The hottest trends that'll influence baby names in 2025

Baby name inspiration can come from the most unexpected places – a street sign near your house, a paint chip wall at Home Depot, or even a cemetery (did you see that TikTok trend? Iykyk).

Right now, BabyCenter parents are being influenced by major moments in pop culture, from celebrity feuds to competitive sporting events – and it's giving huge hints into what the biggest baby names of 2025 will be.

For the past 20 years, we've gathered baby name data from hundreds of thousands of parents who register their babies' names on the BabyCenter app in real time. This means we have an up-to-the-minute look at what names are trending and falling, which helps us make predictions for the biggest naming trends and patterns to come.

Are you getting ready to name your baby or just curious if your little one's name is on trend? Check out what'll impact the rankings for 2025.

The Paris Olympics will continue to inspire a new wave of baby names

As the Olympic athletes sailed down the Seine during this summer's opening ceremonies, BabyCenter parents-to-be were paying close attention to the host country. Francophiles seized on the opportunity to embrace the beauty of popular French names, causing them to rise on our U.S. charts.

Raphael, the No. 2 boy name in France in 2023, is up 121 spots in the U.S. to No. 328. And Louis, France's No. 4 boy name in 2023, is up 87 spots for BabyCenter parents, so it's now No. 267.

The trend holds true for girls, too: Louise was the No. 1 girl name in France last year, and it's currently up 63 spots to No. 816 among U.S. BabyCenter parents.

Other French and French-inspired names on the rise among BabyCenter parents include Beaux (up 148 spots), Remi (up 87 spots), and Gustavo (up 239 spots) for boys; and Elodie (up 449), Arlette (up 338), and Jolie (up 287) for girls.

BabyCenter parents pick a victor in the Drake vs. Kendrick beef

Drake and Kendrick Lamar have beefed for years over who's the best rapper in the business, but it got especially heated after J. Cole claimed that he, Drake, and Lamar are the "big three" in rap – spurring Lamar to respond in a song this year that "it's just big me."

The feud exploded from there, culminating in a flurry of diss tracks like Drake's "Family Matters" and "The Heart Part 6," and Lamar's "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us." The two made headlines as each new song was released.

While the beef is ongoing and an official victor has yet to be declared, BabyCenter parents are siding with Lamar: The name Kendrick is up 32 spots for boys to No. 402 – while Drake is falling fast, dropping 103 spots to No. 807.

As for J. Cole – he's getting himself back into the conversation after staying silent since April with the October release of his new song "Port Antonio." He may be playing mediator on the radio, but fans are making their judgments as to where his loyalty lies – his given name Jermaine is taking a hit, falling 460 spots to No. 1,780.

Other musicians are also jumping into the fray, with ASAP Rocky, Rick Ross, and The Weeknd siding with Lamar. Will their names get a boost in the next year because they picked the winning side? It's possible – Rocky is already up 140 spots for boys to No. 869.

Women's basketball will set records – on the court, and with baby names

When the women's NCAA basketball tournament this year set record viewership numbers, excitement for the sport carried over to the WNBA – this season was the league's most-watched in more than 20 years.

BabyCenter parents are passing their love for the sport onto their babies: The names of some of the biggest women's basketball stars are skyrocketing, starting with University of Iowa point guard and now Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. Her name is up more than 2,000 spots for girls to No. 2,602.

Kamilla Cardoso of the South Carolina Gamecocks faced off against – and defeated – Iowa State at the NCAA tournament this year. This star on the rise was picked third in the WNBA draft and now plays for the Chicago Sky. BabyCenter parents are fans of her name, too – it's up 53 spots to No. 1,210.

One of this year's biggest WNBA stars is leaving her mark on baby names, too: A'ja is up more than 7,000 spots for girls, thanks to A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (interestingly, the more traditional spelling Aja is down).

Super Bowl athletes will tip the scales on baby names

This year was a historic one for American sports. Not only did the WNBA have record viewership – the Super Bowl LVIII became the most-watched program in American TV history.

