There a a lot of factors that parents consider before choosing a baby name, and the popularity of a name is a big one. Choosing one that's too common is the No. 1 source of baby-name regret. Then again, some families like going with timeless, classic names that are so well known that they're easy to pronounce and spell.
The first step is figuring out how popular a name is — or will be in the coming year. The good news is the Social Security Administration (SSA) makes it easy to keep track of current and upcoming baby name trends. The SSA publishes a list each year of the latest 1,000 top popular baby girl names, along with names that are rising through the ranks.
When it comes to the most popular baby girl names, the top spots have been pretty steady for a while now. Just a few names — Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia and Sophia — have pretty much held rank as the top baby girl names for a decade, if not more. But consulting the SSA and other baby-naming databases, we can see what the trends are for this year, and even start to make predictions for the most popular baby names of the year.
The Most Popular Baby Girl Names Right Now (With Meanings)
When the SSA released the most recent list of the most popular name, these ever-popular names were at the top of the list.
- Olivia, "olive tree"
- Emma, "universal"
- Charlotte, "free man"
- Amelia, "hardworking"
- Sophia, "wisdom"
- Mia, "mine"
- Isabella, "pledged to God"
- Ava, "bird" or "life"
- Evelyn, "desired"
- Luna, "moon"
These are almost the exact same 10 names as the year before, only rearranged slightly. Isabella and Ava are down a little, and Mia jumped up a bit, but no new names have entered the top.
The Trendiest Girl Names (With Meanings)
Where things start to get interesting, though, is the SSA's list of fastest-rising names, which are the names that took the biggest jumps in popularity since the list before. They are:
- Kaeli, "slender" or "crown"
- Alitzel, "resin," "dew," "nectar" or "rainbow"
- Emryn, "immortal ruler"
- Adhara, "purity"
- Azari, "helped by God"
- Kya, "sea" or "life"
- Ivey, "ivy plant"
- Ainara, "swallow" (as in the bird)
- Arely, "lion of God" or "golden"
- Scottie, "from Scotland"
- Avani, "earth"
- Miller, "one who grinds grain"
- Aleyna, "shining light"
- Blessing, "God's favor"
- Miley, short for "smiley"
- Andie, "manly and strong"
- Inaya, "care" or "concern"
- Dania, "God is my judge"
- Halo, "divine aura"
- Ailany/Aylani, "chief"
These names don't have much in common — at least at first. It's the endings where they get similar: names that end in the -ly sound or the -ry sound are getting exceedingly popular, like Kaeli, Arely and Azari, along with names that end in -ara, like Adhara and Ainara. And, just behind those names, -lynn names aren't far behind. Lakelynn, Emberlynn and Evelynn are all on the list of the fastest-climbers. For a long time, the -ia names have been on top (like Olivia and Sophia), but maybe there will be a changing of the guard.
What else could be on the horizon? According to Nameberry, a baby-naming site that keeps track of interest in names and baby name trends and interest in names from its uses, says these are the current hottest names that have not yet been previously mentioned.
- Maeve, "she who intoxicates"
- Eloise, "famous warrior" or "healthy, wide"
- Elodie, "foreign riches"
- Daphne, "laurel"
- Aurelia, "the golden one"
- Hazel, "hazel tree"
- Eleanor, "light-hearted" or "shining light"
- Isla, "island"
- Violet, "purple"
- Iris, "rainbow"
Between Daphne, Hazel, Violet and Iris, we can see plant- and flower-names trending — part of an overall drift toward nature-inspired names.
Unisex and Gender-Neutral Names
Nameberry also says parents are moving away from stereotypically gendered names. "That doesn't always mean that boys and girls are getting the same names, though there are plenty of hot new gender neutral and nonbinary names around," says Pamela Redmond, Nameberry CEO. "Rather, we see girl names becoming stronger and more heroic while boy names are becoming less conventional and less traditionally masculine." As far as gender-neutral names go, keep an eye out for up-and-comers like Arrow, Cypress, Jupiter, Merritt, Ridley, River and Rowan.
We're seeing some neutral-to-masculine names on the SSA's fast-risers list, especially ones that could be what Babylist describes as "Dad names." These include Billie, Scottie, Miller, Andie and Murphy. The name Charlie also pops up a few times on the SSA list, first at No. 124, then as Charlee at No. 358, Charli (No. 435), Charleigh (No. 606) and Charley (No. 729). Between Billie and Charlie, is there are pop-music connection?
