Most Popular Baby Names of 2025

What are the most popular baby names?

The most popular baby names are simply the ones given to the most babies in a given year. In the United States, that’s measured with remarkable precision: every year the Social Security Administration publishes the exact number of babies who received each name, counted separately for girls and boys. The rankings on this page are built from that official data, so they reflect real choices made by real families — not opinion or guesswork.

Popularity is one of the first things many parents check, whether they’re drawn to a beloved classic or determined to pick something less common. This guide explains how the rankings work, which names lead today, why names rise and fall, and how to decide whether a popular name is right for you.

How baby name rankings work

The SSA counts names exactly as they’re written on Social Security card applications, which means spelling matters: Sophia and Sofia, or Aiden and Ayden, are ranked as separate names even though they sound identical. Boys’ and girls’ names are ranked in separate lists. Because the data goes back to 1880, it’s possible to trace any name’s entire history — when it first appeared, when it peaked, and whether it’s rising or falling today. Every name profile on StorkWorld shows exactly that, drawn from 145 years of records.

The most popular names right now

In the latest data, the leading girls’ names include Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia and Sophia, while the top boys’ names include Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore and Henry. These lists shift only gently from year to year at the very top — Olivia and Liam have held the number-one spots for several years running — but there’s far more movement just below, where trends rise and fade more quickly.

Why names rise and fall

Name popularity is driven by a mix of forces. Sound trends matter enormously — the current love of soft, vowel-heavy names lifts Ava, Mia, Leo and Eli, while harder mid-century sounds have faded. Popular culture gives sudden boosts: a hit show, film or public figure can send a name soaring in a single year. Generational cycles play a part too, with names skipping a generation or two before returning — which is why the “grandma and grandpa” names of a century ago (Hazel, Arthur, Nora) feel fresh again now. And some names simply spread by familiarity, as parents meet a name they like on a friend’s child.

The most popular names of the past century

Looking back shows just how much fashion moves. For girls, Mary was the runaway number-one name for the first half of the twentieth century, before giving way to Lisa, then Jennifer in the 1970s, Jessica and Ashley in the 1980s and 1990s, Emily in the 2000s, and Emma and Olivia since. For boys the story is steadier: John and Robert led the early decades, Michael dominated from the 1960s to the 1990s, Jacob topped the 2000s, and Noah and Liam have led the years since. You can explore the real number-one names decade by decade on our top-names pages.

Should you choose a popular name?

There’s a lot to love about a popular name. It’s usually easy to spell and pronounce, it rarely raises eyebrows, and its very popularity is a sign that lots of people find it appealing. Popular names also tend to be well-established, with clear meanings and histories, so you know exactly what you’re choosing. For many parents, a top-ten name simply feels safe, warm and timeless.

...or avoid one?

On the other hand, a very popular name means your child may share it with others in their class or friendship group, sometimes needing a last initial to stand out. Some parents feel a top name is a little expected, and prefer something that feels more personal. Neither view is wrong — it comes down to how much you value familiarity versus distinctiveness. The useful thing is to decide deliberately rather than by accident, which is exactly what the ranking data lets you do.

How popular is too popular?

Even the number-one name today is far less dominant than the number-one name of the past. When Mary led in the 1950s, a huge share of girls received it; today’s top names are spread much more thinly across a far greater variety of choices. That means a modern top-ten name is nowhere near as ubiquitous as its rank suggests — your Olivia or Liam will meet fewer namesakes than a mid-century Mary or Michael did. If you love a popular name, that’s reassuring: “popular” no longer means “everywhere.”

Popular, classic and trendy — the difference

It helps to separate three ideas. A classic name has been steadily used for generations (James, Elizabeth) and never really dates. A trendy name is riding a sharp, recent wave (some invented or respelled names) and may fade as quickly as it rose. A popular name is simply common right now — it might be a classic, a trend, or something in between. Our popularity charts show which is which at a glance, revealing whether a name has a long, steady history or a sudden spike.

