Hello nerds, aliens, Harry Styles stans, Scorpios, T-Rexes with grabber claws, and everyone in between! Welcome to my thread 
A couple weeks ago, the United States SSA released the extended name data set, including the top 100 names of each and every state (plus DC). This left me wondering about which state had the most interesting top 100, and which names appeared in each top 100 but not in the national data? So I did what any slightly obsessed stats nerd and fully obsessed name nerd does in this corner of the internet and I learned how to use Excel so I could turn these stats into games. It was a lot of threads. I had fun! But there are a lot of states in this country. Like… wow. And here I am, 51 create-a-families later, ready to share some of my findings!
I’m also going to link the Google Sheets with each state’s unique names listed if anyone is curious! Now let’s get into it:
*Note: I included DC in these stats because they’re listed as their own data set on the SSA site. That is why there are 51 entries here instead of 50!
Section 1: The analysis
This might seem like I’m putting the cart before the horse but stay with me, I have a point here. Before revealing the stats by state, I wanted to share what trends I picked up on that impacted a state’s potential to have unique names. I created 2-5 of those CAFs per day, and got pretty good at predicting whether a state would have more or fewer unique names because of these factors.
Take a look
Factors that impact the uniqueness of the lists:
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Culture — including, but not limited to, states with higher/more Latinx, Jewish, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and black populations/communities. Similarly, states in the Deep South, states closer to Mexico, or states with more European influence, specifically from the UK, among others.
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Style — I guess you could see this as the naming culture but since that’s more subjective and only officially recognized in corners like this one, I’m separating it. I identified a few styles that would cause more unique names to be present including country, hipster, city, traditional, and nature. There are arguably more styles present but I feel like many of them are more accurately covered by the previous bullet (for example, the beachy style of Hawaii. I think we associate NH/PI names as being beachy so including an extra beachy style would just be redundant).
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Number of births/length of lists — The states with fewer births tended to have more names on their list due to ties: the longest “top 100” lists belonged to the DC, Maine, and Wyoming girls, which recorded 113 names each. This is significant because it means Wyoming had 13 more opportunities to include unique names when compared to California, which recorded exactly 100 baby girl names. However, Wyoming had 13 slots that could’ve gone to names like Camila, Grace, and Sadie, which were recorded on both the national and Californian charts, and it would’ve only taken 5 births to get them there, and Wyoming parents chose not to, perhaps for one of the reasons above. I think at some point in the middle of the dataset, it becomes less of a confounding variable, but it absolutely factored into the states with the most and least unique names.
States with a more white, suburban feel tended to have fewer unique names. I say this as someone who is white and has lived in suburbs her whole life, and who saw 2 of the 6 states she’s lived in make the list of least unique namers.
Section 2: The Most Unique States
In this section, we take a look at the states with the most unique names in their top 100. I have a more in-depth analysis of ranks 1-5 and included the top 10 as honorable mentions (well, 12 due to ties).
Here’s your treasure
Most unique states:
Hawaii 
— To make the Hawaiian charts, which included 112 names on both lists, a name had to have been given to at least 11 boys or 8 girls. Hawaii registered a whopping 84 total unique names, 40 for boys and 44 for girls. Some particularly exciting inclusions on the Hawaiian charts were Lilinoe, Kailea, and Anela for girls, and Kaizen, Reef, and Nakoa for boys. Some national chart toppers left on the shores of mainland North America include Hazel, Leah, Victoria, Sebastian, Matthew, and Anthony. I found that Hawaii was most impacted by the culture factor, as many of their unique names come from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander languages and traditions.
