Helen | 99,380 |
| #7 | Dorothy | 91,268 |
| #8 | Linda | 86,547 |
| #9 | Anna | 83,334 |
| #10 | Susan | 78,840 |
| #11 | Nancy | 73,583 |
| #12 | Jennifer | 70,631 |
| #13 | Ruth | 67,398 |
| #14 | Karen | 64,472 |
| #15 | Betty | 63,908 |
| #16 | Carol | 62,634 |
| #17 | Kathleen | 60,875 |
| #18 | Donna | 60,200 |
| #19 | Lisa | 58,242 |
| #20 | Catherine | 56,765 |
Latest Year — Pennsylvania Top 10 in 2025
Most popular names in Pennsylvania for the most recent year of SSA records.
In 2025, Pennsylvania's top 5 girls' picks
(Charlotte, Sophia, Olivia, Amelia, Emma) overlapped with the national top 5 on
5 of 5 names; the boys' top 5
(Noah, Liam, Theodore, Oliver, Henry) overlapped on 5 of 5.
Pennsylvania tracked the national consensus very closely this year — every state top-5 name was also a national top-5 name.
How Concentrated Is Naming in Pennsylvania?
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.
Pennsylvania top-10 share, 2025
Girls' top 108.65%
Boys' top 109.34%
National top-10 share, 2025
Girls' top 1011.11%
Boys' top 1011.17%
Pennsylvania is more diverse than the national average in 2025:
girls' top-10 captured only 8.65% of state births (vs 11.11% nationally),
boys' only 9.34% (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 Pennsylvania
Names whose Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania.
These signature names tell the cultural story of Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania.
The strongest signature is Dolores
(girls) — 19.0%
of all US births of that name occurred in Pennsylvania, on
26,654 in-state births.
Other state-defining picks include Bernard and
Joanne.
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 | Pennsylvania births | National births | State share |
| Dolores | Girls | 26,654 | 140,522 | 19.0% |
| Bernard | Boys | 18,772 | 126,035 | 14.9% |
| Joanne | Girls | 21,379 | 150,905 | 14.2% |
| Barry | Boys | 18,418 | 134,574 | 13.7% |
| Harry | Boys | 49,412 | 369,750 | 13.4% |
| Michele | Girls | 20,074 | 170,734 | 11.8% |
| Frederick | Boys | 20,221 | 185,470 | 10.9% |
| Vincent | Boys | 28,977 | 266,581 | 10.9% |
| Jean | Girls | 44,689 | 419,791 | 10.7% |
| Eleanor | Girls | 30,563 | 290,872 | 10.5% |
| Joan | Girls | 45,529 | 438,948 | 10.4% |
| Helen | Girls | 99,380 | 962,429 | 10.3% |
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania top 5 was
Linda, Mary, Patricia, Barbara, Susan;
in 2025 it became
Charlotte, Sophia, Olivia, Amelia, Emma.
None of the 1950 top 5 girls' names remained in the 2025 top 5 — total turnover.
Boys went from John, Robert, James, William, David
to Noah, Liam, Theodore, Oliver, Henry
— no overlap at all.
Longest #1 Streaks in Pennsylvania
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.
John (boys)
held Pennsylvania's #1 spot for 49 years
between 1910 and 1964 — by far the longest dominance in the state's recorded history.
Second-longest is Mary
(girls) at 46 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John | Boys | 49 | 1910 | 1964 |
| Mary | Girls | 46 | 1910 | 1961 |
| Michael | Boys | 45 | 1965 | 2010 |
| Jennifer | Girls | 15 | 1970 | 1984 |
| Emily | Girls | 12 | 1994 | 2005 |
| Ashley | Girls | 9 | 1985 | 1993 |
| Lisa | Girls | 8 | 1962 | 1969 |
| Emma | Girls | 7 | 2012 | 2020 |
Year-by-Year #1 in Pennsylvania
Who held #1 each year. Names listed alphabetically by year with US birth counts in Pennsylvania.