The biggest names from the Super Bowl are getting plenty of attention, too – for better and worse. Call it predictable, but names of the top Kansas City Chiefs players, who took home the trophy this year, are up for BabyCenter boys, but names of some San Francisco 49ers are down.

Creed – as in Humphrey, a Chiefs center – is rising fast, up 209 spots to No. 551.

The names of other Chiefs stars are getting some love, too: Travis (Kelce, a tight end) is up 18 spots, to No. 357, and Isiah (Pacheco, a running back) is up 186 spots, to No. 1,405. (The more traditional spelling of his name, Isaiah, is also up 4 spots, to No. 44.)

Meanwhile, Christian (McCaffrey, a 49ers running back) is down 10 spots, to No. 98 – and perilously close to falling out of the top 100 boy names for the first time since the 1980s. Brock (Purdy, the 49ers' starting quarterback) is down 76 spots for boys, to No. 973. And Trent (Williams, an offensive tackle) is down more than 139 spots, to No. 1,387.

As this next football season gets underway, keep an eye on your fantasy football lineup – you might just find next year's trendiest baby name. 

And expect to see Patrick Mahomes make a comeback (both as a player and as a name). The Chiefs' star quarterback had an unsteady season and his name took a hit (it's down 32 spots to No. 294), but he's still considered one the best quarterbacks of all time – and he's led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl wins so far.

Hit songs will continue to influence baby names

From Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" to Charli XCX's "Apple" and Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather," female musicians are dominating the charts – and baby names, too. 

BabyCenter parents thankfully didn't take "brat summer" literally – no one named their baby Brat this year. But Apple, a song on the Brat album, is spiking, rising 900 spots as a girl name, to No. 2,597. (The last time the name Apple was this popular was in 2011, the year Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs died. And before that, Apple spiked in popularity in 2005 and '06, just after Gwenyth Paltrow and Chris Martin gave their daughter the name.)

Parents are inspired by the artists themselves, too: Sabrina is up 109 spots for girls, to No. 342, and Billie is up 37 spots for girls, to No. 842. We might even see Chappell (or the more traditional spelling, Chapel) get some attention as a girl name next year, thanks to Chappell Roan's meteoric rise to fame.

There's also new music – and new name inspiration – from Taylor Swift. Songs on The Tortured Poet's Department: The Anthology are leaving their mark on boy names: Peter is up 95 spots, to No. 251, while Robin rose 82 spots as a boy name, to No. 1,057.

Celestial events and catastrophic storms will change the course of baby names

April's solar eclipse is stirring up plenty of excitement among amateur astronomers – and parents. Sol, which means "sun" in Spanish, is gaining traction as a girl name among BabyCenter parents, shooting up 334 spots, to No. 695.

A few BabyCenter parents – four, to be exact – marked the occasion by naming their baby girls Eclipse. It's up 4,421 spots, to No. 5,494.

Sol and Eclipse join the ranks of some already-beloved celestial girl names, like Luna (No. 10), Aurora (No. 12), and Nova (No. 17).

And girl names aren't the only ones getting some love: Orion (after the constellation) is a new star among BabyCenter boy names, rising 137 spots to No. 301.

With a lunar eclipse heading our way in March 2025, we can expect to see new parents continue to take a shine to celestial names.

What parents likely won't be doing: Naming their babies Milton or Helene. These names currently rank No. 4,133 and No. 15,733, respectively – and we can expect them to drastically fall in popularity in 2025 after their namesake hurricanes caused major destruction in North Carolina and Florida.

Justin's tour – and name – is ruined

Back in June, Justin Timberlake shocked his fans by getting arrested for driving while intoxicated. His wife, Jessica Biel, wasn't the only one unhappy with his arrest and arraignment.

Parents-to-be were also pretty disappointed. The name Justin dropped 59 spots in the rankings to No. 277. Timberlake's remark, "This will ruin the tour," became the meme of the summer – turns out it ruined the baby name for many parents, too.

Baby names get main character treatment

"Main character energy" is all over TikTok – it's a way to describe someone who lives their life like they're the most important person in every room.

