“Partnerships between Hearst Magazines and Yahoo can result in earning commissions or revenue from certain items through provided links. When it comes to choosing a baby name, finding the balance between being too popular and too unique can be a challenge. It’s not always easy to predict which names will become popular and end up on the Social Security Administration’s annual list of most popular names. However, keeping an eye on general baby-naming trends can provide some insight, particularly for expecting families. This year, experts are pointing out the following trends for baby girl names in 2025. Looking ahead, expect short, sweet, and slightly masculine names to be popular choices for parents of girls.
1. The Rise of Cute Names:
Parents are moving away from the idea that a baby should be given a name that suits them as an adult. ‘Baby Names, Literally’ are a growing trend for girls, with names specifically meant for babies gaining popularity. Influencers like Nara Smith and Jaci Marie Smith have set examples with names like Whimsy Lou and Benny Marie. Nickname names such as Scottie, Lottie, Nori, and Dolly, as well as unique word names like Wednesday, Echo, Posey, and Blossom, are playful choices within this trend.
2. Pop Culture Influence:
Pop acts are not just dominating the music charts, but also baby-name trends. Names like Charli XCX and Billie Eilish are fitting into the ‘Baby Names, Literally’ trend. Inspired by pop acts, names such as Sabrina and Billie are rising in popularity. Song titles are also leaving an impact on baby names, as seen with the name Apple from a song on the Brat album.
3. Gender-Neutral Names:
A continuing trend is the adoption of gender-neutral names, with traditionally masculine names becoming popular for girls. BabyList observed this trend, referring to it as ‘my BFF’s dad’s name.’ Names like Ariana, Taylor, and Reneé are examples of this cross-gender naming trend.
These trends indicate that unique, playful, and pop culture-inspired names are on the rise for baby girls in 2025.”
Expert, told BabyList that these names are “not totally out there but they’re unexpected, yet cutesy.” Two names we already mentioned—Billie and Scottie—are good examples, though BabyList predicts that the name Drew will eclipse them all. Look around to the other dads in your life for more inspiration for names like these.
Andie
Avery
Blake
Benny
James
Mattie
Noah
Riley
Ryan
Tatum
Girl Names Look to Nature
Nature-inspired names have been huge for a while now, but Nameberry predicts “landscape names” will be of particular interest in the next 12 months. “Landscape names particularly appeal to parents in search of frills-free names that are easily understood, but not endemically popular,” the site notes. “They’re also inherently gender-neutral, a strong selling point for many contemporary namers.” Nameberry believes Cove will be a standout, but Rye, Reef, Coast, and Creek will be hot on its tail, along with these other outdoorsy names.
Cloud
Dune
Isle/Isla
Marsh
Meadow
Ocean
Prairie
River
Shore
Vale
When in Doubt, Put a -lynn at the End
Parents finding themselves gravitating toward a traditional name but who want to add a modern twist to it seem to be flocking to one suffix, -lynn. In fact, the SSA reports that Lakelynn, Emberlynn, and Evelynn (a variant spelling of Evelyn) are three of the fastest-climbing names for girls this year.
“Avalynn is a perfect example of this,” BabyCenter reports. “Up 402 spots at No. 861, this new name joins the top 1,000 girl names in the U.S. for the first time ever.” Then, of course, there’s always the name Lynn, full stop, though parents seem to be looking for something longer (double ‘n’ optional).
Adelyn/Adelynn
Ashlyn/Ashlynn
Braelyn/Braelynn
Brooklyn/Brooklynn
Gracelyn/Gracelynn
Jazlyn/Jazlynn
Madelyn/Madelynn
Oaklyn/Oaklynn
Raelyn/Raelynn
Roselyn/Roselynn
These Are the Most Popular Names for Girls, and the Fastest Risers
Where are these names in the hype machine? The SSA keeps track of the most popular baby names in use right now—but are these names so popular, they’re on the way out? On the flip side, it also keeps track of the names that had the biggest year-over-year gains, so those are likely on the rise.
The Most Popular Girl Names
Olivia
Emma
Charlotte
Amelia
Sophia
Mia
Isabella
Ava
Evelyn
L