Wyoming 
— The list of top girl names in Wyoming was tied for the longest, registering 113 names, and the boys surpassed the 100 mark as well, coming in at 103. Only 6 boys were given the lowest ranking names, and the girls’ list went down to the national threshold of 5 babies. Wyoming recorded 82 total unique names, split in heavy favor for the girls: 49, compared to 33 on the boys’ side. Notable picks by parents in Wyoming include Evelynn, Wrenley, and Bentley for girls, and Augustus, Bridger, and Paxton for boys. However, they chose to leave out Camila, Gianna, and Grace, Julian, Gabriel, and Jayden, from the future class of 2039/2040. The Wyoming girls had the most unique top 100 names, and I think it boils down to a combination of style (the country style, featuring rugged, unisex, and sassy-sounding names fit for a cowgirl being prominent here) and numbers, seeing as how Wyoming had one of the longest lists and the lowest thresholds to make it.
Washington D.C. 
— While not technically a state, the SSA collects data for the babies born in the country’s capital, the District of Columbia, and they did not disappoint. DC also had long lists, recording 102 boy names and 113 girl names, and the cut-off to make the lists were 11 boys and 9 girls. The boys had 37 unique names on their list, while the girls included 42 on theirs, coming out to a total of 79 unique names. Tucked between two of the least unique states (spoiler), DC parents made sure to keep Dream, Yara, and Dior, and Cairo, Remy, and Desmond in the capital’s limits. They also let Virginia, Maryland, and the rest of the country keep Ellie, Aurora, and Addison, and Hudson, Grayson, and Lincoln from the national data. I believe the diplomacy aspect of DC helped it reach its status of uniqueness as DC parents took inspiration from many corners of the world. It also had a distinctly city style, including names that felt urban and modern.
Montana 
— Montanan parents overflowed their top 100 lists as well, forcing it to include 110 boy names and 103 girl names. In order to make the charts, a name had to be bestowed upon at least 11 boys or 10 girls (and, in case you were wondering, this theme of fewer girl names being needed to make the list was true for every single state!). There were more unique boy names this time, with that number coming in at 41, while the girls had 37 unique names, totaling 78 for the state. More than the rest of the country, Montanans love the names Jocelyn, Remington, and Mabel for girls, and Colter, Stetson, and Judah for boys. Some names missing among the wide open spaces of Montana include Sofia, Penelope, and Zoe for girls, and Mateo, Aiden, and Joseph for boys. Similar to Wyoming, the names on these lists had a distinct country feel, and they benefitted from the numbers game as well.
Vermont 
— Once again, Vermont’s list spilled beyond the 100 name limit, including 107 boy names and 103 girl names, the last of which were given to 6 boys and 5 girls. Vermont had 76 unique names, which included 39 for boys and 37 for girls. Parents of the Green Mountain State loved names like Scout, Rowan, and Ruth for girls, and Avery, Otis, and Wilder for boys. Names left behind for regular mountain states (West Virginia), and others, include Mila, Eliana, and Naomi, and Isaac, Dylan, and Elias. While I can see some influence from across the pond in Vermont’s names, as well as the nature style I mentioned earlier, I think they were helped a lot by the numbers.
Honorable mentions:
6. North Dakota — 75 unique names, 37 boys and 38 girls
7. Mississippi — 74 unique names, 36 boys and 38 girls
8. Maine — 63 unique names, 29 boys and 34 girls
9. Utah — 62 unique names, 29 boys and 33 girls
10. New Mexico — 61 unique names, 23 boys and 38 girls
11. South Dakota — 61 unique names, 32 boys and 29 girls
12. West Virginia — 61 unique names, 29 boys and 32 girls
Section 3: The Most… On-Trend States
Nope, I’m gonna say it, they’re boring. These were the states that some could argue are just following national trends, keeping up with what the average person in the country is naming their kid nowadays, but that I would argue just have the least imagination. ^ Read that with a slightly sarcastic tone, anyone who knows me in real life knows that my voice naturally sounds that way anyways.
The burn book
Most on-trend (boring) states:
Virginia 
— I’ll admit, I was keeping track of this and did my best to predict which states would come out as the most on-trend (similar to the national data) or, as I see it, boring. On one of the last days of my series, I predicted that North Carolina would hold onto the title but I did say that if any state was likely to beat them, it would be Virginia. So I wasn’t completely wrong. Virginia registered only 18 unique names total, split evenly between the boys and girls. They had 100 boy names and 101 girl names on their list, and the number of babies needed to get there were 96 boys and 71 girls.
