The Yellowstone Effect Shows Up in Baby Names

Dutton and Wrenlee are on the rise, but they're no match for champs Liam and Olivia as the top baby names in the US last year. The Social Security Administration released the annual list Friday, per the AP. The agency tracks baby names in each state based on applications for Social Security cards. It's Liam's sixth straight year as No. 1, while Olivia has reigned since the name unseated Emma four years ago. The only new entry in the top 10 of either boys or girls is Luna, which supplants Harper in the girls' list. Among other up-and-comers, the show Yellowstone is having an impact. (Details below.)

Girl names

1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Charlotte
4. Amelia
5. Sophia
6. Isabella
7. Ava
8. Mia
9. Evelyn
10. Luna

Boy names

1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Oliver
4. James
5. Elijah
6. William
7. Henry
8. Lucas
9. Benjamin
10. Theodore

• Yellowstone: The hit Yellowstone has clearly influenced new parents. The neo-Western starring Kevin Costner debuted in 2018, with characters surfacing among baby names ever since. Dutton moved up the Social Security list to 835, a change of 986 spots from 2021. It's the last name of the fictional family featured on the series, which counts Costner's John Dutton in its ranks. Dutton is the fastest rising name in the Social Security rankings.
• Yellowstone, II: Another Yellowstone-related name is rising quickly: Kayce, as in Kayce John Dutton on the show, moved to the 587th most popular name, up from 1,077 the year before. Luke Grimes plays Kayce. Rip, also from Yellowstone, has grabbed some naming attention, but it didn't crack Social Security's top 1,000. Cole Hauser's Rip Wheeler is Dutton-adjacent as the son-in-law of John.
• Other names: Also rising fast among boys are the names Chosen, Khaza, and Eithan. For girls, Wrenlee is followed by Neriah, Arlet, Georgina, and Amiri.

(More baby names stories.)