Move over, James; John is now the most popular baby name in Mississippi for 2023, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Ava remained in the top spot among girl baby names for the state. The agency’s Office of Vital Records and Public Health Statistics recently released the list of most popular baby names on its website.

The data comes from birth certificates issued in the Magnolia State since January 1.

James dropped from first place in 2022 to second place this year, leaving John in the top spot.  This year, 175 babies were given the name John versus 164 babies who were named James.

Ava has remained the most popular name for baby girls for two years in a row, with 123 girls given that name.

Other notable names on this year’s lists, include Kingston, Maverick and Legend for boys and Nova, Autumn and Paisley for girls.

Here are the top 25 lists for boys and girls as reported by the Mississippi Department of Health:

Top 25 names for baby boys in 2023
(number of babies with each specific name in parentheses)

1. John (175)
2. James (164)
3. William (150)
4. Elijah (134)
5. Noah (117)
6. Liam (109)
7. Waylon (106)
8. Mason (91)
9. Grayson (90)
10. Asher (86)
11. Levi (83)
12. Kingston (82)
13. Henry / Michael (81)
14. Josiah (79)
15. Oliver (76)
16. Maverick (75)
17. Lucas (73)
18. Thomas (70)
19. Legend / Samuel (69)
20. Wyatt (65)
21. Walker (64)
22. Benjamin / Christopher / Jackson / Nolan (63)
23. Carter (62)
24. Aiden / Ezra (61)
25. Hudson (59)

Top 25 names for baby girls in 2023 

1. Ava (123)
2. Amelia (118)
3. Olivia (117)
4. Charlotte (97)
5. Harper (96)
6. Elizabeth (86)
7. Emma (80)
8. Mary (75)
9. Nova (71)
10. Evelyn (66)
11. Ella (60)
12. Brooklyn (59)
13. Kinsley (58)
14. Emery / Journee (56)
15. Layla (55)
16. Autumn (54)
17. Serenity (53)
18. Chloe / Ellie / Ivy / Millie (52)
19. Naomi (51)
20. Khloe (50)
21. Paisley (49)
22. Skylar (48)
23. Anna / Hazel (47)
24. Nevaeh / Sadie / Willow (46)
25. Addison (45)