Charli XCX and Billie Eilish don’t just set trends in music — they could be influencing baby names.
Pop Culture Names
The biggest pop-culture player of all, of course, is Disney. And as Disney kids have grown into Disney adults, they've made character names trend on the SSA list. Right now, you can find lots of rankers based on Disney princesses, like Aurora (currently No. 22 on the SSA list), Jasmine (No. 190), Raya (No. 353), Briar (No. 550), Tiana (No. 609). And they're not the only pop-culture royals on the chart: Zelda is No. 705, and sitting at No. 919 is the name Princess itself.
On the small screen, if there's one television show launching more baby names than any other, it's Bridgerton. Nameberry has found an uptick in searches for Regency-era girl names inspired by the show. This includes Daphne, Hyacinth, Philippa, Phoebe, Francesca and Eloise.
The Bridgerton family offers a wealth of baby-name inspiration.
BabyCenter, which also keeps track of the baby names from its users, agrees that Bridgerton is a big source of baby-name inspiration. But it's also found increases in names inspired by news shows like Ted Lasso (Keely, Bex), old faves like Gilmore Girls (Lorelai, Rory) and streaming shows like WandaVision (Wanda, Agatha and Darcy). Even Vision was up 20 percent, but that's used more as a boy name.
Land & Sky Names
Nature-inspired baby names have been trending for a while, but they've been really taking off recently. Nameberry says that "landscape names" like Cove, Coast and Creek are huge among its users, while BabyCenter users are looking to the heavens for names like Sol, Eclipse and Nova.
Cutesy Names
Using nicknames as full first names has been a trend for a while, now, but Nameberry notes that these monikers are getting cuter. They call them "playful names" or "baby names, literally" which are huge going into next year, and include names like Baby, Pixie, Dovie, Honey and Lulu.
The Latest List of Top 1,000 Baby Girl Names
However you feel about these up-and-coming trends, before you decide on a baby name, scan the SSA's most current crop of names to see where it falls on the list. And if it doesn't rank in the top 1,000, it's a good bet you've got a unique name on your hands.
- Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Sophia
- Mia
- Isabella
- Ava
- Evelyn
- Luna
- Harper
- Sofia
- Camila
- Eleanor
- Elizabeth
- Violet
- Scarlett
- Emily
- Hazel
- Lily
- Gianna
- Aurora
- Penelope
- Aria
- Nora
- Chloe
- Ellie
- Mila
- Avery
- Layla
- Abigail
- Ella
- Isla
- Eliana
- Nova
- Madison
- Zoe
- Ivy
- Grace
- Lucy
- Willow
- Emilia
- Riley
- Naomi
- Victoria
- Stella
- Elena
- Hannah
- Valentina
- Maya
- Zoey
- Delilah
- Leah
- Lainey
- Lillian
- Paisley
- Genesis
- Madelyn
- Sadie
- Sophie
- Leilani
- Addison
- Natalie
- Josephine
- Alice
- Ruby
- Claire
- Kinsley
- Everly
- Emery
- Adeline
- Kennedy
- Maeve
