Names that Peaked in 2025

Lucca first entered the US Top 1000 in 2012 and has been trending upwards.
 For those of you who are musically inclined, Lucca (with the double c) is the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, which should win this variant some additional admirers. The city name's origin is lost in the mists of time, but may come from a word meaning "marsh", and has also been connected to Latin words leaning "sacred wood" and "cut" — so perhaps a woodland clearing.

Lucca

Widely used in the Hispanic community, as is the shorter Isai. While the original Isaiah and cousin Isaac are much more popular, Isaias commanded attention as the name of a storm in the summer of 2020.

Isaias

As a masculine name, Lian has historically been used as a nickname for names such as Julian and Killian, particularly in Europe. It’s also a unisex Chinese name pronounced as a single syllable.
 
Lian recently joined the US pop charts as an alternative spelling of Leon, particularly used among Hispanic parents.

Lian

Spelling variant of Catalina, currently on the rise in the US.

Katalina

Vienna is one of the more popular of the European place-names, with a particularly pleasant sound, evoking elegant images of the Blue Danube, of castles and cafes, sweets and sausages and Strauss waltzes—and Sigmund Freud. It could be a possible substitute for the popular Sienna or Vivienne, though it has been climbing the charts itself.
 While many see place-names as a recent invention, Vienna has been used as a name for centuries. It was, for instance, the name of a 15th century mother of a saint. Joan Crawford plays a strong-willed saloon keeper in the classic 1954 western drama Johnny Guitar. And there was also a Vienna in the F. Scott Fitzgerald story "The Bowl."
 
Given to 574 girls in the US in 2024, it was one of the fastest rising names, placing it not too far out of the Top 500. It is also a Top 500 choice in the Netherlands and a Top 300 choice in the UK. 
 Trivia tidbit: Vienna's Roman-era name was Vindobono.

Vienna

Lyra is a name with ancient and celestial roots that's found new popularity thanks to its starring role in Philip Pullman's book series, His Dark Materials and its subsequent movie and TV adaptions. Simple yet starry, Lyra is familiar but not overused in the US, where it ranks in the Top 500. 
 
Lyra is a constellation name taken from the lyre of Orpheus. It contains the star Vega and thus could make a melodic choice for a parent interested in music, astronomy, or mythology. It has more history than the similar, more wordy Lyric, and is more unusual in the US than the similar sounding Lyla, Leah, and Laura.
 
Given to nearly 640 American girls in a recent year, it is worth keeping in mind that it is considerably more popular in the UK where it entered the Top 100 back 2020. Additionally, while LIE-ruh is the most familiar pronunciation, LEE-ruh and LEER-uh are also used. 
 
Borne by Lyra Belacqua, the heroine of the aforementioned His Dark Materials, Lyra has also been chosen by celeb couples Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn, Anna Lundberg and Michael Sheen, and Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum.

Lyra

Moshe is the original Hebrew form of Moses, also spelled Mosheh. In the past it was changed to names like Morris, Moe and Maurice.

The original Moshe has been drifting up the US popularity list for half a century now, as parents become more interested in names that have not been Anglicized. More than 600 baby boys were named Moshe in the US last year.

Moshe

One of the fastest rising names of 2025, Jasai made its debut on the US charts, leaping straight into the Top 500 when it was given to 719 babies (four times more than the year prior). Likely inspired by more traditional Josiah, and blended with he popular Ja- prfix, it could mean "God supports". As such, it holds appeal as a fresh sounding option with a nod to the Bible.

Jasai

Appearing in the Polish New Testament and possibly working to honor a Sylvester, Sylas has been climbing back up the rankings in recent years. Previously peaking in 2013 at #520, it has since overtaken that, entering the Top 500 in 2022. While the classic spelling is six times more popular in the US, that trendy Y is nevertheless capturing parents' attention. 
 
Likely derived from the Roman family name Silvanus, Sylas has a woodsy and nature-inspired feel, though some theories suggest it might also have emerged from the name Saul, meaning "asked for."

Sylas

The lovely Lorelei, a name from old German legend, was a beautiful Rhine River seductress whose haunting voice led sailors to hazardous rocks that would cause them to be shipwrecked. And this siren image clung to the name for ages.
 Lorelei was the name of the gold digger portrayed by Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953, then went underground for half a century before it was popularized by TV's The Gilmore Girls in 2004.
 The name itself had a starring role in the show, used for the mother, daughter, and even the grandmother. Spelled Lorelai, the characters used three different nicknames: Rory for the daughter, Lori for the mom, and the seemingly unrelated Trix for grandma.
 Beyond the influence of the show, Lorelei is benefiting from the popularity of <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/l">girls' names starting with L</a> -- and two Ls are even better than one.

