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Whether inspired by scripture, royalty, a favorite singer, Disney character, or family heritage, parents are choosing diverse names for their newborns. The Office of Vital Records in the Virginia Department of Health recently unveiled its lists of Top 15 baby names for children born in the commonwealth in 2022, perhaps providing some inspiration for stressed-out parents-to-be.

Topping the list of the most popular names for boys in 2022 was Noah while Charlotte was the most popular for girls. In 2021, there were 95,618 babies born; while the numbers for 2022 are still being counted, the Office of Vital Records estimates there were a similar number of births last year.

“It’s always fascinating to see the top names for babies in any given year,” said Seth Austin, director of VDH’s Office of Vital Records. “We see names from a number of sources: a movie, religious texts, a family’s personal history. They all represent the commonwealth’s wonderfully diverse cultures.”

Rounding out the top 15 for boys in 2022 are James, Liam, William, Henry, Theodore, Oliver, Elijah, Levi, Benjamin, Owen, John, Jack, Asher and Lucas. For girls, after Charlotte, 2022’s top popular names are Olivia, Ava, Amelia, Emma, Harper, Evelyn, Eleanor, Sophia, Elizabeth, Lilly, Abigail, Riley, Nora and Chloe.

Office of Vital Records data also indicate the most popular 2022 baby names for the largest ethnic groups in the state: Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White.

Among Asian babies born in 2022, Noah and Sophia were the most popular names. Muhammad, Liam, Kai and Henry fill out the top five list for boys; Chloe, Olivia, Mia and Charlotte complete the Top Five list for girls.

For Black babies born in Virginia in 2022, Noah and Ava were the most popular names. Elijah, Josiah, Amir and Micah round out the Top Five for boys, while Naomi, Nova, Zuri and Leilani fill out the top five for girls.

Liam and Mia were the top names for Hispanic boys and girls born in Virginia in 2022. Mateo, Dylan, Noah and Lucas fill out the top five list for Hispanic boys’ names, while Camila, Isabella, Emma and Genesis complete the top five list for girls’ names.

William and Charlotte were the top names for White babies born in 2022, followed by Henry, James, Theodore, and Oliver for boys and Olivia, Amelia, Harper and Emma for girls.

Half a century ago in 1972, VDH data shows that Michael and Jennifer were the most popular names for baby boys and girls born that year. James, Christopher, David, Robert, John, William, Brian, Jason, Kevin, Jeffrey, Charles, Richard, Matthew and Thomas fill out the rest of the Top 15 for boys’ names in 1972. Among girls in 1972, the rest of the Top 15 include Kimberly, Amy, Angela, Melissa, Lisa, Michelle, Tammy, Mary, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Heather, Susan and Karen. Information about popular names in each of the 50 states going back to 1960 is available from the Social Security Administration by using its Popular Names by Decade tool.