Names that Peaked in 2025

There are over five hundred names for the Arab prophet who founded the Muslim religion, making it the most common boys' name in the world and explaining the Muslim adage, "If you have a hundred sons, name them all Muhammad."
 Currently the most popular name in the UK, it is a strong, solid, and meaningful name. Other variations include Mehmet, Mohammad, Mahamadou, and Mihemed.

Muhammad

Shepherd is an occupational surname with a pleasant, pastoral feel, an outdoorsy vibe, a gentle sound and a cool, contemporary energy. The name has been rising steadily in the US since the mid-2000s, but it didn't break in to the Top 1000 until 2016. Since then, it has become a fresh but familiar choice, ranking in the Top 350 in a recent year.
 
Used to describe a sheep herder, this name was chosen by Jerry Seinfelds and his wife Jessica back in 2005, likely inspiring other parents to consider it. More recently, it was chosen by actors Genevieve and Jared Padalecki for their son in 2013, which coincides with the time it really started to pick up pace as a name option. 
 
Shepherd has spiritual undertones, links with Christmas, and an air of wisdom about it, however it doesn't feel too much. Its sounds and rustic feel keep it grounded.
 
. There are other spelling choices: Shepard, Sheperd, and Sheppard--all of which lead to the friendly nickname Shep. Artist Shepard Fairey (original first name Frank) gained a lot of attention for his Obama HOPE poster.
 The various spellings are additionally reflected in the surnames of astronaut Alan Shepard, "Winnie the Pooh" illustrator Ernest Shepard, actor/playwright Sam Shepard, "A Christmas Story" writer Jean Shepherd, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, and actress Cybill Shepherd.

Shepherd

Is Amora a real name? It made a strong entrance to the US Top 1000 in 2017 so it's one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/495/spanish-names-for-girls">Spanish names for girls</a> that is obviously catching on, perhaps thanks to its similarity to Amara, a multicultural name that's achieving widespread popularity here and abroad. Amora sounds like the Latinate amore and is one of the romantic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/434/baby-names-that-mean-love">names that mean love</a>, familiar via the classic Dean Martin song That's Amore ("When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...). Amora also borrows something from Amanda, something from Maura, and makes an attractive choice no matter what its pedigree.

Amora

Ronan is the compelling legendary name of twelve Irish and Scottish saints that is now drawing some deserved attention; this cousin of the ascending Roman and Rowan was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller in 1998, and more recently by actress Catherine Bell.
 Ronan is a Harry Potter name—that of a centaur who lives in the Forbidden Forest. Ronan Keating is an Irish singer, Ronan Farrow is a TV personality and Hollywood scion, and its presence as a surname is represented by young actress Saoirse Ronan.

Ronan

Emerson is a dignified, somewhat serious name associated with transcendental thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson. Much more popular now for girls since Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher used it for her daughter, it is definitely still a viable <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys name</a>.

Emerson

Kayson is one of several variations of the boys' name Cason, a favorite of the 2010s when it appeared in many different forms, from the Casen to Kaisen to Cayson. Likely inspired by the popular Mason and Jason, the name is also a place name and surname, derived from the English town Cawston .
 
While other Cason-variants seem to have had their day, Kayson remains the most popular. It is in both the UK Top 600 and the US Top 300, where it is given to more than 1200 boys every year. 
 
If you do enjoy Kayson but want something a little more unique, Canaan, Canyon, Layton, or Keaton might appeal.

Kayson

Bodhi is a Sanskrit name translated as "enlightenment" or "awakening" which relates to a Buddhist concept, wherein Bodhi is synonymous with the state of nirvana, being freed from hate, greed and ego. The Bodhi tree is a large fig tree under which the founder of Buddhism received enlightenment. Spelling variations include Bodie and Bode.
 
Bodhi has recently been appearing as a baby name in the American celebrisphere, first heard via Bodhi Elfman, husband of Jenna. Since then it has been used by four celebrity couples as the first name for their sons, and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio as the middle name for his boy, Luka. Carly Simon and James Taylor have a grandson named Bodhi. And who remembers that it was the name of the Patrick Swayze character in the 1991 film "Point Break"?
 
As opposed to some other religious and <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/254/spiritual-baby-names">spiritual names</a>, Bodhi has an upbeat, friendly feel, similar to that of Brody and Cody.
 
A Top 300 name in the US, it ranks in the Top 100 in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Bodhi

Bowen is a Celtic surname representing two separate Celtic strains, one Welsh and one Irish, and entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2011.
 Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees named his son Bowen, as did a recent reality show couple looking for the perfect name to 'brand' their baby. It does have the appealing nickname Bo.
 
Alternatively, this is also a Chinese name, combining Bo and Wen, in which case the meaning would be 'wave of writing" or "wave in literature". 
 
Actor Bowen Yang is a notable bearer.

Bowen

Saint as a descriptive word name was first chosen by rocker Pete Wentz for his younger son (baby brother is Bronx), and now Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have catapulted the name into the celebrity stratosphere by choosing it for their baby boy. The couple called their baby "Saint" throughout the pregnancy because his conception had been so difficult. Saint was named in our predictions for the top baby name trends of 2015, on descriptive word names which also include Royal and Noble, King and Rogue. Saint is moving beyond the group of names that are only <a href="https://nameberry.com/fameberry">celebrity baby names</a> and into the general lexicon.

