March Madness Baby Names 2023: The WinnersThe votes are in! We have a new pair of names to add to the list of champions in March Madness Baby Names.

In what, you ask?

Every March, we take the sixteen most-viewed boys’ names and sixteen most-viewed girls’ names from the prior calendar year. In a bracket-style competition, we vote our way through until we have our set of champions.

Let’s look back at the two final rounds.

MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2023: BOYS FINAL

We started out with sixteen names:

  1. JAMES
  2. OTTO
  3. KAI
  4. HUXLEY
  5. PHOENIX
  6. KOA
  7. WESLEY
  8. JONES
  9. WELLS
  10. BLAISE
  11. COSMO
  12. HAYES
  13. TORIN
  14. HAL
  15. JULES
  16. RONAN

By the time we reached the final, it was down to the #1 seed, James and the #7 seed, Wesley.

With a healthy 56% of the vote, James takes his place in the list of victors. While James fits in well with past champs, like classic Theodore, it’s probably the most conservative name to ever win. Still, it feels deserved. James was the most-read post for boys last year … and James (for a girl) was the most-read post on the girls’ side.

MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2023: GIRLS FINAL

As with the boys’ contest, we started out with sixteen names:

  1. JAMES
  2. RUE
  3. LILA
  4. NAVY
  5. NOA
  6. BETTY
  7. OAKLEY
  8. VESPER
  9. FAYE
  10. POLLY
  11. BERNADETTE
  12. POPPY
  13. ZELLA
  14. MARLOWE
  15. MAISIE
  16. GEMMA

And no, that’s not a typo. This year, the #1 seed in both categories was James.

But AM readers knocked James (for a girl) out in the very first round and instead, the final match was Gemma versus Maisie.

With not-quite 55% of the total, Gemma carries the day! Maisie was a 2021 finalist, too, made it to the quarterfinals in 2022. But this was a true underdog match-up. Gemma was seeded #16; Maisie, #15. But it was Gemma that proved unstoppable. defeating the #1 seed James (for a girl); #9 Faye; and #12 Poppy before arriving at the final.

MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES: ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS LIST

And so, going back to the 2011 beginning of the tournament, the list now looks like this:

  • Nathaniel and Louisa in 2011
  • Arthur and Genevieve in 2012
  • Archer and Isla in 2013
  • Everett and Cora in 2014
  • Finn and Cora in 2015*
  • Theodore and Sylvie in 2016
  • Leo and Wren in 2017
  • Rowan and Eliza in 2018
  • Arlo and Margot in 2019
  • Caspian and Tess in 2020
  • Raphael and Magnolia in 2021
  • August and Marigold in 2022
  • James and Gemma in 2023

Thank you to everyone who voted! Watching the contests unfold is my favorite part of Spring, and I’m always surprised by the names that ultimately win, aren’t you?

March Madness Baby Names 2023: The Winners March Madness Baby Names 2023: The Winners

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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5 Comments

  1. I voted for the lovely James and Gemma too! I had three Gemmas and three Nicolas in my high school class a good twenty years ago, you don’t hear either of them so much now.

  2. I wonder if Gemma appealed, in part, because of its similar, yet more feminine, sound to James?

    I also suspect the overwhelming popularity of Emma (#2 in 2021) might have helped Gemma to triumph over Maisie, but I could be totally wrong.

  3. It’s always a fun competition; I happened to vote for James and Gemma. My all-time fave set of winners is Raphael and Magnolia

  4. Have a son James and grandson James (uncle and nephew). No Jims although son James has sometimes called the younger James, “Jimmy”. Son James was called “Jamie” until 4th grade when he announced he preferred to be called by James and has been “James” from then on. Love the name James (but only for a boy).

  5. James and Gemma are great!

    Once again, the March Madness winners would make a great sibset!! (I’m assuming James wouldn’t shorten to Jim in this day and age.) I just love how that has worked out so well almost every year. I think the only exception would be Arlo and Margot.

    Thanks for doing this! I always look forward to these name competitions (I love the Halloween one too!).