Names That Peaked in 2021
Across 22 pages
of 22
Soraya
Persian
"Pleiades constellation"
Soraya is a Persian name made famous in the Western world by the one-time empress of Iran, who settled in Europe, primarily in France. Soraya is derived from Thurayya, the Arabic name of the…
Adler
German
"eagle"
Adler is a German-Jewish surname that is beginning to be used occasionally as a first and is among the stylish new German names for boys . Among the distinguished bearers of Adler as a last name are…
Kahlani
Spelling variation of Kehlani, Hawaiian
"sea and sky"
Hawaiian names have officially made their way to the mainland, with Leilani, Kehlani, Alani, Kailani, and Kaylani all ranking within the Top 300. Now Kahlani — one of several pseudo-Hawaiian names…
Jericho
Biblical place-name
A biblical place name with trumpeting verve and strength. Though rarely heard as a first name, Jericho has appeared in the titles of films, TV series, songs, bands, comics, and video games (Clive…
Berkley
English variation of Berkeley
"where birches grow"
Berkeley, with an extra E, is the more familiar variation of this name, associated with the California school. But it's the streamlined Berkley that has proven itself to be more popular as a baby…
Anais
Catalan and Provencal pet form of Hebrew Anna
"grace"
Anais is an unusual, alluring name forever attached to the daring French-born American novelist and diarist Anais Nin (born Angela, with Anais as one of her middle names), who became the inspiration…
Guinevere
Welsh
"white shadow, white wave"
Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous…
Khalani
Variation of Kailani, Hawaiian
"sea and sky"
Khalani debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2020 thanks to the influence of Khalani Simon — known as Lani Love — a child model and budding star.
Stormi
Word name, variation of Stormy and Storm
Stormi is like Sunni, with angst. If naming your child Storm or Stormy is asking for trouble, naming her Stormi -- as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott did -- is asking for trouble of several different…
Wesson
Variation of Weston, English
"from the western town"
This weapon name, linked to arms manufacturer Smith and Wesson, entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
Kiaan
Hindi
"grace of God"
One of the many South Asian names skyrocketing up the U.S. popularity charts. This one, with its user-friendly similarity to Ryan, was brought to the fore when Bollywood superstar Karisma Kapoor used…
Emberlynn
Modern invented name
With Ember in the US Top 200 and Gracelynn, Raelynn, and Oaklynn all on trend, Emebrlynn feels right at home in the Top 1000. By combining the word name Ember with the popular suffix - -lynn , the…
Zyon
Spelling variation of Zion, Hebrew
"highest place"
With its sharp Z initial and similar sound to Ryan, Zion has shot up the charts in singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son in 1997. Following on in its footsteps, spelling variant Zyon entered the Top…
Sky
Nature name
Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his…
Gian
Italian, diminutive of Giovanni
"God is gracious"
Gian sounds (almost) like John, so there's some potential for confusion, but the spelling makes it unmistakeably Italian. It could be a solution if longer names like Gianni and Gianluca aren't your…
Legacy
English word name
"the long-lasting impact of particular events that took place in the past"
One of the boastful, ultra-modern word names soaring in popularity right now. Though it's a bit more popular for girls than boys -- the "cy" ending reads a little feminine -- it's solidly unisex,…
August
Latin
"majestic, venerable"
Though associated traditionally (and fashionably) with boys, it has been used occasionally for girls as well – by Garth Brooks, Nicolas Cage, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, for example. But…
Bexley
English place-name
The name of an affluent suburb of Columbus, Ohio and a section of Greater London, Bexley is increasingly being coopted by parents looking for a novel name in the Kinsley/AInsley/Paisley family.…
Elia
Spanish feminization of Elio, Italian and Spanish
"sun"
Though the most famous Elia, screenwriter Kazan, was male, this name sounds like a spin on many popular girls' names, from Ella to Ellie to Isla and Leah. While the Italian pronunciation has the…
Jianna
Variation of Gianna, Italian
"the Lord is gracious"
Jianna was one of the fastest-rising names of 2020 after the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. It continued to rise in 2021.