If you're expecting a baby or are hoping to get pregnant in the near future, you probably have baby names on the brain. Having a baby is such an exciting time for any woman but it can also be stressful too. Deciding on the perfect name for your baby is a huge responsibility and one that no parent takes lightly. Some people opt to stick with tradition and use names that have run in their family for generations, while others like to show some originality and choose something a bit more unique.

We know that baby name trends are often influenced by our world and popular culture. Consider the name Charlotte, which wasn't even in the top 20 most popular names in the UK before Prince William and Kate Middleton gave the sweet moniker to their second born child. Once the couple gave their daughter the name Charlotte, it quickly jumped in popularity. It rose to #12 in 2017 and is currently the 15th most popular girls' name in the UK in 2018, according to BabyCentre UK. There's no doubt that the name Archie, given to the newest Royal family member by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will quickly climb the baby name popularity charts as well.

The Social Security Administration recently released a report that claimed more parents are naming their children after characters on the smash hit HBO show Game of Thrones than ever before. In fact, 560 baby girls were named Khaleesi over the last year with another 24 given the name with alternate spellings.  A total of 11 babies were named Cersei in 2017, the first time the name has been seen on naming charts since 1880. Not surprisingly, the name Arya led the pack with 2,545 babies named after the girl with no name.

The Social Security Administration recently released their list of the ten most popular baby names for boys and girls in 2018, something they do annually based on the data for requests for Social Security numbers for newborns they collect. Whether you prefer a name influenced by popular culture, a traditional family name or just something you've loved since you were a child, choosing a baby name is a very personal decision and one that is often influenced by naming trends.

The most popular baby names of 2018 are very similar to the most popular baby names the year before, showing that names like Noah, Emma, Liam, Olivia, William, and Sophia are still going strong.

Here is the list of the top 10 baby names for both boys and girls in the United States in 2018:

Top 10 Boy Names

Liam

Noah

William

James

Oliver

Benjamin

Elijah

Lucas

Mason

Logan

Top 10 Girl Names

Emma

Olivia

Ava

Isabella

Sophia

Charlotte

Mia

Amelia

Harper

Evelyn

These names are pretty similar to every other "most popular" list, which is the biggest surprise -- that these names continue to hold strong.

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