North Carolina 
— The top 100 lists in North Carolina were almost perfect, aside from one extra girl name to account for a tie. Parents in North Carolina kept up with the national data well, only including 24 unique names on their lists, also split evenly for boys and girls. Their bottom names were given to 129 boys and 91 girls—yes, a far cry from the 6 boys and 5 girls from Vermont and Wyoming.
Illinois 
— The first caf that I made where I said, “yeesh, this is gonna be a small family…” They only had 25 unique names on their list, 12 for boys and 13 for girls. Illinois had 101 names on their boy list and 100 names for girls, and these last spots belonged to 127 boys and 98 girls.
Pennsylvania 
— I’m upset to see my own birth state on here but I guess I’m not surprised, seeing as popularity has always been a grievance I’ve had about my own name. They had 26 unique names, including 11 boys and 15 girls. Pennsylvania had 100 names on their boy list and 101 names on their girls’, and to get there, names had to be repeated 143 times for boys and 99 for girls.
Maryland 
— Maryland had 29 unique names, coming in at 16 for boys and 13 for girls. Their lists were both 101 names long, and these 101st spots belonged to names given to 63 boys and 47 girls.
The rest of the bottom 10:
46. Florida — 30 unique names, 13 boys and 17 girls
45. Colorado — 32 unique names, 17 boys and 15 girls
45. Washington — 32 unique names, 14 boys and 18 girls
43. Georgia — 33 unique names, 17 boys and 16 girls
42. Tennessee — 34 unique names, 19 boys and 15 girls
Section 4: The Most Unique of the Unique
Heading into the specific names, these were the names that only appeared on one state’s top 100, along with their national ranking. I guess you could call these the diamonds.
For your viewing pleasure
Names that only appeared in 1 state’s top 100 (and their national ranking!)
Names with a * didn’t make the top 1000
Boys:
Abel, 196 (Maine)
Alex, 194 (North Dakota)
Ali, 339 (Michigan)
Atticus, 266 (Alaska)
Augustus, 457 (Wyoming)
Aziel, 332 (New Mexico)
Blake, 205 (Michigan)
Briggs, 372 (North Dakota)
Brody, 186 (Alaska)
Bryce, 250 (Delaware)
Cairo, 323 (DC)
Callum, 273 (Montana)
Cash, 253 (Montana)
Cody, 312 (Wyoming)
Colin, 269 (Massachusetts)
Colson, 322 (West Virginia)
Colter, 627 (Montana)
Dallas, 270 (Alabama)
Desmond, 355 (DC)
Elliott, 169 (Washington)
Eric, 213 (Vermont)
Finnegan, 376 (New Hampshire)
Gunner, 324 (West Virginia)
Jensen, 303 (West Virginia)
Joel, 211 (DC)
Jonah, 140 (Vermont)
Judah, 183 (Montana)
Kade, 380 (Hawaii)
Kaimana, 2981 (Hawaii) *
Kainoa, 1885 (Hawaii) *
Kaito, 2090 (Hawaii) *
Kaizen, 1224 (Hawaii) *
Kaleb, 245 (Mississippi)
Kameron, 343 (Mississippi)
Kanoa, 3512 (Hawaii) *
Karson, 304 (Mississippi)
Kash, 240 (Mississippi)
Kayson, 283 (Mississippi)
Keanu, 532 (Hawaii)
Kenzo, 530 (Hawaii)
Koa, 546 (Hawaii)
