Top Michigan Baby Names

Search 30000 Baby Name Meanings

And get more name ideas later on.

Written by Elizabeth Weiss McGolerick

Though Michigan is known as the Great Lakes State, they are by no means underwater when it comes to baby names. Using the Social Security Administration’s data, this article takes a look at the top baby names for boys and girls in Michigan, how some parents there follow national trends, while others choose to establish fads of their own.

Top Michigan Names vs. the Top US Names

How closely do Michigan parents mirror the most popular names for boys and girls nationwide? The rankings are relatively close, with a handful of exceptions.

The Michigan top-25 boy names compared to the U.S. top-10 boy names:

Jacob (MI-1, USA-1)
Ethan (MI-2, USA-2)
Noah (MI-4, USA-9)
Michael (MI-6, USA-3)
Alexander (MI-7, USA-4)
Joshua (MI-8, USA-6)
William (MI-10, USA-5)
Jayden (MI-13, USA-8)
Anthony (MI-21, USA-10)

Daniel, which ranks fairly high on the nationwide list at number 7, is not one of the hottest names in Michigan – it only comes in at number 35. The three other names that round out Michigan’s top 10 have dropped a bit in popularity in the U.S over the years: Logan (MI-3, USA-17), Aiden (MI-5, USA-12) and Andrew (MI- 9, USA-15).

The Michigan top-25 girl names compared to the U.S. top-10 girl names:

Olivia (MI-1, USA-3)
Isabella (MI-2, USA-1)
Ava (MI-3, USA-5)
Emma (MI-4, USA-2)
Madison (MI-5, USA-7)
Sophia (MI-6, USA-4)
Abigail (MI-7, USA-8)
Chloe (MI-8, USA-9)
Emily (MI-12, USA-6)

Surprisingly, the ever-popular Emily is outside of Michigan’s top 10 at number 12. And two names that were once all the rage in the U.S., but have since sunk a bit, still round out Michigan’s top 10: Addison (MI-9, USA-12) and Ella (MI-10, USA-14).

Check out the Social Security Administration's Top 100 Baby Name list.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom?

While the auto industry may make most of the noise in Michigan, the baby boy names ending in an “n” sound are soaring far ahead of their competition. Consider these 10 names from the top 25: Ethan, Logan, Aiden, Benjamin, Jayden, Evan, Gavin, Ryan, Owen, Landon.

Get more "N" baby name ideas here!

There’s a bit of a similar trend with the little ladies in the top 25 girl names – except their common denominator is ending in an “a” sound: Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Emma, Sophia, Ella, Anna, Samantha, Nevaeh, Leah, Alyssa.

Get more "A" baby name ideas here!

Higher Inspiration

It seems as though Biblical names are popular among Michiganites. Here are just some of the Biblically-inspired names for boys in the Michigan top 100: Jacob, Noah, Michael, Joshua, Joseph, Gabriel, Matthew, David, Elijah, James, John, Luke, Samuel, Isaac, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Aaron, Eli.

Girl names also evidence that perhaps there is some religious inspiration with the following monikers making it into the Michigan top 100: Sophia, Abigail, Grace, Elizabeth, Leah, Sarah, Faith, Rachel.

Get more spiritual baby name ideas here!

Trends to Come

In looking at baby-naming habits in Michigan over the past few decades, it seems that this state will continue on the same path – forging its own trends where it pleases, while simultaneously following the national fascination with the likes of Jacob and Isabella.

Jacob has been number 1 for boys in Michigan since 1994, and that name shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. On the girls’ side, the trends tend to be a little more fickle. The number one spot has fluctuated from year to year – since 1990, the number 1 ranking has gone from Ashley to Emily to Madison to Emma to Ava and finally to the present-day Olivia.

Steadily growing in power is Isabella, a name which was at number 30 in 2001, jumped to 15 the following year, then hovered outside of the Michigan top 10 until 2005 when it made it into the top 10. And there it has stayed ever since, now ranked at number 2 – and presumably there it will stay for the next few years (at least until Twilight fandemonium has died down).

Top Boy and Girl Names in Michigan

Below are the top 50 names for girls and boys in the state of Michigan in 2009.

Top Michigan Boy Names:

1.    Jacob
2.    Ethan
3.    Logan
4.    Noah
5.    Aiden
6.    Michael
7.    Alexander
8.    Joshua
9.    Andrew
10.    William
11.    Joseph
12.    Benjamin
13.    Jayden
14.    Carter
15.    Caleb
16.    Jackson
17.    Evan
18.    Gavin
19.    Ryan
20.    Owen
21.    Anthony
22.    Landon
23.    Tyler
24.    Gabriel
25.    Matthew

Top Michigan Girl Names:

1.    Olivia
2.    Isabella
3.    Ava
4.    Emma
5.    Madison
6.    Sophia
7.    Abigail
8.    Chloe
9.    Addison
10.    Ella
11.    Alexis
12.    Emily
13.    Grace
14.    Lillian
15.    Elizabeth
16.    Natalie
17.    Anna
18.    Brooklyn
19.    Samantha
20.    Nevaeh
21.    Lily
22.    Leah
23.    Taylor
24.    Alyssa
25.    Lauren