- Audrey
- Autumn
- Athena
- Eden
- Iris
- Anna
- Eloise
- Jade
- Maria
- Caroline
- Brooklyn
- Quinn
- Aaliyah
- Vivian
- Liliana
- Gabriella
- Hailey
- Sarah
- Savannah
- Cora
- Madeline
- Natalia
- Ariana
- Lydia
- Lyla
- Clara
- Allison
- Aubrey
- Millie
- Melody
- Ayla
- Serenity
- Bella
- Skylar
- Josie
- Lucia
- Daisy
- Raelynn
- Eva
- Juniper
- Samantha
- Elliana
- Eliza
- Rylee
- Nevaeh
- Hadley
- Alaia
- Parker
- Julia
- Amara
- Rose
- Charlie
- Ashley
- Remi
- Georgia
- Adalynn
- Melanie
- Amira
- Margaret
- Piper
- Brielle
- Mary
- Freya
- Cecilia
- Esther
- Arya
- Sienna
- Summer
- Peyton
- Sage
- Valerie
- Magnolia
- Emersyn
- Catalina
- Margot
- Everleigh
- Alina
- Sloane
- Brianna
- Oakley
- Valeria
- Blakely
- Kehlani
- Oaklynn
- Ximena
- Isabelle
- Juliette
- Emerson
- Amaya
- Elsie
- Isabel
- Mackenzie
- Genevieve
- Anastasia
- Reagan
- Katherine
- Ember
- June
- Bailey
- Andrea
- Reese
- Wrenley
- Gemma
- Ada
- Alani
- Callie
- Kaylee
- Olive
- Rosalie
- Myla
- Alana
- Ariella
- Kaia
- Ruth
- Arianna
- Sara
- Jasmine
- Phoebe
- Adaline
- River
- Hallie
- Adalyn
- Wren
- Presley
- Lilah
- Alora
- Amy
- Norah
- Annie
- Zuri
- Alexandra
- Sutton
- Noelle
- Kylie
- Molly
- Lia
- Journee
- Leia
- Evangeline
- Lila
- Aspen
- Saylor
- Khloe
- Aitana
- Alaina
- Haven
- Aliyah
- Blake
- Kimberly
- Vera
- Ana
- Kailani
- Tatum
- Arabella
- Diana
- Selena
- Kiara
- Harmony
- Lilith
- Rowan
- Delaney
- Vivienne
- Zara
- Collins
- Harlow
- Blair
- Leila
- Daphne
- Faith
- Lennon
- Stevie
- Mariana
- Kaylani
- Morgan
- Juliana
- Gracie
- Nyla
- Miriam
- Daniela
- Dahlia
- Brynlee
- Rachel
- Angela
- Lilly
- Kamila
- Samara
- Ryleigh
- Taylor
- Dakota
- Lola
- Talia
- Evie
- Jordyn
- Ophelia
- Camille
- Gia
- Milani
- Lena
- Elaina
- Malia
- Elise
- Celeste
- Londyn
- Palmer
- Mabel
- Octavia
- Sawyer
- Jane
- Finley
- Marley
- Adelaide
- Lucille
- Shiloh
- Antonella
- Ariel
- Poppy
- Kali
- Elianna
- Juliet
- Maisie
- Cataleya
- Danna
- Aubree
- Gabriela
- Noa
- Brooke
- Celine
- Alessia
- Hope
- Selah
- Vanessa
- Rory
- Sydney
- Amari
- Teagan
- Adriana
- Payton
- Rosemary
- Laila
- London
- Angelina
- Alayna
- Kendall
- Rebecca
- Maggie
- Adelyn
- Evelynn
- Thea
- Amina
- Tessa
- Kayla
- Esme
- Mckenna
- Nicole
- Regina
- Luciana
- Julianna
- Nayeli
- Catherine
- Alyssa
- Journey
- Dream
- Camilla
- Ariyah
- Nina
- Joanna
- Mya
- Annabelle
- Esmeralda
- Lauren
- Fatima
- Giselle
- Harley
- Jocelyn
- Phoenix
- Trinity
- Malani
- Heidi
- Meadow
- Raya
- Paige
- Jayla
- Logan
- Leighton
- Charlee
- Viviana
- Madilyn
- Raven
- Amora
- Navy
- Itzel
- Laura
- Emory
- Azalea
- Hayden
- Aniyah
- Winter
- Aurelia
- Alivia
- Brooklynn
- Francesca
- Serena
- Lilliana
- Gracelynn
- Kalani
- Aisha
- Gwendolyn
- Elaine
- Nylah
- Hattie
- Wynter
- Adelynn
- Adelina
- Alessandra
- Mylah
- Alayah
- Anaya
- Julieta
- Rosie
- Mariah
- Demi