Kyson, 467 (Mississippi)
Lawson, 362 (Mississippi)
Louis, 251 (Minnesota)
Makoa, 1902 (Hawaii) *
Malakai, 256 (Hawaii)
Matias, 225 (Texas)
Mohamed, 531 (Minnesota)
Muhammad, 306 (New York)
Nakoa, 1610 (Hawaii) *
Nixon, 695 (Utah)
Ocean, 711 (Hawaii)
Orion, 314 (Hawaii)
Oscar, 226 (Vermont)
Otis, 647 (Vermont)
Paul, 257 (North Dakota)
Reef, 1904 (Hawaii) *
Remy, 357 (DC)
Richard, 216 (Delaware)
Riley, 246 (Maine)
Ronan, 274 (Alaska)
Soren, 537 (North Dakota)
Tate, 305 (Iowa)
Yaakov, 966 (New Jersey)
Yehuda, 822 (New Jersey)
Yosef, 676 (New Jersey)
Zayden, 204 (New Mexico)
Girls:
Adaline, 289 (Wyoming)
Aitana, 364 (New Mexico)
Alani, 183 (Delaware)
Alayah, 323 (New Mexico)
Alia, 592 (Hawaii)
Alivia, 273 (North Dakota)
Aliyah, 208 (New Mexico)
Amaia, 640 (Rhode Island)
Amari, 333 (New Mexico)
Ana, 235 (Texas)
Anela, 3320 (Hawaii) *
Annabelle, 274 (Maine)
Ariyah, 346 (Mississippi)
Armani, 469 (Louisiana)
Astrid, 438 (Wyoming)
Aurelia, 516 (Vermont)
Avianna, 354 (New Mexico)
Bentley, 1553 (Wyoming) *
Brooklynn, 314 (Mississippi)
Cali, 337 (Rhode Island)
Camille, 281 (Louisiana)
Catherine, 325 (DC)
Charlee, 272 (West Virginia)
Charleigh, 488 (Mississippi)
Daleyza, 412 (New Mexico)
Demi, 366 (Louisiana)
Diana, 225 (DC)
Dior, 542 (DC)
Elaina, 257 (Wyoming)
Elianna, 360 (New Mexico)
Elise, 243 (Maine)
Emberly, 538 (Wyoming)
Esme, 379 (Maine)
Esmeralda, 453 (Nevada)
Esperanza, 1108 (New Mexico) *
Evelynn, 320 (Wyoming)
Everlee, 376 (Wyoming)
Faith, 169 (Hawaii)
Frances, 393 (DC)
Freyja, 709 (Alaska)
Gemma, 191 (Maine)
Gracelyn, 356 (West Virginia)
Hadlee, 747 (Wyoming)
Haisley, 479 (South Dakota)
Halia, 2924 (Hawaii) *
Hallie, 317 (Iowa)
Hayden, 290 (Montana)
Holland, 638 (Utah)
Jasmine, 170 (Nevada)
Jocelyn, 292 (Montana)
Journey, 267 (Georgia)
Julianna, 301 (Delaware)
Kailani, 275 (Hawaii)
Kailea, 4105 (Hawaii) *
Kalani, 338 (Mississippi)
Kalea, 1659 (Hawaii) *
Kate, 413 (Utah)
Kayla, 255 (Hawaii)
Kaylani, 282 (New Mexico)
Kendall, 305 (Wyoming)
Kennedi, 524 (Mississippi)
Kiana, 781 (Hawaii)
Kiara, 332 (New Mexico)
Kimberly, 220 (DC)
Laila, 242 (DC)
Leia, 299 (Hawaii)
Lena, 293 (DC)
Lilinoe, 6820 (Hawaii) *
Mabel, 375 (Montana)
Mahina, 4190 (Hawaii) *
Maia, 434 (Hawaii)
Malaysia, 617 (Mississippi)
Malia, 256 (Hawaii)
Maren, 439 (Wyoming)
Milani, 302 (Delaware)
Morgan, 205 (South Dakota)
Mylah, 514 (Nevada)
Navy, 452 (Utah)
Nina, 327 (DC)
Nyla, 227 (Nevada)
Reina, 614 (Hawaii)
Rowan, 241 (Vermont)
Royalty, 388 (Mississippi)
Ruth, 189 (Vermont)
Scout, 829 (Vermont)
Skye, 429 (Hawaii)
Skyla, 630 (Alaska)
Sylvia, 467 (Vermont)
Sylvie, 586 (North Dakota)
Thea, 312 (South Dakota)
Valeria, 157 (California)
Willa, 353 (South Dakota)
Wrenley, 498 (Wyoming)
Wynter, 344 (Mississippi)
Xiomara, 551 (New Mexico)
Yara, 659 (DC)
Zara, 213 (DC)
Zariah, 532 (New Mexico)
Zia, 1447 (New Mexico) *
Section 5: The Trends of the Future?
