WASHINGTON (AP) — Liam and Olivia dominate. Still.
The two names have, for a sixth year together, topped the list of names for babies born in the U.S. in 2024.
The Social Security Administration annually tracks the names given to girls and boys in each state, with names dating back to 1880. In time for Mother’s Day, the agency on Friday released the most popular names from applications for Social Security cards.
Liam has reigned for eight years in a row for boys, while Olivia has topped the girls’ list for six. Also, for the sixth consecutive year, Emma took the second slot for girls, and Noah for boys.
The girls’ name Luna slipped out of the Top 10 and was replaced by Sofia, which enters at number 10 for the first time.
After Liam, the most common names for boys are, in order: Noah, Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas and William.
After Olivia, the most common names for girls are Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, Isabella, Evelyn, Ava and Sofia.
Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of nameberry, a baby naming website, said the latest data showcases how American parents are increasingly choosing names that have cross-cultural appeal. Kihm's first name shows up in two variations on the annual list.
“A trend we're tracking is that Americans are more likely to choose heritage choices," Kihm said, including names that work “no matter where you are in the world."
”More families in the U.S. come from mixed cultural backgrounds and I hear parents commonly request that they want their child to travel and have a relatively easy to understand name."
The Social Security Administration’s latest data show that 3.61 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2024. That’s a slight increase from last year’s 3.59 million babies, representing an overall increase in the American birthrate.
Social media stars and popular television shows are having some impact on the rising popularity of certain names, Social Security says.
Among those rising in popularity for girls: Ailany, a Hawaiian name that means “chief," topped the list. The boys’ name Truce, an Old English name meaning “peace,” rose 11,118 spots from last year’s position to rank 991.
The complete, searchable list of baby names is on the Social Security website.
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FILE - A baby sleeps during NFL football training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, July 23, 2023, in St. Joseph, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas, May 18, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - A baby is carried in the tailgating section before an NFL football game, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The New York Knicks might get a trophy. Tyler Kolek's dad might get a car.
The NBA Cup final will have San Antonio against the Knicks on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The game won't count in the standings, and the stats won't be added to any official totals. But there is a trophy, bragging rights and money at stake.
By making it to the final, the Knicks and Spurs already have secured $212,373 per player from the NBA Cup prize money pool. The losing team on Tuesday gets nothing extra. Players on the winning team get an additional $308,560 — pushing their Cup winnings to $530,933 each. Two-way players get half of what players on standard contracts get.
“It means a lot to some," Kolek said. “Maybe not as much to others, obviously.”
He's in the “some” group.
Kolek, a backup guard for the Knicks, is making $2.2 million this season. In the real world, that's a lot of money. In the NBA world, not so much. Take a look at some other Knicks players' salaries: Karl-Anthony Towns is making $53.1 million this season, OG Anunoby is making $39.6 million, Jalen Brunson is making $34.9 million, Mikal Bridges is making just under $25 million and Josh Hart around $19.5 million.
Those guys — and plenty of the Spurs players, too — are used to seeing checks exceeding $500,000. Kolek surely isn't. But he's earned his shot to win big in Vegas, by being a big reason why the Knicks got to the final.
New York outscored Orlando by 18 points in Kolek's 16 minutes in Saturday's semifinals. When Kolek wasn't on the floor, the Magic outscored the Knicks by six. He finished with four points and four assists; the stats might not seem impressive, but his energy was a huge plus for New York.
“Tyler did a fantastic job today, our young fella, of impacting winning,” Towns said after the game. “And he did that on a big stage. ... One of his finest games as an NBA player was tonight, and it may not show up on the stats sheet, but everybody in our locker room knows how important he was to us.”
Kolek took his NBA Cup quarterfinal bonus from last season, a little over $50,000, and bought his mother a car. This year, he has said it could be his father's turn for a new vehicle. The question is, will the bigger bonus this year lead to a better car for his dad.
Knicks coach Mike Brown — who raves about Kolek's competitive juices and has rewarded him with a bigger role in recent weeks — can't wait to find out.
“I just want to know if his dad’s going to get a better car than his mom or vice versa, because we’ll find out soon which parent he likes more,” Brown said, laughing. “Better be his mom. ... Hey, I’m not causing trouble. I've just got two eyes open. Wait to see what he’s going to do. Just take care of your mom. Just remember that. Take care of your mom.”
It's a nice problem to have, for sure.
“That's a big amount of money for a guy like myself," Kolek said. “It’s not only about the money. We want to win this to hold up the trophy and for the fans.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) passes the ball between New York Knicks' Tyler Kolek (13) and Og Anunoby (8) in the second half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
