Most popular baby names of 2021

A newborn baby wrapped in a swaddle with a Hello My name is sticker.
IN THIS ARTICLE
 
 
 

It's official: Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names of 2021. The top ten baby girl names remained relatively constant since last year, with the exception of a few minor swaps. But there was some exciting movement on the boys' side, with a pair of new names – Levi and Asher – entering the top ten.

BabyCenter's baby name rankings come from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their babies' names with us in real time, making them a more up-to-the-minute look at what's trending. One note before getting into the full results: For the first time ever, we've chosen not to combine spelling variations of the same name in the rankings. That means you'll see Sophia and Sofia on different spots in the list (number 5 and number 22, respectively), as well as OakleyOaklee, and OaklyJackson and Jaxson; and many more versions of similar names.

We know for many parents, there’s a lot that goes into deciding what to name their child, from family history and special meanings to even sound and spelling.(For example, a recent BabyCenter survey revealed that 40 percent of parents decided to skip traditional spelling when choosing their baby's name.) Spelling matters – even the tiniest differences – and we see that, so, every version of a name now has its own spot in the rankings.

No new baby girl names cracked the top ten in 2021, though we did see some small shuffles in popularity: Charlotte moved up two spots from number 8 to number 6, while Amelia rose from number 5 to number 3. AvaSophiaIsabella, and Mia each dropped one spot. If you read the top ten list of baby girl names aloud, you'll notice a similar sound in the final syllable of eight of the names – the "ahs" definitely still have it.

The competition was a little fiercer on the baby boy names side of the column this year: Liam is the most popular name, followed by some familiar names from years past, but two new names entered the top ten: Levi jumped from number 16 to number 6, and Asher soared from number 22 to number 8. Oliver and Elijah traded spots in the number 3 and 4 places, and Mateo and Logan left the top ten.   

This year's fastest-rising baby girl names were Raya (up 53 percent), Alora (up 32 percent) and Ariya (up 27 percent); while Onyx (up 44 percent), Koda (up 38 percent), and Finnegan (up 35 percent) saw the biggest jumps on the boys’ side. Many of these names had already been climbing the ranks in our mid-year baby names trend report from this summer. We also saw lots of short and sweet names like JackLeoIsla, and Ayla trending up.

Gender-neutral and unisex baby names (FinleyTatum), along with names inspired by nature (WillowIvySage) and pop culture (DaphneChadwick) were some of this year's biggest baby name trends. We also saw a spike in baby names that channel strength, optimism, and resilience – a testament to being born in the middle of a pandemic, we suspect.

Check out the top 100 baby names below.  For more inspiration, don't miss this baby name inspiration video, our themed baby name lists, and the Baby Names group in the BabyCenter Community.

Previous (2020)  |  Next (2022)  |  All years

Top 100 baby names of 2021

TRUE POPULARITY
BabyCenter compiles its rankings from its database of hundreds of thousands of parents who share their babies' names with us in real time, making it an up-to-the-minute look at what's trending. Beginning in 2021, we are no longer combining spelling variations of the same name in the rankings – so you'll see Sophia and Sofia, and Jackson and Jaxon separately on our lists.

The official U.S. government list of baby names and their popularity across the country is usually released several months into the following year. When it’s available, you’ll see it here.
advertisement | page continues below

26 Riley Ezra
27 Nora Owen
28 Hazel Michael
29 Abigail Muhammad
30 Rylee Julian
31 Penelope Hudson
32 Elena Luke
33 Zoey Samuel
34 Isla Jacob
35 Eleanor Lincoln
36 Elizabeth Gabriel
37 Madison Jayden
38 Willow Luca
39 Emilia Maverick
40 Violet David
41 Emily Josiah
42 Eliana Elias
43 Stella Jaxon
44 Maya Kai
45 Paisley Anthony
46 Everly Isaiah
47 Addison Eli
48 Ryleigh John
49 Ivy Joseph
50 Grace Matthew
51 Hannah Ezekiel
52 Bella Adam
53 Naomi Caleb
54 Zoe Isaac
55 Aaliyah Theodore
56 Kinsley Nathan
57 Lucy Theo
58 Delilah Thomas
59 Skylar Nolan
60 Leilani Waylon
61 Ayla Ryan
62 Victoria Easton
63 Alice Roman
64 Aubrey Adrian
65 Savannah Miles
66 Serenity Greyson
67 Autumn Cameron
68 Leah Colton
69 Sophie Landon
70 Natalie Santiago
71 Athena Andrew
72 Lillian Hunter
73 Hailey Jameson
74 Audrey Joshua
75 Eva Jace
76 Everleigh Cooper
77 Kennedy Dylan
78 Maria Jeremiah
79 Natalia Kingston
80 Nevaeh Xavier
81 Brooklyn Christian
82 Raelynn Christopher
83 Arya Kayden
84 Ariana Charlie
85 Madelyn Aaron
86 Claire Jaxson
87 Valentina Silas
88 Sadie Ryder
89 Gabriella Austin
90 Ruby Dominic
91 Anna Amir
92 Iris Carson
93 Charlie Jordan
94 Brielle Weston
95 Emery Micah
96 Melody Rowan
97 Amara Beau
98 Piper Declan
99 Quinn Everett
100 Jade Alex
See the next 50 names
See name meaning, origin, popularity, and related names

Baby Names Finder

Gender Boy Girl Both
Popularity
All
Show only top names
Exclude top names
Meaning, origin, theme...
 
 
 
Log in to continue

Get the BabyCenter app
The #1 app for tracking pregnancy and baby growth.
BabyCenter app