In this section, you’ll find the names that made the most states’ lists (and their national rankings). I’m going to list the top 20 for boys and girls. These lists could help predict which names are more likely to break the top 100 in years to come!
A glimpse into the crystal ball?
Boys:
Declan — present on 35 states’ lists, ranks 105 nationally
Jaxson — present on 32 states’ lists, ranks 101 nationally
Jace — present on 31 states’ lists, ranks 102 nationally
Emmett — present on 30 states’ lists, ranks 103 nationally
Rowan — present on 29 states’ lists, ranks 106 nationally
Ryder — present on 29 states’ lists, ranks 111 nationally
River — present on 28 states’ lists, ranks 110 nationally
Sawyer — present on 28 states’ lists, ranks 114 nationally
Ryker — present on 23 states’ lists, ranks 153 nationally
Micah — present on 22 states’ lists, ranks 107 nationally
August — present on 20 states’ lists, ranks 121 nationally
Harrison — present on 20 states’ lists, ranks 120 nationally
Rhett — present on 20 states’ lists, ranks 148 nationally
Walker — present on 20 states’ lists, ranks 129 nationally
Calvin — present on 19 states’ lists, ranks 145 nationally
Milo — present on 19 states’ lists, ranks 127 nationally
Archer — present on 18 states’ lists, ranks 138 nationally
Bentley — present on 17 states’ lists, ranks 151 nationally
Myles — present on 17 states’ lists, ranks 119 nationally
Girls:
Clara — present on 30 states’ lists, ranks 102 nationally
Hadley — present on 27 states’ lists, ranks 112 nationally
Raelynn — present on 24 states’ lists, ranks 103 nationally
Eloise — present on 23 states’ lists, ranks 109 nationally
Josie — present on 23 states’ lists, ranks 130 nationally
Lyla — present on 23 states’ lists, ranks 110 nationally
Vivian — present on 23 states’ lists, ranks 101 nationally
Eliza — present on 22 states’ lists, ranks 111 nationally
Iris — present on 22 states’ lists, ranks 107 nationally
Isabelle — present on 22 states’ lists, ranks 117 nationally
Parker — present on 22 states’ lists, ranks 115 nationally
Maeve — present on 21 states’ lists, ranks 124 nationally
Adalynn — present on 19 states’ lists, ranks 119 nationally
Margaret — present on 19 states’ lists, ranks 125 nationally
Remi — present on 19 states’ lists, ranks 122 nationally
Ayla — present on 18 states’ lists, ranks 108 nationally
Rose — present on 18 states’ lists, ranks 116 nationally
Emersyn — present on 17 states’ lists, ranks 148 nationally
Magnolia — present on 17 states’ lists, ranks 140 nationally
(And since I was curious, here are the names ranked 101-110 and how many states’ lists they made)
Boys:
Jaxson — 32
Jace — 31
Emmett — 30
Adam — 11
Declan — 35
Rowan — 29
Micah — 22
Kayden — 16
Gael — 7
River — 28
Girls:
Vivian — 23
Clara — 30
Raelynn — 24
Liliana — 15
Samantha — 13
Maria —12
Iris — 22
Ayla — 18
Eloise — 23
Lyla — 23
Section 6: Miscellaneous
Here, I’ll include the full lists, along with some fun additions to the statistics.
