Popular Names and Name Trends
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
Hebrew
"son of the red earth"
Adam -- a primal Old Testament name -- was revived as a 1960s cowboy name. Adam is not as popular as it once was and feels ready for a respite, replaced by newer A names like Aidan/Aiden, Avery and…
Variation of Aliya, Arabic
"heavens, highborn, exalted"
Both powerful and pretty, with a melodic sound, Aaliyah joins Layla, Lila, Zara, and Aisha as a name of Arabic origin that is also popular in the English-speaking world. Back in 1993, the name was…
English occupational name
"park-keeper"
One of the first generation of surname names, along with Porter and Morgan, Parker's still one of the most appealing and remains firmly in the Top 100 for boys. About three times as many boys as…
English
"from the coal or dark town"
Colton is a trendy two-syllable choice, with the popular 'on/en' ending. Colton jumped onto the popularity list in 1982 at Number 806. Then, in 1988, the hunky character Colton Shore was introduced…
Scottish, diminutive of Alice
"noble"
Widely used here since the 50s, Allison — a derivative of Alice — has now been once again surpassed by the original Alice as parents embrace vintage revivals. Despite this, Allison's popularity has…
"ascended, uplifted, high"
With its sharp, succinct sounds and cool, laidback style, Eli is a popular choice among parents today. Compact and punchy, it is a Biblical name with plenty of charm. Derived from the Hebrew ’aly ,…
English and Scottish clan name
"Hay's meadow"
There are no less than ten different variations of Hailey on the current Most Popular list, but this is the spelling that brought it into the Top 10 of 2010, although it has quickly fallen in…
Italian feminine variation of Gabriel
"God is my strength"
Gabriella is the feminine form of Gabriel, a name derived from the Hebrew Gavri’el. Gavri’el is composed of the elements gever , meaning "strong," and ’el , referring to God. Gabriella is used among…
Latin
"belonging to the lord"
Dominic comes from the Latin name Dominicus and is common in the Roman-Catholic community. In the past it has been given to boys born on Sunday—the word "Sunday" in languages including Spanish and…
Variation of Hannah, Hebrew
"grace"
Anna has become the dominant form of the Ann family, offering a touch of the international to English speakers and a bit more style than the oversimplified Ann or Anne. Anna is the Latin form of…
Basque
"new house"
Xavier originated is use as a given name after Saint Francis Xavier, cofounder of the Jesuit order, who got his name from the Spanish-Basque village where he was born. His birthplace was Javier, the…
"eastern town"
Easton is a stylish Ivy League-ish place and surname name, more modern than Weston, on its way up for both sexes as part of the new direction baby names are taking, as in North and West. Easton was…
Greek
"people of victory"
Nicholas is derived from the Greek Nikolaos, a name that evolved from the components nikē , meaning "victory", and laos , "people." It shares origins with Nike, the name of the Greek goddess of…
English, shortened form of Augustine, Latin
"great, magnificent"
Austin is one of the most attractive city names for babies , with an appealing southwestern feel and place-name panache. Austin has been an Anglo-Saxon surname and a first name since medieval times.…
"maiden"
Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the…
Hebrew, diminutive of Jason
"the Lord is salvation"
Jace may sound like only half a name -- it's usually pronounced like the first half of Jason though some may consider it a spelling-out of the initials J. C. -- but it's a popular choice for baby…
Spelling variation of Jackson
"son of Jack"
Jaxon has been mostly climbing in popularity since it entered the Top 1000 in 1997, proving that many parents have decided to rev up the cool factor of Jackson by giving it this streamlined spelling.…
English Place name from Dutch
"marshland"
Extreme makeover: Brooklyn has gone from jokey Borough Boy name in the 1990s to a leading girls' name starting with B . The status of New York's Brooklyn as hipster heaven is ironic as few bona fide…
English and Scottish surname
"son of the marsh dwellers"
Carson is one of the most long-running popular androgynous baby names , with a dash of the Wild West via the legendary Missouri frontiersman Kit Carson. Dating back to when it was the name of Nancy…
"long hill"
Landon is a popular surname name; it's been dropping slightly in recent years but has surpassed its once more popular rhyming cousin Brandon. For some it may bring back nostalgic memories of Little…