Lorelei

A dashing, dramatic and romantic Italian surname, associated with early movie heartthrob Rudolph, and later with Italian fashion designer Valentino (Garavani).  Also the name of an early Roman saint, whose feast day marks the beginning of spring. Ricky Martin chose it for one of his twin boys.

Valentino

Long a nickname for all the Em-names, as well as an annual award, Emmy is now being given on its own, as are soundalikes Emme and Emmi. Might be too identified with the TV awards--though that doesn't seem to have hurt Oscar or Tony. We think Emmy is a little too cutesey, and is probably best kept as a nickname for something that ages a little better.

Emmy

A popular name in Denmark, in this country Bo has some cowboy swagger and a lot of substance in its minimal two letters.
In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".

Yusuf is the Arabic form of Joseph, used in the Middle East, as well as internationally from France and the US, to the UK, Turkey and Azerbaijan - where, as of 2023, it ranked in the Top 100. 
 
 In Islamic tradition, Yusuf (also written as Yousef or Yusi̇f) is a prophet, who can receive prophecy through his dreams.

Yusuf

Melodic and beautiful but with a touch of sass, Calliope is the name of the muse of epic poetry — and perhaps less glamorously, the musical instrument on the merry-go-round. Bold and creative, it debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016, and in more recent year, IT appeared in the Top 500. 
 
Also spelled as Kalliope — the more traditional Greek transliteration — Calliope means "beautiful voice", making this a musical and poetic choice. It was rarely heard in the US until the 2000s when Calliope "Callie" Torres from the show Grey's Anatomy helped introduce it to a wider audience. 
 
Now, given to around 600 girls in a recent year, Calliope has likely been helped up the charts by its similarity to the popular Penelope and by its usable nicknames: Callie, Clio, and Lola.
 
While Americans usually pronounce this name with a long EYE sound and the emphasis on the second syllable, in Greek it would typically be pronounced kah-LYO-pee. There's also the ka-lee-O-pee pronunciation, heard in the UK.

Calliope

Given that Rome is arguably the most important city in European history, it has been used as a first name remarkably little. However, with Roman in the Top 100 and one-syllable choices in vogue, it was only a matter of time before parents started looking toward the city's name as a potential baby name. 
 
Heavily associated with the Italian city, Rome may have several possible meanings thanks to the obscure etymology of the Eternal City's name. On one hand, it might come from Romulus — the first King of Rome — however, it is equally likely that he took his name from the city. Other sources suggest it comes from Rumon or Rumen, ancient names for the Tiber river meaning "to flow" or "to hurry" or from the Greek word rhṓmē meaning "strength".
 
Beyond the city, Rome has also been used as a diminutive form of Ramone, Ramon, or Raymond, meaning "wise protector".
 
Used occasionally from at least the 1880s onwards, Rome re-entered the boys' US Top 1000 in 2019 after an absence of 120 years, and now seems to be headed straight up the charts. Given to 565 boys in 2023, it is currently nine times more popular for boys than it is for girls.

Rome

One of the surname names for boys on its way to becoming unisex, this name broke into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013 for girls. While it sounds masculine to us, because of its two-syllable er-ending sound so trendy with <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ names</a>, many parents apparently disagree.

Carter

Variation of Cataleya, both of which are popular among Hispanic families in the US. Zoe Saldana played a character named Cataleya in Colombiana.

Kataleya

This gentle Scandinavian name, soft and sensitive, is being discovered in a major way by parents in the US. It's most closely identified with the nineteenth century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, but there have been modern fictional Sorens as well, in The Matrix Reloaded and the book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Charlie and Lola, and Underworld.

 In Scandinavia this name would be spelled as Sören or Søren, leading to it being pronounced "Sur-en". But with a plain old English "O", "Sorr-en" would actually be the correct (and more English-speaker friendly) pronunciation.

Soren

Monroe is a presidential name which, thanks to the immortal beauty of Marilyn Monroe, is catching on fast for baby girls. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon chose it for their twin daughter, honoring Marilyn Monroe. Their use of Monroe as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> did much to revive this Old Man name, a la Sydney, as a newly fashionable choice for girls.