If you’re in the market for a baby name now or just thinking ahead to the future, you might be interested in current naming trends. BabyCenter’s 2026 baby name report and 2027 trend predictions are out, so let’s dig in.
(If you’re curious about the methodology here, BabyCenter collected 350,000 names of babies born from January 1 to October 5, 2026, registered on its app, to analyze name trends.) Here we go!
How the top girl names changed in 2026
The meteoric rise of Eliana continues, as it lands the No. 2 spot on the girls’ names list (up from No. 14 in 2024 and No. 7 in 2025). But Eliana is not the only “E” name worth noting.
Evelyn rejoined the top 10 at No. 9, after falling out of it in 2024. The top 25 also includes Emma (No. 7), Ellie (No. 11), Ella (No. 19), and Eleanor (No. 23). Other popular “E” names rising in the charts include Elsie (up 23 spots), Evangeline (up 50 spots), Elodie (up 87 spots), Elaine (up 143 spots), and Esme (up 222 spots).
In fact, “E” is the most popular initial for girls’ names, accounting for 15% of the top 100 names.
Olivia and Amelia are still holding strong in the top 3 for girls. And only one brand-new name entered the top 100 girl names this year—welcome, Magnolia.
The top boy baby names for 2026
For boys, “J” is where it’s at, with 14% of the top 100 names starting with the letter. Josiah is up 33 points to No. 21, Jeremiah climbed 28 spots to No. 60, and Jaxon (No. 88), Jaxson (No. 93), and Jasper (No. 97) have all held their positions in the top 100. (Just two in the top 10, though: James and Josiah.)
For the third year in a row, the top 5 boy names remain unchanged—Noah, Liam, Oliver, Elijah, and Mateo.
Longer names are becoming more popular for both boys and girls. BabyCenter says 29% of the top girl names and 31% of the top boy names have seven or more letters, with Christopher being the longest name on the list.
What’s ahead for baby names in 2027?
Lots of factors influence baby name popularity, but pop culture plays a big role. Here are a few of the trends for 2027 brought on by film and television:
Hey, Hockey
The popularity of Prime Video’s Off Campus and Heated Rivalry seems to have boosted the names Garrett, Allie, Beau, Jules, and Ilya. Ilya climbed a whopping 6,000 spots to No. 2,197 on the boy name list.
Going Greek
Thanks to The Odyssey, names from Greek mythology are on the rise. Odysseus climbed a whopping 1,456 points, but other boy names making their way up include Atlas (up five spots), Orion and Troy (both up nine spots), Ares (up 32 spots), Evander (up 128 spots), and Perseus (up 249 spots). Girls saw some Ancient Greek names rising as well, such as Iris (up 18 spots), Lydia (up 38 spots), and Daphne (up 42 spots).
Wild West
Maybe it’s the lingering effects of Yellowstone or 1863, or perhaps it’s just a broader western revival, but cowboy names are in.
Stetson hit the top 100 boy names for the first time after rising 46 spots to No. 95. Other western names for boys on the rise included Walker (up 19 spots), Callahan (up 88 spots), Wilder (up 107 spots), and Gunner (up 151 spots).
On the girls’ side, Oakley rose 52 spots to return to the top 100 after falling out last year. We’ve also seen Sadie (up 21 to No. 45), Tatum (up 87 to No. 162), Sutton (up 41 to No. 174), and Cassidy (up 49 to No. 596) make their way up the chart.
Hello, X Factor. Goodbye, Taylor.
After sitting solid for years, the name Taylor has slipped for both girls and boys. For girls, it’s down 24 spots, to No. 399 (the lowest it’s ever been in the 22 years since BabyCenter started sharing naming data). For boys, it’s down 262 spots to No. 1,093, putting it out of the top 1,000 boy names for the first time in BabyCenter’s history.
Goodbye, Taylor fatigue. Hello, X factor. Names with an “X” appear to be trending, including Bexley, Alexandra, Xena, and Ximena for girls, and Braxton, Knox, Daxton, Maximilian, and Jaxson for boys. Some X names, including Xolani, Xaiden, Onyx, and Huxley, have risen by triple digits in the rankings.
According to a survey last year, nearly a quarter of parents prefer family names for their babies, so trends matter less to them. Knowing what’s popular can also help you avoid a trendy name for your baby if you prefer. Whatever your plan, it helps to see which names are on the rise so you can choose accordingly.
