Here Are the Most Popular Names in Kindergarten This Year

Author and mom Melanie Mannarino published The Gender-Neutral Baby Name Book in 2019, based on data compiled over the course of several years including 2017 and 2018. "Fifteen percent of babies born in 2017 were given gender-neutral names, a number that's nearly doubled in years," Mannarino wrote. The most popular unisex names from the book include:

• Noah
• Logan
• James
• Harper
• Ezra
• Everly
• Nova
• Kinsley
• Asher
• Riley

"We chose a gender-neutral name, Riley, for my daughter," Lori Kinkler, a psychologist in San Antonio, Texas, told The New York Post. "We knew her sex, but gender is fluid and yet to be determined. Of all the difficulties faced by those who live beyond, or across, the binary, we didn’t want name-changing to be one of them."

However, not all parents choose gender-neutral names for the same reasons. Many cite future concerns with their adult children finding jobs, or how the name reads on a resume as their main reasons for ensuring their child (usually a daughter) is not overlooked by potential employers.

"The gender neutrality was not something my husband and I discussed explicitly, and I would say it was more in my mind knowing firsthand the hurdles women face across so many areas of life," San Francisco-based mom Kirsten Hammann told The New York Post. "Whether we like it or not, names that skew a little masculine, or less feminine, are perceived as stronger, and I wanted that for my girls."

More from Mom.com: I Don't Care If You Name Your Baby the Same as Mine

According to Travel & Leisure, parents in 2018 found baby name inspiration from their every day lives; naming babies after their favorite foods (Kale) and even characters from video games, like Fortnite (Leviathan). Parents also took baby name inspiration from celebs like the Kardashian/Jenner family (Stormi, Saint and Reign) and Chip and Joanna Gaines (Magnolia, Drake and Emmie). Here are some girl names that will likely be popular names in 2023 kindergarten classrooms across the country this fall.

• Sophia
• Olivia
• Ava
• Isabella
• Charlotte
• Mia
• Amelia
• Harper
• Evelyn

Since 2017, Liam has been the most popular boy name in the United States and has consistently taken the top three spots since 2013, according to the Social Security Administration. The jump in the name's popularity loosely corresponds with the release of the Liam Neeson film, Taken, in 2009. Liam, much like the popular baby girl name, Sophia, will likely remain in the top ten for the near future.

If you did name your baby one of these popular names five years ago, you may want to make sure you teach your kindergartner how to spell their last name, or at least ensure they know their initials because it's quite likely they won't be the only Lucas or Oliver at circle time. Here's a list of the top boy names of 2018.

• Liam
• Noah
• William
• James
• Oliver
• Benjamin
• Elijah
• Lucas
• Mason

One additional thing to note; kindergarten can be challenging for any child, but for 2023 kindergartners in particular are likely going to have a more difficult time than most. The pandemic preschoolers have likely been around mom or dad from the very beginning. During lockdown, most of these COVID kids were unable to attend daycare, so the transition to kindergarten may prove to be a bit more challenging than you expect.

So, maybe having a classroom full of Liam's, Olivia's and Kinsley's is a good thing; they'll all be able to bond over their shared name and make fast friends from day one!