Names that Peaked in 2023

The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
 Kaia's star has been floating upwards for the past few decades, along with Kai's. And it still has some distance to go, though we don't anticipate it making the Top 10.
 
Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, is now a supermodel in her own right.

Kaia

A strong single-syllable surname with a joyful meaning, Tate is finding a place on more and more birth certificates.
 Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton named her second son Tate Lee.
 Tate also has a cultural vibe via the Tate and Tate Modern museums in London, named for philanthropist Henry Tate. Actor Tate Donovan is a prominent current bearer.

Tate

Alora combines a number of stylish elements: the pretty Al- beginning of Alice, Alessia, and Alma, the -ora ending of Aurora, Elora, and Nora, and a multicultural feel, owing to its various origins. A Top 250 name in the US and in England and Wales, around 1370 American babies received the name in a recent year.
 
The name likely emerged as a spelling variation of Elora, which in turn is a pop culture choice, used in the 1988 movie Willow. As an invented name, it possibly drew inspiration from the Hebrew Eliora, the Latinate Eleanora, the Greek Elara, and the Persian Alara. There's also the Italian word allora, meaning "so, then, therefore, well", the name Allura meaning "alure", and the possibility that it's a compound name of Alice and Laura. 
 
Given all these potential roots, Alora holds wide appeal as a contemporary choice with multiple links to history and mythology, and as an alternative to more classic options like Laura, Lara, and Alma.

Alora

Jaziel and spelling variation Jahziel are <a href="https://nameberry.com/unique-names">unique baby names</a> from the Bible—he was the son of Nephtali and a grandson of Jacob and Leah—that are being rediscovered by a new generation of parents in search of names that are both unusual and traditional. And that middle z adds zest and cool. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.
 Mariano Rivera, former closer for the New York Yankees and MLB all-time saves leader, has a son named Jaziel.

Jaziel

This spirited Gaelic classic, which became popular in Ireland via the illustrious twelfth century king Rory O'Connor, makes a highly energetic choice, now used for either sex. Rory's gender split is still trending boyward; it's one of the coolest <a href://"https://nameberry.com/search/baby-names-starting-with/r">names starting with R</a>. 
 In England and Wales, the name Rory is virtually never given to girls. It's seen as thoroughly male (and non-female) as Roger or Richard.
 Rory first came to attention in the US in the person of mid-century pin-up boy Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy). The name entered the popularity list in 1947 and may well make it to the Top 100 by 2040, according to our <a href://"https://nameberry.com/popular-names/future">official popularity projections</a>. 
 Young Irish U.S. Open champ Rory Mcllroy makes a worthy namesake. Bill and Melinda Gates chose Rory as the name of their only son.
 Rory is a popular choice all throughout the UK. Skip baffling Gaelic spellings like Ruari and Ruaidhri and stick with the more straightforward Rory.

Rory

Short, sweet, and clear, Lia is used throughout Europe, across America, and in some areas of Asia and Africa, making it a truly international and versatile choice. 
 
On one hand, Lia can be a short form of any name ending in -lia, from Amelia and Natalia, to Aurelia and Rosalia, to Alia and Evangelia. This would make it a nickname name, fitting in well with other popular choices like Josie, Mila, and Ellie. 
 
On the other hand, Lia is a variation of the classic, Biblical Leah, and the preferred spelling in Italy, Portugal, and Greece. More recently, however, Lia has been on the rise in Germany, Chile, and Belgium too, where it ranks in the Top 100.
 
With its appealing simplicity, Lia has also been steadily rising up the US charts since the late 90s. It peaked in 2024 at #187 and is given to around 1500 babies each year.

Tatum is one of the rare examples of a name that was exclusively female, as in Tatum O'Neal, but now is used for boys too, entering the male Top 1000 in 2010. Khloe Kardashian made headlines when she revealed her son is named Tatum Robert, breaking from the family theme of using unique word names for their children.
 
Jazz legend Art Tatum and actor Channing Tatum are two notable male bearers, albeit as a surname. Country singer Luke Bryan has a son Tatum Christopher, called Tate. We also recommend the cool and crisp Tate as a standalone name.