Full lists
Number of unique names by state (total, B/G):
Alabama - 49, 25/24
Alaska - 55, 29/26
Arizona - 37, 19/18
Arkansas - 47, 22/25
California - 41, 21/20
Colorado - 32, 17/15
Connecticut - 36, 17/19
Delaware - 46, 19/27
DC - 79, 37/42
Florida - 30, 13/17
Georgia - 33, 17/16
Hawaii - 84, 40/44
Idaho - 59, 27/32
Illinois - 25, 12/13
Indiana - 36, 18/18
Iowa - 55, 30/25
Kansas - 42, 20/22
Kentucky - 47, 21/26
Louisiana - 51, 24/27
Maine - 63, 29/34
Maryland - 29, 16/13
Massachusetts - 40, 20/20
Michigan - 37, 19/18
Minnesota - 49, 26/23
Mississippi - 74, 36/38
Missouri - 45, 24/21
Montana - 78, 41/37
Nebraska - 47, 22/25
Nevada - 42, 17/25
New Hampshire - 56, 27/29
New Jersey - 44, 21/23
New Mexico - 61, 23/38
New York - 37, 18/19
North Carolina - 24, 12/12
North Dakota - 75, 37/38
Ohio - 36, 18/18
Oklahoma - 46, 21/25
Oregon - 38, 16/22
Pennsylvania - 26, 11/15
Rhode Island - 49, 22/27
South Carolina - 36, 19/17
South Dakota - 61, 32/29
Tennessee - 34, 19/15
Texas - 36, 20/16
Utah - 62, 29/33
Vermont - 76, 39/37
Virginia - 18, 9/9
Washington - 32, 14/18
West Virginia - 61, 29/32
Wisconsin - 42, 24/18
Wyoming - 82, 33/49
Fun facts about the Stats
Miscellaneous Stats Facts:
- The Mississippi boys’ top 100 includes Kingston, Karter, Kayden, Kaiden, Kyrie, Kash, Kayson, Kaleb, Karson, King, Kyler, Kameron, and Kyson, which accounts for about 35% of the unique names in their top 100! This means they have more unique K names in their boy top 100 than Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia have on their unique boy name list total! This K loving doesn’t stop there, as their girl list includes Kehlani, Kylie, Kali, Kaylee, Kennedi, Khloe, and Kalani. Of all of these, Kaleb, Kameron, Karson, Kash, Kayson, Kyson, Kalani, and Kennedi are unique to Mississippi’s top 100s.
- Hawaii had the most names unique only to their state, with 31 names total (15 boys and 16 girls). The other states with double digit unique names include New Mexico (15), Mississippi (15), DC (14), and Wyoming (13).
- Hawaii also had the most names make their top 100 that don’t make the top 1000 nationally: Kaimana, Kainoa, Kaito, Kaizen, Kanoa, Makoa, Nakoa, Reef, Anela, Halia, Kailea, Kalea, Lilinoe, and Mahina. There were a couple other states who had unique girl names outside of the national top 1000, and these names include Bentley (Wyoming), and Esperanza and Zia (New Mexico).
- Some top ranked names nationally missing from the most unique lists include:
(National rank; states missing the name)
Mateo (15; Montana, Vermont)
Sebastian (19; Hawaii, Montana, Vermont)
Julian (33; Wyoming, Montana)
Gabriel (38; Wyoming, Vermont)
Isaac (40; Wyoming, Vermont)
Jayden (41; Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Anthony (43; Hawaii, Vermont)
Dylan (44; Montana, Vermont)
Elias (48; Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Josiah (49; Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Camila (12; Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Gianna (13; Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Sofia (18; Montana, Vermont)
Mila (26; Wyoming, Vermont)
Grace (34; Wyoming, Vermont)
Emilia (40; Hawaii, Wyoming, Montana)
Victoria (43; Hawaii, Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Addison (45; Hawaii, DC)
Leah (46; Hawaii, Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Eliana (48; Wyoming, Montana, Vermont)
Ivy (49; Wyoming, DC)
Everly (50; Hawaii, DC)
this has been gripping! i dread to think how long this took 
thanks for this
Thank you!
Thank you so much for doing this. Very fun to read!
I had fun making it (apart from when Sheets wouldn’t do what I wanted it to lol)