Most Popular Baby Boy Names in the US for 2025 (SSA) and Their Meanings

Liam was once again the most popular name for baby boys born in the United States in 2025. But it was the narrowest win in the 2021–2025 data we have. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), 20,818 boys were named Liam and 20,358 were named Noah, a gap of just 460 babies.

The list has another side: several names are linked to the Qur'an. Noah, Elijah, Elias, James, Joseph, Michael... Many of these are the English forms of prophets and angels named in the Qur'an. Below we look at the race for No. 1, the top 30, and how these names look in Arabic script through an Abjad (ebced) lens.

A 460-baby margin at the top

Liam, Noah and Oliver held the top three spots, in the same order, in every one of the five years in our data. What changed is the distance between the first two:

From 2024 to 2025, 1,434 fewer babies were named Liam, while Noah dipped by only 51. That cut the gap from 1,843 to 460. A quick calculation shows how close it was: had 230 of the families who chose Liam picked Noah instead, the two names would have tied; had 231 done so, Noah would have been No. 1.

The 30 most popular boy names in the US in 2025

The counts are babies born in the US for whom a Social Security card application was filed; the SSA counts every spelling separately. The Abjad value is the sum of the letter values in the name's common Arabic spelling, so a different spelling gives a different value.

From 2024 to 2025: risers and fallers

Theodore: a little higher every year

Theodore was No. 10 in 2021, No. 7 in 2023 and No. 4 in 2024, a spot it kept in 2025. The number of boys given the name grew in each of the five years, from 9,600 to 13,355. This year's increase of 1,286 babies is the second largest in the top 30.

Cooper and Elias: the big jumps

The biggest jump in rank, both in the top 30 and among names in the top 100 in both years, belongs to Cooper: from No. 50 to No. 27, up 23 places. 1,757 more babies were given the name, bringing it to 7,472, the largest increase in the top 30. Cooper was No. 68 in 2021. Elias climbed from No. 25 to No. 13 (1,153 more babies); it was No. 48 in 2021.

Down a spot, yet more babies: James

Henry rose to No. 5, passing James by 75 babies. Yet James was given to 89 more babies than in 2024; a lower rank does not always mean fewer parents chose a name.

Fallers, newcomers and departures

Among names that stayed in the top 30, the steepest fall was Asher's: from No. 20 to No. 28, with 703 fewer babies given the name. Ezra slipped from No. 13 to No. 20 (696 fewer babies) and Daniel from No. 16 to No. 22. Over the longer run, Alexander stands out: No. 13 in 2021, No. 30 in 2025. Cooper and Joseph (32 → 29) entered the top 30 this year, while Owen (26 → 31) and Dylan (28 → 41) left it.

One prophet, two spellings

According to dictionary sources, exactly half of the top 30, 15 names, are of Hebrew origin. Several of them have two forms in Arabic: a common spelling that follows the American pronunciation, and a traditional form established in the Qur'an or the Arabic Bible. Different letters mean different Abjad values:

The shortest example shows where the difference comes from. Noah is commonly written نواه: ن (50) + و (6) + ا (1) + ه (5) = 62. The name of the Prophet Nuh, نوح, is ن (50) + و (6) + ح (8) = 64. The sound is almost the same; the last letter is not.

The table reveals something else: Elijah (No. 7) and Elias (No. 13) are two Western forms of the same prophet, Ilyas. The SSA counts them as separate names; together they come to 19,948 babies. That is not an official ranking, but the total is above Oliver (14,939) and just below Noah (20,358). There is a similar family around Jacob: James (No. 6) derives from Jacob, and Santiago (No. 26) means "Saint James." Jacob itself slipped from No. 24 in 2021 to No. 43 in 2025. And Daniel's Arabic spelling, دانيال (96), is already the name Danyal of Islamic tradition.

A note: a traditional form is not the "true" or a "more auspicious" spelling of a name. Which spelling to use is the family's choice.

The top 30 through an Abjad lens

One letter, a thousand points

The highest value in the top 30 is Santiago's: سانتياغو = 1528. Of that, 1000 comes from a single letter, غ; no other name in the top 30 contains it. Next in value is Theodore (ثيودور, 726), where the decisive letter is ث (500). The lowest value is Jack's: جاك = 24 (ج 3, ا 1, ك 20), followed by Leo (46) and Elijah (50). This year no two names in the top 30 share the same value.

Two names for the SSA, one spelling in Arabic

The SSA's habit of counting every spelling separately has no counterpart in Abjad. Luca (No. 14) and Luka (No. 85, 3,873 babies) are written the same way in Arabic: لوكا, 57. So are Ethan (No. 24) and Eithan (No. 97, 3,636 babies): إيثان, 562.

Change the spelling, change the number

Written إيتان, Ethan drops from 562 to 462; the difference comes from using ت (400) instead of ث (500). Alexander as ألكسندر is 365, while إسكندر (Iskandar), the classical Arabic form, is 335.

First letters of the top 10

Sorting the first letters by the classical scheme used in our reports (some authors classify them differently), four of the top 10 names begin with a Fire letter: Oliver, Henry, Elijah and Mateo. Earth (Liam, Lucas), Air (Noah, William) and Water (Theodore, James) have two names each.

From the list to your family

For families looking for a name that is easy to say in two cultures, this list is a good place to start. From an Abjad point of view, the first question is: for Noah, نواه or نوح? The first step in our reports is to settle how the child's and the parents' names are spelled.

A name's Abjad value on its own is not the analysis. In the Abjad tradition, the real question is how the name forms a whole with the mother's and father's names. The child's yıldızname (star chart) is also calculated together with the mother's name, so the same name may point to a different sign and element for the child of a different mother.

Whether or not the name you have in mind is on this list, seeing it alongside your family's names can add a new dimension to your decision.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), Popular Baby Names — names of babies born in the US, based on Social Security card applications.

Note: Counts and ranks are taken from data published by the SSA; the SSA counts each spelling separately and may revise figures for earlier years. Name meanings are based on common dictionary information; Arabic spellings may vary by source. Abjad values and element interpretations are for information and rest on the Abjad tradition; they imply no certainty or guarantee.