Maryland moms and dads, you are nothing if not consistent — at least when it comes to naming your sons.

Liam was the most popular name for a newborn boy in Maryland in 2024 and was given to 455 newborns, according to data released Thursday by the Social Security Administration. Olivia was the most popular girls name for the second year in a row, assigned to 231 infants.

Maryland’s top three boys names mirrored the nation’s, with Liam in first place, followed by Noah and James. Rounding out the top 10 boys names are Oliver in fourth place, followed by Lucas, Dylan, Ethan, Henry, Theodore and William.

In Maryland, there has been little movement in popular names for a boy for the past decade.

The top three remain almost unchanged, with an occasional Lucas (2023) or William (2018) duking it out with James for third place. Not only has Liam been the most popular name for a Maryland boy for eight years in a row, you have to go all the way back to 2011 to come up with a year when Liam didn’t crack the top 10.

The state mostly follows the national trend for female names: In Maryland, the leading names for baby girls are (in order) Olivia, Charlotte and Emma, while nationwide they are Olivia, Emma and Amelia.

The top 10 list for Maryland girls last year featured Sophia in fourth place, followed by Mia, Zoe, Ava, Amelia, Isabella and Chloe.

But in general, Free State parents seem more inclined to vary the names of their daughters, with the perennially popular Sophia ascendant about 15 years ago until being eclipsed by Ava in 2016.

For some reason, parents seem to feel less strongly about their favorite names for girls than they do about their favorite names for boys. The top female name, Olivia, was given to daughters this year only half as often as Liam was allotted to sons.

Moreover, Olivia edged out Charlotte as the most popular girls name by just six Maryland babies (231 to 225) while Liam outpaced second place Noah statewide by 455 infants to 348.

Have a news tip? Contact Mary Carole McCauley at mmccauley@baltsun.com and 410-332-6704.