The North East of the United States is comprised of the six New England states plus Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Nameberry crunched the numbers to uncover the baby names that you will hear more frequently in this region today than the rest of the country. Their findings are astonishing. For baby girls, names that strike a balance between sweet and attitude, contemporary nature names, and surnames as given names are more popular in the North East. For boys, trendy names that are masculine in feel, formal names, and Irish favorites are more popular.
Nameberry notes that the unique population of each state can catapult a name to the top. For instance, New York and New Jersey have large populations of Jewish folks living there. So, names of Hebrew origin, like David, Leah, and Joseph, are more prevalent than elsewhere. And, in Vermont, outdoorsy baby names like Hudson, Wyatt, Juniper, and Iris are more common. Let’s look at the 50 names parents in the North East are likelier to give their kids than the rest of the country.
Elsie and Arlo
- Elsie – a diminutive form of Elspeth, the Scottish form of Elizabeth, meaning “pledged to God”
- Arlo – a unisex name that is currently on fire in the North East, of Irish and English origin, meaning “between two hills”
Emerson and Beckett
- Emerson – a unisex name that is performing better for baby girls nationwide and in the North East, of English origin, meaning “son of Emory”
- Beckett – another gender-neutral option, Beckett is currently a hit for baby boys, of English and Irish origin, meaning “bee hive” or “bee cottage”
Genevieve and Dominic
- Genevieve – an English name from French, meaning “tribe woman”
- Dominic – A name of Latin origin, meaning “of the Lord”
Mackenzie and Elliot
- Mackenzie – a unisex name that is currently more popular among girls than boys (especially in the North East), of Scottish origin, meaning “son of Kenneth”
- Elliot – a name that has become trendy for baby girls but is ranking for boys, of English and Hebrew origin, meaning “Jehovah is God”
Molly and Finn
- Molly – a diminutive form of Mary, of Hebrew origin, meaning “bitter”
- Finn – a name of Irish origin, meaning “fair” and “white”
Phoebe and Griffin
- Phoebe – a name on the rise, especially in North-Eastern states, of Greek origin, meaning “radiant”
- Griffin – a name of Welsh origin, meaning “strong lord”
Rose and Malcolm
- Rose – a delightful flower name
- Malcolm – a name of Scottish origin, meaning “devotee of St. Colomba”
Rowan and Max
- Rowan – a unisex name that is more popular for girls than boys in the North East, of Scottish and Irish origin, meaning “rowan tree” or “little redhead”
- Max – a unisex name that performs better for boys, of English, German, and Latin origin, meaning “greatest”
Vera and Quinn
- Vera – a name of Russian origin, meaning “faith”
- Quinn – a unisex name that ranks higher for boys than girls in the North East, of Irish origin, meaning “descendent of Conn”
Vivian and Vincent
- Vivian – a name of Latin origin, meaning “life”
- Vincent – a name of Latin origin, meaning “conquering”
Anastasia and Arthur
- Anastasia – a name of Greek origin, meaning “resurrection”
- Arthur – a name of Celtic origin, meaning “bear”
Clara and Atlas
- Clara – a name of Latin origin, meaning “clear”
- Atlas – a name of Greek mythology, meaning “bearing the heavens”
Eliza and Bodhi
- Eliza – a diminutive form of Elizabeth, of Hebrew origin, meaning “pledged to God”
- Bodhi – a name that belongs to a Buddhist concept that means “awakening”
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Eva and Brayden
- Eva – an appellation of Latin and Hebrew origin, meaning “life”
- Brayden – a name of English and Irish origin, meaning “broad hill” and “salmon”
Hadley and Calvin
- Hadley – a unisex name going to far more girls than boys today, of English origin, meaning “field of heather”
- Calvin – a name of Latin origin, meaning “bald”
Isabelle and Connor
- Isabelle – a Latinate form of Elizabeth, from Hebrew, meaning “pledged to God”
- Connor – a name of Irish origin, meaning “lover of hounds”
Josie and Declan
- Josie – a diminutive form of Josephine, from Hebrew, meaning “Jehovah increases”
- Declan – a baby name of Irish origin, potentially meaning “deacon”
Juniper and Emmett
- Juniper – a name of Latin origin, belonging to a tree, meaning “young”
- Emmett – a name of German origin, meaning “universal”
Lyla and George
- Lyla – a variant spelling of Lila, of Arabic origin, meaning “night”
- George – a name of Greek origin, meaning “farmer”
Madeline and Graham
- Madeline – an English form of the name Magdalen, meaning “of Magdala”
- Graham – a baby name of Scottish origin, meaning “gravelly homestead”
Maeve and Harrison
- Maeve – one of the fastest-rising baby names in the US, Maeve is an appellation of Irish origin, meaning “she who intoxicates”
- Harrison – a name of English origin, meaning “son of Harry”
Margaret and Hayden
- Margaret – a baby name of Greek origin, meaning “pearl”
- Hayden – a popular name for both girls and boys, Hayden is performing better for boys in the North East, it means “fire”
River and Jude
- River – a splendid nature-inspired name
- Jude – a unisex name that’s more popular for boys, it is of Latin and Hebrew origin, meaning “praised”
Sloane and Milo
- Sloane – a unisex name of Irish origin that means “raider”
- Milo – a name of Latin and German origin, meaning “soldier” or “merciful”
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Leah and Myles
- Leah – a baby name of Hebrew origin, meaning “weary”
- Myles – an English form of Milo, meaning “soldier” or “merciful”
There you go! Now you know the baby names that are more popular in the North-Eastern part of the US. Many of these options are easy to understand why they are so popular there as they all have plenty of character and charm. We hope you found some great baby names to add to your list. Happy baby name hunting!