Tatum

Stevie survives as a short form of Stephanie thanks to the immortal Ms. Nicks. After a little more than a decade out of the limelight, she rejoined the US Top 1000 in 2014. It is now leading the trend of boyish nicknames for girls - standing alongside picks like Charlie and Scottie.
 
Schitt's Creek character Stevie Budd propelled the name into the Top 300 in the late 2010s. Director Jon M. Chu chose Stevie Sky for his daughter born in 2024. Tennis player Andy Roddick and model Brooklyn Decker used Stevie in 2017 as a sister for Hank.

Stevie

French-Canadian singer Dion made us notice this variation. Similar in sound but not related to the names Selene and Selena ("Moon"), sleek Celine has a more celestial, heavenly vibe. Typically spelled as Céline in France, it is said as suh-LEEN in English and as SEH-LEEN in French. 
 
Celine has been a Top 1000 name in the US every year since 2012, and was also featured between 1994 to 2005. It has been climbing more rapidly recently and entered the Top 250 for the first time in the latest count, perhaps because parents no longer worry it's a "one-person" choice. 
 
A Top 300 choice in the UK, and a popular option in Sweden, Italy, and Norway, Celine is also a chic French fashion brand and is borne by playwright Celine song and basketball player, Celine Dumerc. It features in Charlotte Brontë's classic novel, Jane Eyre, borne by opera singer and dancer, Celine Varens, Rochester's mistress, and more recently, in the movie KPOP Demon Hunters.

Celine

Myla can be seen as a female variation of Milo or a different spelling for popular Mila. Though frequently unnecessary in alternate spellings, the "y" here does connote a specific pronunciation.

Myla

Aitana is the name of a Spanish mountain used by the poet Rafael Alberti for his daughter. He reportedly chose it because the mountain was his last glimpse of Spain when he went into exile after the Spanish Civil War. The name was popularized by Aitana Alberti's goddaughter and namesake, actress Aitana Sanchez-Gijan. It became one of the fastest-rising girls names in 2016, after entering the US Top 1000 in 2015, and is among the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/495/spanish-names-for-girls">Spanish names for girls</a> in its native Spain and beyond.

Aitana

Malakai puts a South Sea Island spin on the Biblical Malachi, which may be just what It needs to fit in with contemporary trends.

Malakai

One of the flower names, used occasionally in Britain (where it's pronounced DAY-lee-a). It seems to have recovered from what was perceived as a slightly affected la-di-dah air. The flower was named in honor of the pioneering Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, which means dale.
 In the Victorian language of flowers, Dahlia denotes elegance and dignity.
 In P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories, Dahlia is Bertie Wooster's more sympathetic aunt, described as being constructed along the lines of Mae West. Reporter Dahlia Lithwick covers legal matters for the online magazine Slate.

Dahlia

The name is derived from the term commonly used in the Book of Psalms, which has a many Hebrew scholars in confusion over its meaning. Given its context in the Bible, Selah is likely to mean "to praise" or "pause and reflect upon what has just been said." Lauryn Hill used this name for her daughter. It is the last word in Anita Diamant's novel The Red Tent.

Selah

One of the most appealing of the newly hip occupational names, evoking sweet smells emanating from the oven. Much fresher sounding than than others that have been around for a while, like Cooper, and Carter.
 American football star Baker Mayfield has propelled his name into the big time over the past decade. There also are plenty of notable surnamed Bakers, including writers Nicholson and Russell, actor Simon, Senator Howard, rocker Ginger, jazz musician Chet, blues singer Anita, and entertainer Josephine. Baker is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/top-last-names-in-the-us">most common surnames in the US</a>.

Baker

Eliana and her spelling variations are multicultural favorites that have been rising across the English-speaking world since the turn of the 21st century. Popular in Netherlands, the UK, Canada, France, and Brazil, Eliana and sisters come with in-built nicknames Ellie, Elle and Ana which makes them versatile and appealing
 
Spelling variation Elianna is uniquely popular to the US however, where it joins Eliana and Elliana in the Top 300. While it may be the least popular option of the three, it is still given to more than 1200 girls each year. Moreover, a recent year also saw it enter the Top 1000 in England and Wales, meaning it may well catch up with its sister spellings.

