Names that Peaked in 2018

This is a strong new James varietal, sometimes shared by girls. An original way to honor Grandpa Jim, Jameson is swiftly moving up the charts, entering the Top 100 for the first time ever in 2017. Jameson is one of the hottest <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/j">boy names starting with J</a>, still the most popular first initial for boys' names. One small caveat: Jameson is also a brand of whiskey.

Jameson

This substitute spelling of Riley has been popular with parents for a decade. Rylee entered the charts in 1994, and is solidly within the Top 200 for the last 2 decades. Ryleigh is another spelling that has gained significant popularity.

The "-Lee" ending is particularly trendy, and many parents are picking spellings such as Rylee (or Aubree, Everlee, and Marlee) over the originals.

Rylee

Parents of female Emersyns will say this Emerson variation's Y makes it more feminine -- and to some extent, it does. This, combined with the trendy Y, have flagged this name as on-the-rise.

"Em" names have been hot for girls in recent years, from the classic Emma, Emily, and Emilia to the modern Emery and Ember — and both Emerson and Emersyn are no exception. Emersyn entered the charts in 2019 and has been rising since, all the way up to the Top 200. 

Emersyn

The multicultural Eliana has been rising quickly in recent years and is now popular in Netherlands, the UK, Canada, France, and Brazil. With in-built nicknames Ellie, Elle and Ana, Eliana - and her spelling variants - are versatile, sunny, and appealing. 
 Spelling variation Elliana is mostly used in the US, where it joins Eliana and Elianna in the Top 300. The second most popular option and in the Top 150, it is given to more than 2000 baby girls each year.
 The name Eliana may have roots in the Latin family name Aelius, related to the Greek helios, which means "sun". In Hebew, El means God and ana means answered, which may make Elliana a good name for a prayed-for child. 
 
Elliana entered the charts in 2005, nearly a decade after Eliana began to really climb the ranks. Now, just outside the Top 100, it continues to attract parents with its more direct route to the ultra-popular nickname Ellie through the double Ls.
 
A notable bearer of this spelling is dancer, model, and influencer Elliana Walmsley of Dance Moms fame whose appearance on the show between 2016 and 2019 coincided with an increased use in the spelling.
 
While Elliana does rank outside the Top 100, according to playground-analysis, when you combine all the Elianas, Eliannas, Ellianas, and Elyannas etc. together, it begins to feel more like a Top 10 choice, ranking similarly to Ava and Sofia. 
 
If you like Elliana but were hoping for something less popular in the US, you could consider Estella, Luciana, or Noelia.

Elliana

Declan is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Deaglán, popularized in the 90s and 2000s following its appearance in the movie The Jackal. Also featured in the 2010 movie Leap Year, along with the soap operas, Emmerdale and Neighbours, and the series Breaking Bad, it has risen up the US charts to feature in the Top 150 in recent years.
 
Possibly meaning "man of prayer" or "man of goodness", St. Declan was one of the first missionaries to bring Christianity to Ireland, preceding St. Patrick. Originally from Wales, he founded the monastery of Ardmore in Ireland.
 
Similar in sound and style Dylan, Dexter, and Nolan, Declan was the birth name of singer Elvis Costello, while singer Cyndi Lauper chose the Declyn spelling for her son, born in 1997. Other noteworthy Declans include footballer Declan Rice, presenter Declan "Dec" Donnelly, and singer Declan Galbraith.

Declan

Sloane is a sleek, sophisticated surname name that has gradually morphed over to the girls' side. With its distinctive and intriguing sound, Sloane has been in the US Top 1000 since 2009, and in 2022, it made its first appearance in the UK charts, jumping more than 400 places in a single year.
 
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Sluaghadháin, meaning "raider" or "mobilizer", Sloane shares that preppy feel of Blair, Delaney, Ellis, and Quincy. 
 Sloane has been the name of girlfriend characters in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Entourage, and was used for a character played by Olivia Munn on The Newsroom. The video game, Overwatch 2 includes a character called Sloane, English actor Barry Sloane has made it familiar through his surname, while Sloane Stephens is a highly ranked tennis player. 
 Comedian Rob Coddry called his daughter Sloane Sullivan, while rapper Macklemore gave his daughter the name Sloane Ava Simone - and let her direct one of his music videos in 2023. 
 The association with London's Sloane Square and the upscale clique of Sloane Rangers, who have included Princesses Di and Kate, gives it some extra panache.

