Naming a baby is a major life decision.
Naming a baby can be a fun endeavor, but it's also a lot of pressure. Names are personal, often meaningful, and unless we decide to change them will be something we hear over and over our whole lives. So when parents are choosing baby names out of the innumerable possibilities, there's a lot to consider.
One consideration is popularity. Some parents don't want a popular name for their child, while others are drawn to the trends of their time. The number of middle-aged Jennifers and Joshes attest to this fact, but every year, the most popular baby names shift a bit. BabyCenter keeps track of naming trends and offers an annual report that ranks names by popularity.
The 2025 report has a few surprises, despite the No. 1 most popular name for both girls and boys remained unchanged. Olivia and Noah once again took the top spots, but there are also some surprise newcomers to the Top 10 of 2025.
BabyCenter's Top 10 baby names for 2025.Canva
In first-time appearances in the Top 10 list of names for girls, Eliana (No. 7) and Aurora (No. 9) ousted Ava (No. 11) and Luna (No. 13). Amelia held onto the No. 2 spot for the second year in a row.
Other names making big shifts on the girls chart were Eloise jumping 26 spots to No. 75 and Emersyn leaping a whopping 50 spots to No. 89. Catalina, Oaklynn, Juniper, and Kehlani all got into the Top 100 list for the first time, and Vivian hit the Top 100 for the first time since 1934.
For boys, the top five spots remained unchanged from 2024, but the Top 10 did see one newcomer with Luca coming in at No. 10, knocking down Leo to No. 11. Perhaps some influence from the 2021 Pixar film, Luca?
The name Luca has seen a rise in popularity. Giphy
Malachi and Ali made their debuts in the Top 100 names for boys, and Arthur popped back into the Top 100 for the first time since 1970.
What to expect for baby name trends in 2026
Next year's names will be influenced by this year's trends, and here's what appears to be influencing them, according to BabyCenter:
Pop culture continues to play a dominant role in what Americans name their babies, and there are some new influences in that department. Severance fans may not be surprised to learn that the name Helena has jumped up 50 spots on the charts (which does beg the question of whether the nickname Helly will take root). If you like The Pitt, the names Samira and Heather have gone up 276 and 116 spots, respectively. Belinda climbed a head-turning 2,402 spots, which BabyCenter connects with the show White Lotus. The names Chelsea for girls and Valentin and Fabian for boys have also seen a jump (though not nearly as large as Belinda). And fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty may be happy to know that Susannah shot over 3,000 spots up the chart.
Susannah has climbed over 3,000 spots on the baby name chart. Giphy
K-Pop bands appear to be having some sway over baby names as well, with BTS's Jin rising 699 spots, and Seventeen's Jun climbing 1,397 spots. Throwback boy band names have also been climbing, including Howie, Nick, Lance, and Joey.
How about sports? The NBA championship-winning Oklahoma City Thunder saw some names of its players make jumps, including Jaylin, Dillon, Jalen, and Isaiah. Same for WNBA players Courtney, Kelsey, Natasha, and Erica.
On the faith front, the passing of Pope Francis may have had people paying more attention to his name. For both boys and girls, Francis and its variants are all on the rise, including Francesco, Frankie, and Franz for boys and Francine, Frances, and Francesca for girls.
Pope Francis passed away in April 2025. Giphy
Classic literature seems to be having a moment as well, with names of American authors and characters seeing upward movement. That includes Ernest, Ishmael, Sylvia, Octavia, Sawyer, Finn, Holden, and Buchanan.
What about names that are on their way out? It appears that boys names ending in "y" are plunging. Grady, Grey, Kody, Murphy, and Gray are all down 3-digit numbers on the charts.
Of course, all kinds of things can influence baby name trends, so who knows what surprises 2026 might have in store. Will Noah and Olivia be able to hold onto their crowns for yet another year? Time will tell. Happy naming, prospective parents!
How do you choose a name for a brand new human? Photo credit: Canva
You can read BabyCenter's 2025 Most Popular Baby Names report here.