- Raelyn
- Sabrina
- Helen
- Everlee
- Astrid
- Fiona
- Michelle
- Xiomara
- Briella
- Alexandria
- Frances
- Sunny
- Sarai
- Alaya
- Melissa
- Veronica
- Mira
- Zariah
- Brynn
- Reign
- Maryam
- Lana
- Arielle
- Raegan
- Remington
- Salem
- Elisa
- Aylin
- Emely
- Carolina
- Sylvie
- Sylvia
- Annalise
- Willa
- Mallory
- Kira
- Daniella
- Elora
- Saige
- Carmen
- Charli
- Mckenzie
- Matilda
- Miracle
- Destiny
- Alicia
- Elle
- Colette
- Anya
- Madeleine
- Oaklee
- Skye
- Cali
- Daleyza
- Alexis
- Holly
- Katalina
- Miley
- Alanna
- Felicity
- Joy
- Helena
- Makayla
- Amirah
- Maia
- Armani
- Alma
- Anahi
- Ari
- Bianca
- Scarlet
- Amiyah
- Dorothy
- Stephanie
- Fernanda
- Briana
- Alison
- Lorelai
- Renata
- Macie
- Makenna
- Imani
- Jimena
- Kate
- Liana
- Cameron
- Lyra
- Maddison
- Izabella
- Amanda
- Lorelei
- Dayana
- Gracelyn
- Opal
- Nadia
- Brinley
- Madelynn
- Calliope
- Paris
- Camryn
- Danielle
- Cassidy
- Cecelia
- Haisley
- Jordan
- Faye
- Marlee
- Bonnie
- Allie
- Edith
- Emmy
- Mae
- Kaliyah
- Oakleigh
- Meredith
- Carter
- Kamryn
- Ariah
- Maxine
- Heaven
- April
- Blaire
- Jennifer
- Leona
- Murphy
- Ivory
- Florence
- Lexi
- Angel
- Alondra
- Hanna
- Rhea
- Bristol
- Amalia
- Katie
- Monroe
- Emelia
- Maliyah
- Kora
- Ariya
- Mariam
- Lyric
- Makenzie
- Frankie
- Jacqueline
- Jazlyn
- Legacy
- Margo
- Clementine
- Maren
- Paislee
- Alejandra
- Sevyn
- Jolene
- Averie
- Briar
- Yaretzi
- Gabrielle
- Jessica
- Rylie
- Alia
- Zahra
- Emerie
- Lilian
- Arleth
- Virginia
- Avianna
- Royalty
- Azariah
- Kenzie
- Kyla
- Sierra
- Halo
- Holland
- Reyna
- Thalia
- Keira
- Capri
- Marina
- Noemi
- Amber
- Miranda
- Sariyah
- Rosalia
- Indie
- Oaklyn
- Anne
- Mara
- Lina
- Wrenlee
- Mina
- Louise
- Beatrice
- Jovie
- Ivanna
- Nalani
- Journi
- Marceline
- Ailani
- Myra
- Mavis
- Aliana
- Kinley
- Ainsley
- Jaylani
- Eve
- Iyla
- Leyla
- Alexa
- Arlet
- Lylah
- Charleigh
- Chaya
- Cleo
- Tiana
- Estella
- Nellie
- Winnie
- Yara
- Mikayla
- Dallas
- Sasha
- Scottie
- Hadassah
- Amani
- Ila
- Kaitlyn
- Ellianna
- Abby
- Skyler
- Amaia
- Freyja
- Romina
- Lennox
- Jenna
- Kennedi
- Kayleigh
- Melany
- Amoura
- Mckinley
- Angelica
- Keilani
- Michaela
- Zariyah
- Cassandra
- Noah
- Remy
- Nia
- Reina
- Milan
- Jazmin
- Davina
- Della
- Dylan
- Marie
- Galilea
- Violeta
- Jaliyah
- Jenesis
- Melina
- Isabela
- Priscilla
- Emberly
- Erin
- Aliza
- Eileen
- Shelby
- Kelsey
- Laney
- Siena
- Braelynn
- Analia
- Elliott
- Rosa
- Aleena
- Leslie
- Gloria
- Kataleya
- Martha
- Irene
- Clover
- Penny
- Ryan
- Kaeli
- Taytum
- Karsyn
- Kathryn
- Estrella
- Adrianna
- Flora
- Goldie
- Halle
- Haley
- Sloan
- Fallon
- Macy
- Vienna
- Janelle
- Elowyn
- Megan
- Azari
- Maci
- Aya
- Kyra
- Lillie
- Milena
- Birdie
- Liv
- Christina
- Novah
- Zelda
- Paula
- Julie
- Selene
- Khaleesi
- Chelsea
- Estelle
- Karla
- Chana
- Marigold
- Laurel