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 Elianna or Eliana a good name for a prayed-for child.
 
Elianna may also make a good option if you were hoping to honor someone named Anne or Anna, and it could be considered more of a compound name, blending Anna with the likes of Ella, Eli, or Elizabeth, in which case, you could play around a bit with the meaning, to get "graceful fairy maiden", "uplifting grace", or "God is gracious". 
 
A word of warning to those pondering Elianna purely as a more "unique" option than Top 100 Eliana, while the name itself sits within the US Top 30, playground analysis suggests that when you combine all the Elianas, Eliannas, Ellianas, Elyannas etc. together, it begins to feel more like a Top 10 choice, ranking similarly to Ava and Sofia.

Elianna

Griffin is one of the newer and most appealing of the two-syllable Celtic surnames. In English, griffin is the name of a mythological creature, half eagle, half lion. It re-entered the list in 1983 after an absence of 75+ years.
 Brendan Fraser, Teri Polo and Joey McIntyre all chose Griffin for their sons. Actor Griffin Dunne's mother's maiden name was Griffin. Another well-known bearer was Griffin Bell, Jimmy Carter's Attorney General.
 Also worth considering: the original classic Welsh Gruffudd (dd=th).

Griffin

Cohen is a common last name among Jews and an important spiritual name in the Jewish religion, associated with the hereditary priests who claimed descent from the biblical Aaron. As a result of its religious significance, Cohen is considered by some to be inappropriate to use as a first name, particularly by people with no Jewish heritage.

 Nevertheless, Cohen is becoming increasingly popular in the US as a first name for boys, possibly inspired by the character Seth on TV's The O.C. who was commonly called by his last name, Cohen. It currently ranks among the 300 most popular first names for American baby boys, boosted by its sleek and strong sound and proximity to more popular choices like Logan and Rowan.

 Cohen is also found in Ireland as a surname, an unusual variant of Coyne, Cowan or Coen. The Coen spelling is also a Dutch name in its own right, derived from Coenraad (Conrad), although in that case it rhymes with "moon". Spelled as Koen in the US, however, it is probably being used as a variation of Cohen.

 
Given to more than 1400 babies in 2024, when combined with all its other variations, there were nearly 3000 boys named Cohen-or-similar in the US.

Cohen

Contemporary Kairo fits in with the modern trend of substituting a C for a K initial, and in this case, it works to get you more easily to the cool nickname Kai. In fact, parents in the US and the UK see it as working so well that Kairo took over from Cairo as the preferred spelling of the name back in 2018. Given to nearly 1500 babies each year, Kairo is in the US and UK Top 300. 
 
Deriving from the Arabic al-Qāhirah meaning "the conqueror", Cairo - and Kairo - are associated with the Egyptian city, a place of historical importance and modern architecture too. As a name, Cairo was popularized by rapper Tyga, who used it as his son's middle, and by Brazilian footballer, Cairo Santos.
 
Notable Kairos include rapper and influencer, Kairo Keyz, and Kairo Forbes, the daughter of DJ Zinhle and the late rapper, AKA. 
 While Kairo still feels like an unexpected choice, when you combine all the Cairos, Kairos and Kryos together, it was given to nearly 3000 babies in a recent year, making it feel like a name around the #120 mark, similar in popularity to Jasper, Emmett, or Milo.

Kairo

This Old Testament name has been one of the most popular girls names in Israel over the last decade and is also a favorite in Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. First appearing in the US charts back in the 2010s, it now sits in the Top 300, and while it may feel like an attempt to make Noah unisex, it is in fact a separate, feminine name.
 Borne by a female figure in the Old Testament named Noa (or Noah), this form of the name derives from the Hebrew No'ah, meaning "motion". The popular Biblical male name Noah is derived from a different Hebrew origin: Noach, meaning "rest, repose".
 Noa is the established, modern Hebrew spelling of the female name, but it may also be found as a variant spelling of the male name Noah – popular in countries including France, Wales, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As such, Noa is still a unisex choice. 
 
Additionally, Noa also has roots in Japanese, in which it means "my love, my affection", adding to the versatility of this short moniker. In this case, it would be pronounced NO-A, with emphasis on both syllables.