Sloane

Zion has taken off in recent years, particularly after singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son back in 1997 and incorporated the name into a hit song. It combines a user-friendly Ryan-Brian sound with the gravitas of religious significance and has that cool, on-trend Z initial. The Hebrew pronunciation is 'tzeeyon', though among English speakers, it will likely be said as ZY-on.
 In the Old Testament, the name Zion frequently refers to the city of Jerusalem as a whole, and came to be symbolic of Jewish national aspirations, and thus was the source of the term Zionism. As such, it could be considered a controversial choice, depending on your beliefs. 
 
Nevertheless, with its cool, crisp sounds, Zion is popular in the UK, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and the US, where it ranked in the Top 200 in 2024. This was, however, a notable drop from its 2023 ranking, when it was given to 2900 boys and 130 girls.
 In 2024 by contrast, around 2360 boys and 100 girls received the name in the US, 20% fewer babies than the year before. Time will tell if this drop signifies a downward trend or if parents were influenced by the events and conflicts of the year.

Zion

Though it sounds modern, Brielle is, among other things, a traditional Cajun contraction of Gabrielle, and the name of a historic seaport in the Western Netherlands, also known as Brill. Today, it is used more widely as a nickname for Gabrielle and as a stand-alone name that fits in easily with Isabelle, Briana, and Brinley. In a recent year, it appeared in the US Top 200, ranking above the longer form and used nearly four times as often.

Brielle

This Dutch form of Elijah — or other Eli- names — holds plenty of appeal, combining the gentle El- of Elliot or Elias with the ending of rising choices such as Cassian and Caspian. Popular in Puerto Rico, Chile, and Mexico, it has also been rising up the US charts since the 2000s and now sits within the Top 300. 
 
From it's Dutch origins, it could share the same meanings as Elijah or Elisabeth, "Yahweh is God" and "pledged to God" respectively, however, there's also the possibility it could mean "sun" via its links to Aelian and Aelius. It might be considered a compound name too, as in the case of Cuban politician, engineer and subject of a famous custody battle, Elián González, whose parents blended their names — Elizabeth and Juan — to make his. 
 
Given to around 1500 American boys in 2024, it is a fast rising choice, while less popular sound-alike Elyan could give you a connection of Arthurian legend, and closer ties to Aelian and the sun meaning.

Elian

Quirky cool Arlo is now well and truly back. Last year it broke into the US Top 200 boy names and consistently ranks among the most popular boy names on Nameberry. Along with its Irish and English roots, Arlo may be a shortened form of the Italian Carlo or the Spanish Carlos, both forms of Charles,and in Basque-speaking regions it is the word for area.

 Arlo is even more popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Arlo is also one of the top baby names among Nameberry's visitors from leading US cities.

 
Once strongly associated with shaggy singer Arlo Guthrie, Arlo has an animated and cheery feel, thanks to its upbeat o ending. It was chosen by Toni Colette for her son in 2011, which brought the name back into the spotlight. Previously, Arlo was in regular use in the first half of the twentieth century—it was Number 667 in 1915, for example, but it had dropped off the charts in 1944.
 Arlo was used as a place name, Arlo Hill, by Edmund Spenser in his epic poem The Faerie Queene and is thought to derive from the Celtic word Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands."

 A growing number of girls are also named Arlo in the US each year, with a handful more babies of both sexes receiving the Arlow and Arlowe spellings, which take this name more into smart surname territory.

Arlo

Greyson and Grayson, nephews of Jason, are both on the fast track. Both variations have made their way all the way up to the Top 100 since 2016. Gray/Grey makes a nice nickname.

The name of the child in The Nanny Diaries is Grayer, and actor Tyler Christopher opted for the unusual spelling of Greysun for his son. Some parents are considering Grayson -- or Gracen or Gracyn -- for girls as an androgynous spin on Grace.