The full year-by-year scroll below shows every Pennsylvania #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 → | Noah | 744 | Charlotte | 560 |
| 2023 → | Noah | 691 | Charlotte | 559 |
| 2022 → | Liam | 674 | Olivia | 573 |
| 2021 → | Noah | 703 | Olivia | 629 |
| 2020 → | Noah | 697 | Emma | 631 |
| 2019 → | Liam | 762 | Olivia | 660 |
| 2018 → | Liam | 741 | Emma | 702 |
| 2017 → | Liam | 726 | Emma | 783 |
| 2016 → | Noah | 716 | Emma | 750 |
| 2015 → | Mason | 794 | Olivia | 786 |
| 2014 → | Liam | 794 | Emma | 884 |
| 2013 → | Mason | 820 | Emma | 901 |
| 2012 → | Mason | 872 | Emma | 877 |
| 2011 → | Mason | 917 | Sophia | 875 |
| 2010 → | Michael | 829 | Isabella | 903 |
| 2009 → | Michael | 816 | Isabella | 884 |
| 2008 → | Michael | 928 | Ava | 909 |
| 2007 → | Michael | 1,027 | Ava | 994 |
| 2006 → | Jacob | 1,071 | Ava | 872 |
| 2005 → | Michael | 1,113 | Emily | 891 |
| 2004 → | Michael | 1,243 | Emily | 1,025 |
| 2003 → | Michael | 1,287 | Emily | 1,137 |
| 2002 → | Michael | 1,352 | Emily | 1,153 |
| 2001 → | Michael | 1,438 | Emily | 1,118 |
| 2000 → | Michael | 1,491 | Emily | 1,174 |
| 1999 → | Michael | 1,644 | Emily | 1,241 |
| 1998 → | Michael | 1,804 | Emily | 1,371 |
| 1997 → | Michael | 1,795 | Emily | 1,301 |
| 1996 → | Michael | 1,950 | Emily | 1,307 |
| 1995 → | Michael | 2,122 | Emily | 1,264 |
| 1994 → | Michael | 2,351 | Emily | 1,354 |
| 1993 → | Michael | 2,711 | Ashley | 1,460 |
| 1992 → | Michael | 2,763 | Ashley | 1,662 |
| 1991 → | Michael | 3,085 | Ashley | 1,959 |
| 1990 → | Michael | 3,450 | Ashley | 1,990 |
| 1989 → | Michael | 3,508 | Ashley | 2,123 |
| 1988 → | Michael | 3,446 | Ashley | 2,299 |
| 1987 → | Michael | 3,471 | Ashley | 2,560 |
| 1986 → | Michael | 3,633 | Ashley | 2,397 |
| 1985 → | Michael | 3,581 | Ashley | 2,181 |
| 1984 → | Michael | 3,733 | Jennifer | 2,230 |
| 1983 → | Michael | 3,805 | Jennifer | 2,572 |
| 1982 → | Michael | 3,979 | Jennifer | 2,798 |
| 1981 → | Michael | 4,034 | Jennifer | 2,820 |
| 1980 → | Michael | 4,034 | Jennifer | 3,036 |
| 1979 → | Michael | 4,073 | Jennifer | 2,991 |
| 1978 → | Michael | 4,092 | Jennifer | 3,072 |
| 1977 → | Michael | 4,204 | Jennifer | 3,229 |
| 1976 → | Michael | 4,155 | Jennifer | 3,342 |
| 1975 → | Michael | 4,024 | Jennifer | 3,427 |
| 1974 → | Michael | 4,117 | Jennifer | 3,721 |
| 1973 → | Michael | 4,066 | Jennifer | 3,829 |
| 1972 → | Michael | 4,183 | Jennifer | 3,973 |
| 1971 → | Michael | 4,680 | Jennifer | 3,657 |
| 1970 → | Michael | 5,156 | Jennifer | 2,959 |
| 1969 → | Michael | 5,118 | Lisa | 2,816 |
