Traditional Baby Names Surge in New York as Residents Push Back Against Progressive Politics

Zero baby Zohrans!

New York’s favorite baby names of the year reveal a resurgence of old-fashioned and “traditional” choices—a trend possibly influenced by the unconventional leadership of the city’s mayor, an expert suggested on Friday.

The latest list of the top 100 baby boy names in the Empire State is brimming with “biblical” influences, including the chart-topping Noah, alongside others like Joseph, James, and Jacob, according to the newly published 2025 naming data.

“These leading names have a very biblical and traditional vibe,” noted Taylor Humphrey, a California-based expert in baby names.

“Mayor Mamdani’s departure from traditional norms might have prompted Gen Z parents to lean towards names with more traditional heritage,” Humphrey speculated, highlighting that Mamdani’s campaign kept him in the public eye throughout much of 2025.

Noah, the most popular name, was chosen for 1,381 boys in New York in 2025. The rest of the top ten boys’ names, in order, were Liam, Theodore, Luca, Oliver, Joseph, James, Jacob, and Ethan. For girls, Emma led the list, given to 774 girls in the state, followed by Olivia, Mia, Sophia, Charlotte, Isabella, Amelia, Lea, Sofia, and Zoe.

The time-honored names may also be due to political polarization in the Big Apple and the US at large, she said.

“NYC is a microcosm of the whole world — it’s such a melting pot — and religion gets more popular in times of political uncertainty,” she said. “People are thinking, ‘What can we trust?’ and holding their religions closer.”

Big Apple couples having babies in their 20s and 30s are likely finding a blast from the past comforting, she said.

“New York’s brand is being really cutting edge and cool, where fashion happens celebrities go to escape [L.A.] — it’s such a vibe,” said Humphrey, a former New Yorker now living in the Bay Area.

“But Gen Z conservative values might be pulling away from the idea of what New York represents to people,” she said.

Overall, names on the list “feel more reflective of New York as a state than New York as a city,” Humphrey said, adding that fewer people in the Big Apple are “reproducing.”

Unusual sightings on the list include “Gitty,” a Yiddish name meaning “blessed,” along with a steep rise in the popularity of Ester at number 15, Humphry said.

The names also show a shift towards religion in Jewish and Muslim culture, she said.

“You’re seeing Muhammad  and Amir and traditional Jewish names such as Chana and Esther,” she said, listing the number 39 and number 69 boys names and the number 57 and number 15 girls names in the top 100. “It shows New York’s diversity.”

Humphrey — who charges tens of thousands of dollars to help parents come up with the perfect name— said New York City clients tend to like odd vintage names.

“They seem to be much more likely or interested in a  category that I would call clunky vintage names — like  Gertrude, Agatha, Agnes, Ethel,” she said. “Names with heft to them.”

“There’s something about the Brooklyn hipster of the 2010s becoming the cool Park Slope mom;  they have this rugged, gritty granola vibe that’s very wholistic but still sophisticated, and clunky vintage name gives a little  bit of both.” 

“It’s an ‘If you know, you know’ name. Plus you can guarantee it will be unique,” she said. “It won’t be on the top 100 list.”