Does anything define a newborn better? Every new baby is destined to have a main character vibe, and now parents are choosing names from their favorite on-screen hits to match. These main characters are specifically grabbing BabyCenter parents' attention:

• Riley, the preteen whose inner world is on full display in the Inside Out movies, is on the rise after the release of Inside Out 2. It's just a modest increase so far, up 7 spots to No. 38, but we bet a lot of Rileys will be born in the months to come.
• Carmen is typically thought of as a girl name nowadays. But thanks to The Bear taking home 11 Emmy wins for its latest season, it's going back to its roots as an Italian boy name, rising 1,413 spots to No. 3,616. Watch out for other names from the show to rise, like Sydney and Nicole.
• Ripley is a surname getting some love as a first name, rising 453 spots for boys to No. 2,368. The unhinged but brilliant Tom Ripley from Netflix's Ripley (based on the same character as 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley) is the main character to credit for this jump.
• Love or hate her, Deborah Vance is a leading lady who helped Hacks take home the Emmy for outstanding comedy series this year. Deborah is up 229 spots for girls to No. 863. And her surname, Vance, is on the rise for boys, gaining 280 spots to No. 1,039. With season 4 already announced, all the binge-watching to come will likely keep these names at the top of parents' minds.
• Speaking of strong female leads, Rain Carradine left an impression in the latest installation of the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus. Rain is up 275 spots for girls to No. 716.

The fall of Stanley (and the Stanley cup)

The indestructible Stanley cup took the internet by storm at the end of last year, and the craze carried into 2024 (remember when fans stampeded their local Targets to get the exclusive line of Valentine's Day cups?).

But nothing lasts forever – especially TikTok trends – and the days of moms showing off their cupboards full of the oversized travel mugs are long gone.

As a name, Stanley has been on the outs for a long time – but it took an even deeper dive after the cup craze ended, falling more than 400 spots to No. 1,385. It just goes to show that even the most ubiquitous names (and trends) aren't immune to the fickle whims of the internet.

Everyone will be looking for "E" names for boys

BabyCenter parents are loving "E" names for boys: The unique Emrys took a huge jump up 839 spots, to No. 954 (making its first-ever appearance in the top 1,000 boy names in the U.S.).

Other "E" names gaining ground are Emir (up 146 to No. 632), Enrique (up 121, to No. 743), Edgar (up 171, to No. 799), Eliseo (up 204, to No. 847), and Eliel (up 185 to No. 824).

There's still more – Elijah and Ezra are both sitting pretty in the top 10 boy names, and Easton and Everett are back in the top 100 boy names at Nos. 92 and 93, respectively.

And girl names ending with -lyn and -lee will top the charts

Names ending in "-lyn" and "-lee" feel timeless – Evelyn, Brooklyn, and Madelyn have been in the top 100 for years. But parents are now using these classic endings to create brand-new names that are modern yet familiar.

Avalynn is a perfect example of this: 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. Wrenlee is another modern name getting attention, rising 222 spots to No. 393.

Other rising stars ending in "-lyn" and "-lee" include Maelynn (up 363 spots at No. 900), Lakelyn (up 184 spots to No. 869), Adalee (up 276 at No. 753), and Rosalee (up 289 to No. 878).

As more parents lean into making unique names feel classic, expect to see even more "-lyn" and "-lee" names popping up.

Methodology

BabyCenter's State of Baby Names initiative has identified and analyzed the most popular baby names since 2004. The Hottest Baby Name Trends of 2024 report analyzes the top rising and falling names from data submitted by BabyCenter parents (and pulled Oct. 15, 2024). This data comprises the names of more than 500,000 babies born in 2024. In a case where two or more names in the top 500 ranks have the same count of babies in a given year, ties were broken by assigning rank in alphabetical order. 

BabyCenter is a part of Everyday Health Group Pregnancy & Parenting (EHG P&P). EHG P&P reaches 91% of first-time pregnancies and 85% of pregnancies in the United States. Our baby name data is volunteered by parents who enter their babies' names in real time, giving us an up-to-the-minute look at what's trending. To learn more about the top baby names this year, see our Most Popular Baby Names report.