- Promise
- Rayna
- Alisson
- Bethany
- Jemma
- Yareli
- Adalee
- Andi
- Coraline
- Hana
- Kiana
- Madilynn
- Monica
- Charley
- Dior
- Arlette
- Lara
- Whitley
- Love
- Zaniyah
- Inaya
- Angie
- Elodie
- Nola
- Rivka
- Kendra
- Marilyn
- Aleah
- Emerald
- Persephone
- Addilyn
- Amayah
- Bridget
- Giana
- Johanna
- Kenna
- Milana
- Baylor
- Brynleigh
- Kensley
- Zaria
- Ellis
- Aviana
- Lacey
- Leilany
- Drew
- Ezra
- Lenora
- Loretta
- Adley
- Novalee
- Aila
- Karina
- Adhara
- Georgina
- Emmie
- Theodora
- Kelly
- Kylee
- Lottie
- Malaysia
- Paulina
- Lakelynn
- Dani
- Denver
- Dulce
- Jamie
- Sky
- Carly
- Kinslee
- Marisol
- Henley
- Jayleen
- Jream
- Cheyenne
- Maisy
- Noor
- Robin
- Savanna
- Ramona
- Aileen
- Kaiya
- Emberlynn
- Jessie
- Zayla
- Lea
- Samira
- Araceli
- Azaria
- Pearl
- Elyse
- Hunter
- Kori
- Louisa
- Kamari
- Nyomi
- Skyla
- Treasure
- Alexia
- Gwen
- Alena
- Tallulah
- Veda
- Mikaela
- Kya
- Scout
- Valery
- Adele
- Livia
- Naya
- Ocean
- Iliana
- Bellamy
- Celia
- Vada
- Zaylee
- Ashlyn
- Mercy
- Zendaya
- Berkley
- Marlowe
- Arely
- Aspyn
- Maddie
- Avani
- Belen
- Linda
- Luz
- Teresa
- Meilani
- Nala
- Malaya
- Amiri
- Anais
- Lisa
- Ivey
- Katelyn
- Dania
- Zoya
- Ailany
- Artemis
- Rayne
- Brittany
- Cielo
- Janiyah
- Kallie
- Yasmin
- Zora
- Aliya
- Billie
- Elia
- Khalani
- Rosalina
- Zhuri
- Ainara
- Alitzel
- Stormi
- Cynthia
- Elina
- Lilianna
- Zainab
- Barbara
- Ensley
- Miller
- Waverly
- Winona
- Jaycee
- Andie
- Kimber
- Marianna
- Keyla
- Baylee
- Emryn
- Giuliana
- Karter
- Liberty
- Sol
- Amelie
- Hadlee
- Harmoni
- Tiffany
- Chandler
- Elliot
- Lilyana
- Nori
- Salma
- Dalia
- Judith
- Madalyn
- Raquel
- Jolie
- Keily
- Magdalena
- Yamileth
- Bria
- Amaris
- Harlee
- August
- Ayleen
- Kimora
- Braelyn
- Kamiyah
- Indy
- Princess
- Ruthie
- Ashlynn
- Jazmine
- Laylani
- Marleigh
- Raina
- Roselyn
- Simone
- Anika
- Lakelyn
- Luella
- Nataly
- Giovanna
- Greta
- Solana
- Bailee
- Joelle
- Kara
- Etta
- Julissa
- Kai
- Avayah
- Nancy
- Alianna
- Ayra
- Sarahi
- Eleanora
- Kenia
- Emmeline
- Luisa
- Xyla
- Cadence
- Reya
- Blessing
- Elouise
- Emiliana
- Annika
- Lilia
- Mazie
- Saoirse
- Aura
- Aleyna
- Kassidy
- Carla
- Indigo
- Saanvi
- Tru
- Winifred
- Layne
- Malayah
- Dana
- Deborah
- Hayley
- Sapphire
- Seraphina
- Kahlani
- Nyra
- Quincy
- Soleil
- Allyson
- Paloma
- Whitney
- Laylah
- Violette
- Kairi
- Leanna
- Natasha
- Ainhoa
- Alaiya
- Esperanza
- Amyra
- Clare
- Neriah
- Araya
- Aadhya
- Elisabeth
- Sariah
- Shay
- Angelique
- Ayah
- Aylani
More Baby Name Ideas
Looking for more baby girl name inspiration? Check out other Good Housekeeping lists: French Baby Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Irish Girl Names | Italian Baby Names | Japanese Baby Names | Long Girl Names | Short Girl Names | Baby Boy Names |
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.