Greyson

Dashing and suave, with a hint of poetry and gentleness, Emilio is an appealing and international choice. A solid favorite in Italy, it is also on the rise in the US, France, Austria, and the UK. 
 
Derived from the Roman family name, Aemilius, Emilio is part of the Emil, Emiliano, Emily and Emilia family, all with the meaning "rival". 
 
While Emilio isn't quite as popular as its feminine counterparts yet, it has received more attention in recent years. With other -o names such as Matteo, Arlo, and Leo all trending for boys, it broke into the US Top 200 for the first time in 2022 and is now given to over 2000 babies every year.

Actor Emilio Estevez has brought notable attention to the name, while Italian fashion designers Emilio Pucci and Emilio Cavallini give it an air of style. Other recent namesakes include footballer Emilio Nsue, actor Emilio Sakraya, and influencer Emilio Martinez.

Emilio

One of several phonetic spellings of Jackson moving up the charts, Jaxson entered the Top 100 in 2013 and has remained there since. It's also picking up steam in England and Wales.. Actor Eric Mabius used it as his son Rylan's middle name.

Jaxson

Sage is an evocatively fragrant herbal name that also connotes wisdom, giving it a double advantage. It entered the Top 1000 at about the same time for both genders in the early 1990s, but it has pulled ahead for the girls. Toni Collette named her daughter Sage Florence.
 The Greeks and Romans wrote that the smoke from burned sage leaves imparted wisdom, and in the tenth century, Arab physicians said that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least, a long and healthy life.
 In Vampire Diaries, Sage is a beautiful vampire possessing super strength and speed.

Sage

One of those names you may not even be aware of if you haven't been paying attention to recent naming trends, Alani was given to more than 700 baby girls in the US in one recent year, to be the second most popular feminization of Alan after Alana. It's certainly the most modern-sounding female version of Alan.

Alani

One of those simple, straightforward English surnames -- and with a presidential pedigree -- that's easy to translate into a first. Chosen by both Kevin Costner and Jessica Alba for their sons, it has been climbing the US charts since 2009.
 
A stylish choice, Hayes is both a surname style name and a nature name, referring to a hedged area of land. It could work as an alternative to Harry or Harrison, or perhaps as an honor to a family Hayley. 
 
2024 saw it enter the US Top 200 when it was given to around 2250 boys.

Hayes

Anastasia is the feminine form on Anastasius, a Greek name derived from the word anastasis, meaning "resurrection." It was a common name among early Christians, who often gave it to daughters born around Christmas or Easter. There are handful of saints named Anastasia, including the patron saint of weavers.
 
Anastasia is no longer a forbidding regal Russian name, but is now seen as a viable—and increasingly popular—American option, elegantly beautiful.
 
Anastasia's greatest claim to fame is via the "lost" daughter of the last czar of Russia, whose story has been told and retold in books and movies.
 
Anastasia was well used in ancient Britain and in Ireland as well as Russia.

Anastasia

No longer tied to the hapless Ace Ventura, this jaunty, high-flying nickname name is starting to take flight among celebrity and other parents, with its countless positive references to doing well in tests and poker games, on the tennis court and golf course, and in the air.
 Natalie Appleton, Tom Dumont, Jennie Finch, and Jessica Simpson all have little Aces. The best known grownup with the name is Ace Frehley, born Paul, one-time KISS guitarist.

The single T version of Matias is, like Mateo, the Spanish variation of the Hebrew Biblical Matthias or Matthew, while the double T version as in Mattias and Matteo is usually Italian.

Matias

Gemma is a jewel of a name, an Italian classic that was very popular in 1980s England, but has only recently been started to be used here; it entered <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">the list</a> in 2008.
 Coming from a medieval Italian nickname for a precious gem, Gemma was the name of Dante's wife and was borne by a nineteenth century saint.
 Gemma is the name of the character played by Katey Sagal on Sons of Anarchy, and actress Catherine Bell has a daughter called Gemma, as does Kristin Davis.
 Bottom line: A stylish cousin of Emma and Jenna.