The fastest-rising names

Beneath the steady names at the very top, some names climb dramatically from one year to the next. These fast risers are often driven by a specific spark — a beloved character, a public figure, or simply a sound that suddenly feels right. Rising names can be exciting to choose: you catch a name on its way up, before it becomes common. But they carry a small risk too, since a name that rises quickly can fall just as fast. Our name pages flag whether a name is climbing, so you can tell a genuine trend from a passing spike.

Names on the way down

Just as some names surge, others quietly fade. A name that was everywhere a generation ago can slip down the charts as tastes move on — which is exactly how today’s vintage revivals became rare enough to feel fresh again. A falling name isn’t a bad choice; sometimes it’s a wonderful one, offering a familiar name that few babies currently share. The key is to know where a name sits in its cycle, which the popularity trend on each name page makes clear at a glance.

Do popular names differ by region and country?

Very much so. The names topping the charts in the United States differ from those in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia or France, and even within a country there’s regional variation. A name that feels common in one place can feel distinctive in another. Our rankings are based on US data, so if you’re naming elsewhere it’s worth treating them as a guide to the name itself rather than a precise local ranking — the meaning, origin and history travel; the exact popularity is local.

Gender-neutral names in the rankings

Because the Social Security Administration ranks boys’ and girls’ names separately, unisex names appear on both lists — and a name’s balance between them can shift over time. Names like Riley, Rowan, Quinn and Charlie are given to both boys and girls, sometimes leaning one way in a given year. If you’re considering a gender-neutral name, it’s worth checking how it currently splits, so you know what to expect when your child meets others who share it.

How to use popularity data wisely

Popularity is information, not instruction. Use it to answer the questions that matter to you: Is this name currently common or rare? Is it rising or falling? Has it been loved for a century or just a few years? The answers help you choose deliberately rather than by accident — whether you want a name that feels current, one that feels timeless, or one that feels like your own discovery. The data is there to inform your taste, never to override it.

One-hit wonders and flash-in-the-pan names

Every so often a name spikes sharply for a year or two — usually tied to a single show, song or celebrity — and then vanishes almost as quickly. These “one-hit wonders” are worth spotting, because a name that rose on a single moment can date a child to that exact moment. There’s nothing wrong with a name that had a viral year if you genuinely love it, but it helps to know the difference between a lasting classic and a passing sensation. The full 145-year trend on each name page tells you instantly which you’re looking at.

Popular names in the classroom

One practical worry about a very popular name is the classroom: will your child share their name with two others and need a last initial to stand out? It’s a real possibility with a top-ten name, though far less than in past decades, when a single name could dominate a generation. If the idea bothers you, the rankings make it easy to step just outside the top tier — a familiar name at, say, number forty is comfortably recognisable while being much less likely to be doubled up.

Should you choose this year’s number-one name?

Choosing the single most popular name of the year is a perfectly good decision — it’s number one because so many people find it lovely. Just go in knowing it’s at its peak, which usually means it will be well represented in your child’s generation. If that appeals, wonderful; if you’d prefer a name that feels a little more your own, the data helps you find one that’s loved but not leading the pack.

Popular boy names and girl names: the difference

The two lists behave a little differently. Boys’ names have historically been more stable at the top, with long reigns from names like John, Michael and Liam, while girls’ names turn over faster and show more variety and invention. That means a popular girls’ name today may feel fresher than its rank suggests, while a popular boys’ name is often a long-established classic. Both patterns are clearly visible in our decade-by-decade rankings.

How we rank names

StorkWorld’s popularity rankings come directly from US Social Security Administration data, the most complete public record of American baby names, covering every year from 1880 to the present. We count names as the SSA does — by exact spelling, separately for girls and boys — and every name page shows the underlying trend so you can see the full picture, not just this year’s snapshot. It’s real data, honestly presented, so you can choose with confidence.