Top Virginia Baby Names Revealed For 2018

The Social Security Administration has released its annual list of the top baby names in the country for 2018. Across the United States, Liam and Emma were the most popular once again; they were also the top names on last year's list.

In Virginia, the most popular baby names for boys and girls born in 2018 were William and Ava.

The name Emma is enjoying its fifth year as Americans’ favorite name for girls, while Liam has been a preferred name for boys for the second year in a row. When Liam made it to the top of the list in 2017, it overtook Noah, which had been the No. 1 name for boys since 2013.

These are Virginia's top 10 baby names for boys in 2018:

1. William
2. Liam
3. Noah
4. James
5. Alexander
6. Lucas
7. Benjamin
8. Elijah
9. Jacob
10. Mason

Here are Virginia's top 10 baby names for girls in 2018:

1. Ava
2. Olivia
3. Emma
4. Charlotte
5. Sophia
6. Isabella
7. Amelia
8. Abigail
9. Harper
10. Evelyn

The Social Security Administration began compiling the list in 1997, with names dating back to 1880.

According to the agency, Jacob and Abigail — two names that have been longtimers on the list — dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1992 and 2000, respectively.

Nationally, these were the top 10 baby names for boys in 2018:

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. William
4. James
5. Oliver
6. Benjamin
7. Elijah
8. Lucas
9. Mason
10. Logan

For girls, these were the top 10 baby names in 2018 across the United States:

1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Ava
4. Isabella
5. Sophia
6. Charlotte
7. Mia
8. Amelia
9. Harper
10. Evelyn

Popular culture influences baby names, according to the Social Security Administration. In 2018, as Meghan Markle married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan was the fastest rising girls' name that year.

The agency is already anticipating what will happen with the name Archie — given the couple's newborn son by that name — in 2019. Archie already had a gain in popularity in 2018, making it to the top 1,000 for the first time since 1988.

You can read more about the top baby names here.

— By Feroze Dhanoa and Elizabeth Janney