Saint

Arleth has made the US Top 1000 twice — in 2005 and 2021 — thanks to telenovela star Arleth Terán. 

Arleth

The international popularity of Noah has led to some parents searching for alternatives and the rhyming Koa is now attracting more attention than ever. With its cool K initial and summery, nature-inspired feel, this punchy three letter name has risen more than 600 places since it entered the US charts in 2017.
 
A Hawaiian name with a fierce meaning, Koa is also a type of tree native to the islands whose wood is favored for building canoes and surfboards. Considered sacred to some, the tree was also used historically to make weapons, making it synonymous with strength and warriors.
 
Given to around 1100 boys in the US last year, Koa is also in the Top 500 in the UK, and in the Top 100 in Australia, where it is also associated with the Aboriginal Koa people, whose name possibly comes from a word meaning "west". 
 
Striking the balance between gentle nature name and bold adventurer, Koa was chosen by guitarist Tom Dumont of the band No Doubt, a brother for Ace and Rio, and a name that fits right in with all of the band's stylishly named offspring, Mason, Magnolia, Ruby, Kingston, Zuma, Apollo, Coco, and Saffron. The YouTubers, Family Fizz, also have a son named Koa, who joins sisters Mia, Sienna, and Karma, and baseball player Francisco Lindor and his wife used Koa Amani for their son in 2025.

Lushly elaborate name that makes Lucy more grownup and sensual.  Carnie Wilson chose it for her daughter.  Lucianus is an ancient Roman family name and Lucianus of Samosata was an early satirist.  Heard most often in the Italian and Spanish cultures, Luciana is usually pronounced loo-chee-anna.

Luciana

Bodie has been in the US Top 1000 since 2014 and may be an attempt to anglicize either the popular Sanskrit name Bodhi or the Germanic name Bode. Drawing inspiration from Jodie and Brodie, it could help to make the pronunciation more obvious to English speakers and it avoids using a concept drawn from Buddhism that has made some people question the use of Bodhi. 
 
Currently on the rise, a recent year saw it rank in the US Top 300 and the England and Wales Top 500. By comparison, Bodhi appeared in the England and Wales Top 120, but just ten places ahead of Bodhi in the US, given to 1301 boys while Bodie was chosen for 1249.

Bodie

Azalea is one of the fresher flower names, along with Zinnia and Lilac, that are new to the name bouquet — in fact, it entered the Social Security list for the first time in 2012. So if Lily and Rose are too tame for you, consider this brilliant pink springtime blossom with a touch of the unusual that has been growing in popularity. 
 Azalea is the name of the princess heroine of the novel Entwined, and, most recently, is connected to musical artist Iggy Azalea.

Azalea

Haunting biblical and Civil War place-name; now unisex—especially after the mega-high-profile Brangelina couple picked it for their daughter. It debuted in the Top 1000 for boys in 2015.
 Many people may associate this name with the 1990s family film about a dog.

Shiloh

Benson has outgrown its long association with a wisecracking TV butler with a fresh new association: singer songwriter Benson Boone. Parents may see it as an alternate route to nickname Ben, very different in image than the biblical Benjamin or the Latin Benedict, and more in tune perhaps with stylish with Bennett. 

Benson also carries the patronymic theme made popular by Jackson, Harrison, and Jefferson, and more recently, Olivia Benson of Law and Order: SVU has reclaimed this as a surname. On a less salubrious note, Benson is still connected to the cigarette brand Benson and Hedges, while in the UK, it is connected to a bed company.
 
More and more parents have been able to overlook the brand connections in recent years, however, and Benson entered the US Top 500 in 2024, when it was given to nearly 730 boys, compared to 450 the year before.

Benson

The extra n makes it feel less like an feminization of Alan and more like a name unto itself. Alanna is more common in Puerto Rico than the original Alana.

Alanna

Although Sylvia seems to be having somewhat of a revival among trendsetting baby namers, we'd still opt for the even gentler and more unusual Sylvie. Despite being dated in its native France (where it was popular during the 1950s and 60s), in English-speaking regions it still feels fresh and international without being unfamiliar and has a cosmopolitan, international air. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2016.
 Jason Bateman chose it as the middle name of his daughter Maple. In one of Lewis Carroll's lesser known novels, Sylvie and Bruno, Lady Sylvie is the princess of Fairyland.

Sylvie

A variation of Jenson, which is actually more popular than the original in the United States. This spelling also holds the distinction of being the most common surname in Denmark.
 The most famous Jensen these days is Nvidia cofounder Jensen Huang. Huang's name is an Anglicization of his Chinese name Jen-Hsun.
 Jensen Ackles, best known for his portrayal of Dean Winchester on the hit television show Supernatural, has brought this name into the spotlight.

Jensen

The lovely Shakespearean Juliet is finding renewed interest as a baby name today, and Julieta is along for the ride, especially among Spanish families.

 Juliet originated in the Middle Ages as a diminutive form of Julian, then a predominantly female name. It ultimately derives from Julius, a Roman family name. Its origin is shrouded in history, but possible roots include Latin iuvenis, meaning "youthfu"; Greek ioulos, meaning "downy-bearded"; or Jovis, a form of Jupiter, which means "sky father".