Top Baby Names 2021...So Far

Updated Sat Jun 26 2021

We’re halfway through the year, and there are some wild new entries among the most popular names on Nameberry for 2021 so far.

The popular girl names show that a high-profile name in the news draws a lot of attention, not just to itself, but also in similar names. Lilibet is the most popular girl name, leaping from unranked to number one thanks to Meghan and Harry’s left-field choice for their daughter. Lilibeth makes a debut on our charts in sixth place, Lila entered the Top 100, and Lily and Lilith rose in the rankings. With these names on people’s minds, we could see a rise in girls with a “Lily” sound in their names.

Other girl names new to the Top 100 since last year include suave surnames Harlow and Sloane, French fancies Margot and Celeste, and fresh-faced botanicals Daisy, Olive and Sage.

With popular boy names, we see the power of curiosity. Bad boy names Danger and Lucifer are new to the Top 100 since this time last year. They’re unlikely to be in the official Top 100 any time soon… but the closer they get to the top of the Nameberry list, the more people see them, wonder why they’re so popular, and click through, boosting their rankings even further. (You’re not alone, I do it too!)

It’s probably the same story for Kamakanaalohamaikalani. This Hawaiian name made headlines back in 2011 when celebrity couple Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes and Actor Antonio Sabàto Jr. used it as their son’s middle. Possibly the media coverage around Sabàto Sr.’s death last winter drew more people back to it, and as soon as it appeared on the charts, it got even more interest.

Other boy names new to the Top 100 since last year include both the short and friendly (Kit, Charlie, Rory, Nico), and some with a dash of romance (Maverick, Emrys, Wulfric).

We calculate this list on the basis of which name pages received the most visits in the last month. This is not an official count of how many babies received the names, but it’s a good way to gauge which names parents-to-be are looking at. We can expect many of them to rise when Social Security Administration release the 2021 statistics next spring.

Top 10 Girl Names 2021

Top 10 Boy Names 2021

Three of the girl names in the Top 10 are new compared with this time last year: Lilibet, Lilibeth, and Hazel.

For boys, Danger, Jude, Finn and Soren are new to the Top 10 compared with mid-year 2020.

The top girl and boy names a year ago, Luna and Milo, have slipped down just a few places.

Hottest Girl Names 2021

The hottest baby names at mid-year 2021 — the ones have made the biggest leaps up since this time in 2020 — are:

Hottest Boy Names 2021

For boys, the biggest upward movements are:

Top 100 Baby Names 2021

Nameberry’s full Top 100 most popular names at mid-year are:

Girls

Boys

About the Author

Clare Green

Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at clare@nameberry.com

View all of Clare Green's articles