Unnamed List

  1. Adelaide
    • Origin:

      Variant of Adelheidis, German
    • Meaning:

      "noble, nobility"
    • Description:

      Adelaide is now heading straight uphill on the coattails of such newly popular sisters as Ava, Ada, and Audrey, and in the company of Adeline and Amelia. It was chosen by actress Katherine Heigl for the name of her second daughter.
  2. Adelei
    • Origin:

      Modern invented name
    • Description:

      Nouveau name related to Adele, Adeline, and the boys' biblical Adlai.
  3. ADELEI
    • Adeline
      • Origin:

        French, diminutive of Adele
      • Meaning:

        "noble, nobility"
      • Description:

        Adeline has a lovely, old-fashioned "Sweet Adeline" charm, but has become so popular in the US under so many spellings and variations -- with Adalynn and Adalyn also popular -- that considered together it is far more popular than it first seems. Adorable nickname Addie is also pervasive.
    • Avery
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "ruler of the elves"
      • Description:

        Avery is a unisex name that is used four times as often today for girls as for boys. But while Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls, it continues to get stronger for boys -- in keeping with our finding that gender neutral names are becoming more favored for boys than for girls.
    • Avery
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "ruler of the elves"
      • Description:

        Avery is a hugely popular name in the US, especially for girls. But while nearly four times as many girls as boys are named Avery today Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls while it continues to strengthen for boys.
    • Echo
      • Origin:

        Greek mythology name
      • Meaning:

        "echo or sound"
      • Description:

        Although this is traditionally seen as a female name, via the classical mythological nymph who pined away for Narcissus until all that remained of her was a disembodied voice — it can also be used for boys. Remember that old song, 'Little sir echo, how do you do?'
    • Elijah
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "Yahweh is God"
      • Description:

        The Top 10 boys' name Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements ’el and yah, both of which refer to God. In the Old Testament, Elijah was the prophet who went to heaven in a chariot of fire, a story sure to inspire any young Elijah.
    • Elliot
      • Origin:

        Anglicization of Elijah or Elias
      • Meaning:

        "Jehovah is God"
      • Description:

        Elliot (which boasts several spellings depending upon how many 'l's or 't's you want to use) is a winner -- it has the ideal quality of being neither too common nor weirdly unique. Elliot had a style boost back in the early 1980s via the young hero of the movie E.T. , who was named Elliot. Since then there have been Elliots on Law & Order: SVU and Mad Men.
    • Emery
      • Origin:

        English from German
      • Meaning:

        "industrious"
      • Description:

        Emery is one of the newly popular Em- names that has great potential, though right now for girls more than boys: it received a boost in 2009, a year after Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn used it for one of their daughters.
    • Ilia
      • Ilya
        • Origin:

          Russian variation of Elijah
        • Meaning:

          "the Lord is my God"
        • Description:

          A rare example of an a-ending boy's name that sounds masculine, Ilya has a large measure of creative Slavic charm. >p>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov." Unfortunately, he spends most of his life in his bathrobe and slippers.
      • Margo
        • Origin:

          French, diminutive of Margaret
        • Meaning:

          "pearl"
        • Description:

          Margo and Margot sound exactly the same, so why has the Margot spelling hopped back onto the Top 1000, outpacing Margo in numbers more than two to one? (Over 350 baby girls were named Margot in the most recent year, versus 150 named Margo.)
      • Margot
        • Origin:

          French, diminutive of Margaret
        • Meaning:

          "pearl"
        • Description:

          Margot is suddenly a star again. After a nearly-half century absence, it hopped back on the Top 1000 list in 2013 and is on the rise. The Margot spelling is now given to three times as many baby girls as the Margo one.
      • Raven
        • Origin:

          Word name
        • Description:

          Make that bird name, and while it does work for both genders, it's far more popular for girls, via Raven Symone.
      • SPARROW
        • Theodore
          • Origin:

            Greek
          • Meaning:

            "gift of God"
          • Description:

            As unlikely as it may seem, Theodore is a hot new hit name, vaulting into the Top 10 in 2021 for the first time ever. Friendly nickname Theo may be responsible for some of that, though there are plenty of baby boys given Theo as their full name too. Add their numbers together, and the two names jump to Number 6.
        • Vada
          • Origin:

            English, Sanskrit, German
          • Meaning:

            "knowledge, rule"
          • Description:

            Vada is a feisty retro choice that feels like a fresh spin on the likes of Ava and Ada. Its bold V initial is bang on trend, although Vada remains very uncommon in the US. It is perhaps best known as the heroine of the 1991 cult classic coming-of-age movie My Girl, Vada Sultenfuss, played by Anna Chlumsky.
        • Valentine
          • Origin:

            Latin
          • Meaning:

            "strength, health"
          • Description:

            Valentine is an attractive Shakespearean name with romantic associations, but those very ties to the saint and the sentimental holiday have sent it into a decline, one which we think may be about to turn around.
        • Winter
          • Origin:

            Word name
          • Description:

            The girls have dibs on Spring, Summer, and Autumn, leaving this name evocative of snowy landscapes as the one possible seasonal choice for boys. And naturally, it's one of the most obvious names for winter babies.