| 1968 → | Michael | 4,989 | Lisa | 3,198 |
| 1967 → | Michael | 5,048 | Lisa | 3,356 |
| 1966 → | Michael | 5,245 | Lisa | 3,650 |
| 1965 → | Michael | 5,282 | Lisa | 3,771 |
| 1964 → | John | 5,657 | Lisa | 3,623 |
| 1963 → | John | 5,741 | Lisa | 3,858 |
| 1962 → | John | 5,689 | Lisa | 3,186 |
| 1961 → | John | 5,882 | Mary | 3,038 |
| 1960 → | John | 5,827 | Mary | 3,300 |
| 1959 → | John | 6,045 | Mary | 3,574 |
| 1958 → | John | 6,028 | Mary | 3,696 |
| 1957 → | John | 6,451 | Mary | 3,971 |
| 1956 → | John | 6,535 | Mary | 3,869 |
| 1955 → | John | 6,517 | Mary | 4,073 |
| 1954 → | John | 6,744 | Mary | 4,401 |
| 1953 → | John | 6,797 | Mary | 4,029 |
| 1952 → | John | 7,088 | Linda | 4,340 |
| 1951 → | John | 7,038 | Linda | 4,905 |
| 1950 → | John | 6,856 | Linda | 5,278 |
| 1949 → | John | 7,029 | Linda | 5,849 |
| 1948 → | John | 7,300 | Linda | 6,216 |
| 1947 → | John | 8,048 | Linda | 6,768 |
| 1946 → | John | 7,201 | Mary | 4,455 |
| 1945 → | John | 5,770 | Mary | 3,659 |
| 1944 → | John | 5,966 | Mary | 3,953 |
| 1943 → | John | 6,444 | Mary | 4,469 |
| 1942 → | John | 6,575 | Mary | 4,476 |
| 1941 → | John | 5,653 | Mary | 4,087 |
| 1940 → | Robert | 5,351 | Mary | 3,943 |
| 1939 → | Robert | 5,322 | Mary | 3,878 |
| 1938 → | Robert | 5,563 | Mary | 4,058 |
| 1937 → | Robert | 5,700 | Mary | 4,038 |
| 1936 → | Robert | 5,286 | Mary | 3,933 |
| 1935 → | Robert | 5,086 | Mary | 3,930 |
| 1934 → | John | 5,005 | Mary | 4,090 |
| 1933 → | John | 5,028 | Mary | 4,122 |
| 1932 → | John | 5,241 | Mary | 4,536 |
| 1931 → | John | 5,444 | Mary | 4,915 |
| 1930 → | John | 6,064 | Mary | 5,187 |
| 1929 → | John | 5,892 | Mary | 5,303 |
| 1928 → | John | 6,134 | Mary | 5,741 |
| 1927 → | John | 6,685 | Mary | 6,227 |
| 1926 → | John | 6,647 | Mary | 6,008 |
| 1925 → | John | 6,936 | Mary | 6,563 |
| 1924 → | John | 7,262 | Mary | 7,200 |
| 1923 → | John | 7,211 | Mary | 7,035 |
| 1922 → | John | 7,073 | Mary | 7,302 |
| 1921 → | John | 7,194 | Mary | 7,772 |
| 1920 → | John | 7,041 | Mary | 7,650 |
| 1919 → | John | 6,791 | Mary | 7,428 |
| 1918 → | John | 7,557 | Mary | 8,184 |
| 1917 → | John | 6,620 | Mary | 7,988 |
| 1916 → | John | 6,543 | Mary | 7,730 |
| 1915 → | John | 6,443 | Mary | 7,970 |
| 1914 → | John | 5,192 | Mary | 5,981 |
| 1913 → | John | 3,706 | Mary | 4,739 |
| 1912 → | John | 3,067 | Mary | 4,106 |
| 1911 → | John | 1,672 | Mary | 3,188 |
| 1910 → | John | 1,326 | Mary | 2,913 |
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 Pennsylvania. 9BabyNames. https://9babynames.com/reports/state/pennsylvania