When it comes to baby names, there's a sweet spot between too popular and too unusual — but sometimes it can be hard to tell which names are poised to make it to the big time and hit the list of the most popular names put out by the Social Security Administration (SSA) each year.
And while it can be hard to predict the sudden explosion of a name like Kaeli or Emryn — two of the fastest-climbing girl names this year — it helps to keep track of the general baby-naming patterns to see what's getting hot. This year, experts say these are the trends driving 2025's baby girl names. What do we see in the year ahead? Think short, sweet and maybe even a little boyish.
Parents of Girls Are Going Cute
The idea that "you're not naming a baby, you're naming an adult" is holding less sway with today's parents. "For girls, 'Baby Names, Literally,' are one of the fastest-growing trends," says Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of the baby-naming site Nameberry, which recently released its own round-up of 2025 baby name trends. “'Adult-sounding' names have been coveted for a few years now, but parents are now embracing names clearly meant for babies. This trend has been spurred by influencers — Nara Smith’s Whimsy Lou and Jaci Marie Smith’s Benny Marie are both examples of 'Baby Names, Literally.' Nickname names like Scottie, Lottie, Nori and Dolly are playful choices in this trend, along with novel word names like Wednesday, Echo, Posey and Blossom." For those who like to keep it sweet and possibly short, there are lots of baby names to consider.
- Aqua
- Bunny
- Dovie
- Georgie
- Honey
- Lilibet
- Lula/Lulu
- Pixie
- Willa
- Zelie
- Zuzu
Pop Girlies Are Taking the Spotlight
It's not just Billboard — pop acts are taking over the baby-name charts as well. Two of the year's biggest pop acts — Charli XCX and Billie Eilish — have names that actually fit perfectly into the "Baby Names, Literally" trend as well. BabyCenter notes in its name trend report that names inspired by pop acts are experiencing a surge in interest. "Sabrina is up 109 spots for girls, to No. 342, and Billie is up 37 spots for girls, to No. 842," the site says. "We might even see Chappell (or the more traditional spelling, Chapel) get some attention as a girl name next year, thanks to Chappell Roan's meteoric rise to fame."
Song titles, too, can have an effect. "No one named their baby Brat this year," BabyCenter reports (thankfully). "But Apple, a song on the Brat album, is spiking, rising 900 spots as a girl name, to No. 2,597. The last time the name Apple was this popular was in 2011, the year Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs died." And there are plenty more pop-inspired names where that came from.
- Ariana
- Bay/Bey
- Gracie
- Lana
- Megan
- Reneé
- Rey
- Roan
- Tate
- Taylor
Dad Jokes? Try Dad Names
One trend we've seen for a while now is that every name is basically a gender-neutral name: Any name is fair game for any gender, no matter which one used it traditionally. In its year-end look into baby names, Babylist noticed that a lot of traditionally masculine going to girls in a trend it calls "my BFF’s dad’s name." Colleen Slagen, a naming expert, told Babylist that these names are "not totally out there but they’re unexpected, yet cutesy." Two names we already mentioned — Billie and Scottie — are good examples, though Babylist predicts that the name Drew will eclipse them all. Look around to the other dads in your life for more inspiration for names like these.
- Andie
- Avery
- Blake
- Benny
- James
- Mattie
- Noah
- Riley
- Ryan
- Tatum
Girl Names Look to Nature
Nature-inspired names have been huge for a while now, but Nameberry predicts "landscape names" will be of particular interest in the next 12 months. "Landscape names particularly appeal to parents in search of frills-free names that are easily understood, but not endemically popular," the site notes. "They’re also inherently gender-neutral, a strong selling point for many contemporary namers." Nameberry believes Cove will be a standout, but Rye, Reef, Coast and Creek will be hot on its tail, along with these other outdoorsy names.
- Cloud
- Dune
- Isle/Isla
- Marsh
- Meadow
- Ocean
- Prarie
- River
- Shore
- Vale
Looking for more baby girl name inspiration? Check out other Good Housekeeping lists: Nature Baby Names | Disney Baby Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Italian Baby Names | Japanese Baby Names | French Baby Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Irish Boy Names | Irish Girl Names | Long Names for Boys | Long Names for Girls | Short Names for Boys | Short Names for Girls | Gender-Neutral Names | Western/Cowboy Baby Names | 1920s Names | 1930s Names | 1940s Names | 1950s Names | 1960s Names
When in Doubt, Put a -lynn at the End
Parents finding themselves gravitating toward a traditional name but who want to add a modern twist to it seem to be flocking to one suffix, -lynn. In fact, the SSA reports that Lakelynn, Emberlynn and Evelynn (a variant spelling of Evelyn) are three of the fastest-climbing names for girls this year."Avalynn is a perfect example of this," BabyCenter reports. "Up 402 spots at No. 861, this new name joins the top 1,000 girl names in the U.S. for the first time ever." Then, of course, there's always the name Lynn, full stop, though parents seem to be looking for something longer (double 'n' optional).
- Adelyn/Adelynn
- Ashlyn/Ashlynn
- Braelyn/Braelynn
- Brooklyn/Brooklynn
- Gracelyn/Gracelynn
- Jazlyn/Jazlynn
- Madelyn/Madelynn
- Oaklyn/Oaklynn
- Raelyn/Raelynn
- Roselyn/Roselynn
These Are the Most Popular Names for Girls, and the Fastest Risers
Where are these names in the hype machine? The SSA keeps track of the most popular baby names in use right now — but are these names so popular, they're on the way out? On the flip side, it also keeps track of the names that had the biggest year-over-year gains, so those are likely on the rise.
The Most Popular Girl Names
- Olivia
- Emma
- Amelia
- Charlotte
- Mia
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Evelyn
- Ava
- Sofia
- Camila
- Harper
- Luna
- Eleanor
- Violet
The Fastest-Rising Girl Names
- Ailany
- Aylani
- Marjorie
- Scottie
- Analeia
- Elodie
- Romy
- Julietta
- Adhara
- Ailani
- Elowyn
- Elani
- Yusra
- Rowyn
- Solana
Only time will tell how these names will drive trends in the future, but they look poised to be big in the short term.
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.
