Fastest Rising Girl Names 2025: Popular Mia, Unstoppable Scottie

Every year, we pore over baby name data. But we almost always focus on change in popularity rank.

The fastest rising girl names 2025 by rank get the most attention. Adhara, for example, leapt from #772 to #471.

But here’s the funny thing: if we look instead at increases in count – the number of newborns receiving a name – Adhara didn’t actually gain in use all that much.

Adara is still a fast riser and a name to watch. But names already in the Top 100, like Lainey, or even Top Ten, like Mia, increased by count even more dramatically. They just don’t have quite as far to climb, since they’re already popular.

Some of the fastest rising girl names 2025 really have entered the mainstream with this year’s new list. Also worth noting: a name that gains strongly for several years tends to find its way to the top of the popularity charts. One year’s gain isn’t nearly as meaningful.

Another quirk of rank versus count? A name can gain modestly in use, and still fall in rank, especially near the top of the charts. That was true for names like Sophia and Elizabeth in 2024. But sometimes a name might actually fall in use and still gain a spot or two on the charts. Names like Grace, Maya, Maeve, and Autumn all fell in the rankings, even though more girls received those names last year.

Rank tells us something about this year. Count signals the future.

And so with all of that in mind, what were the fastest rising girl names 2025?

25. AMELIA (+388; unranked on last year’s list)

A classic choice, Amelia is equally parts lady-like and refined and adventurous and world-changing. Amelia Earhart’s legacy endures, in part because this generation of parents grew up watching Amy Adams play her in A Night at the Museum franchise.

24. CHLOE (+398; unranked on last year’s list)

Chloe has bounced around the US Top 100 since 1998, briefly reaching the Top Ten before falling again. But Chloe has become a modern traditional, and is part of a generation of Greek girl names ending in E that continues to appeal.

23. CLARA (+399; unranked on last year’s list)

Like Chloe, a long-time favorite that’s recently started rising once more.

22. LUCY (+410; #6 on last year’s list)

A vintage charmer with powerful appeal, Lucy is as casual as Sadie but as complete as Mary.

21. ALANNA (+419; unranked on last year’s list)

This feminine form of Alan has been quietly rising since the 1970s. Along with Alana, the name’s moment might be now.

20. JULIETTE (+420; unranked on last year’s list)

There’s no question now: Juliette with the extra TE has outpaced the Juliet of Shakespeare. The sparer Juliet gained in use modestly; so did Julieta. Julietta debuted in the US Top 1000.

19. CELESTE (+420; unranked on last year’s list)

Celeste is elegant and sophisticated, a substitute for Charlotte or Sophia. But it’s something more, too. It quietly points us toward the heavens. Like Stella and Luna, Celeste is celestial. And it’s also a shade of blue, putting this in the company of colorful names like Navy and Indigo.

18. HALLIE (+425; #25 on last year’s list)

A mix of factors has sent Hallie rising. Actress Halle Bailey of The Little Mermaid and The Color Purple deserves some credit. (Her spelling, Halle, also rose in use.) But this is probably more about our love of Ellie, Millie, and similar brief, but complete, choices.

17. SOFIA (+429; #13 on last year’s list)

Top Ten Sophia has always been just a bit ahead of alternate spelling Sofia. But lately it’s this spelling that’s gaining fast. One reason? Sofia is preferred in Spanish, and this is a classic crossover choice. But it’s also the preferred spelling in Italian and German, as well as many Slavic and Scandinavian languages. A generation of new parents grew up with Disney’s Sofia the First, which might also explain the growing preference for this spelling.

16. ALANA (+437; unranked on last year’s list)

A handful of pop culture uses have boosted Alana, including a character in Broadway musical turned 2021 film Dear Evan Hansen. But Alana seems to succeed mostly on sound. And yes, this is the second spelling to appear on the list. Like Ariana/Arianna from the 2010s, it’s the single-N spelling that ranks higher.

15. AILANI (+440; unranked on last year’s list)

Ailani looks authentically Hawaiian, but it’s really more of a modern invention. Based on so many names we love, from Kaylani and Leilani to Aaliyah and Alaia, it’s a sound that feels very fresh and current in 2025.

14. ELODIE (+458; unranked on last year’s list)

Like Josephine and Rosalie, there’s something vaguely French about Elodie. But American parents probably choose this name more for it’s El- and O- sounds … just like fellow fastest rising girls names 2025 list member Eloise. Fun fact: Elodie is ultimately a cousin to Otto. (And Odette, too!)

13. EMBER (+469; unranked on last year’s list)

A fiery nature name, Ember replaces former favorite Amber, and also offers Em- nicknames, while requiring no shortening.

12. ELOISE (+509; unranked on last year’s list)

Antique darling Eloise is back on the list of fastest rising girl names 2025. While this name missed out on last year’s round-up, Eloise appeared at #18 in calendar year 2022 and #7 in 2021. The combination of El- and a bright O sound seems incredibly appealing to parents now. Another bonus? It comes with its very own storybook.

11. ZOE (+531; unranked on last year’s list)

One of the intriguing trends of 2025? The resurgence of Greek girl names ending with E. Penelope fell slightly, but nearly every other choice in this category gained: Phoebe, Persephone, Daphne. Dafne debuted in the US Top 1000. And Chloe is also on the list of fastest rising girl names 2025.

10. VIOLET (+608; unranked on last year’s list)

This colorful, floral favorite topped the list of fastest rising girl names in 2022, and made the 2021 list as well. It’s vintage, but with a sound and strength that is absolutely right for a daughter now.

9. ADELINE (+635; #21 on last year’s list)

For a long time, Adeline was runner-up to Madeline and company. In recent years, though, it’s the Addie names that dominate. Both Adeline and Adaline appeared on last year’s list. Adeline is still going strong, a name with a built-in lullaby that’s ranked in the US Top 100 since 2016.

8. DAISY (+668; unranked on last year’s list)

Nature names, both novel and established, continue to be popular choices for our children. Daisy also fits right in with so many casual favorites. If he says Violet and you say Lucy, Daisy is the obvious compromise. The name’s ties to traditional Margaret lend it even more sense of history.

7. AYLA (+677; unranked on last year’s list)

It might be Hebrew or Turkish. Ayla is the name of the main character in novel-turned-movie Clan of the Cave Bear. But odds are that Ayla succeeds because it’s a phonetic take on fellow Top 100 name Isla. And, of course, Ay and La might be two of the most dominant sounds in girls’ names now.

6. MIA (+718; #17 on last year’s list)

This name wasn’t really on anyone’s radar in the US until the 1960s. Credit actress Mia Farrow, born Maria de Lourdes. And then soccer star Mia – born Mariel – Hamm boosted the name even farther. It also happens to be the Italian word for “mine,” lending it an affectionate glow. One more reason it succeeds? Mia is an impeccable English-Spanish crossover choice. This just might be a future #1 name in the US.

5. AURORA (#837; unranked on last year’s list)

Aurora also appeared on the 2022 list in the #9 spot. It’s a night sky name in keeping with Luna and Stella. And the -ora sound in girls’ names, like Cora and Nora and Flora, is another factor. A goddess name from Romany mythology, it’s become a pop culture standard, from a Disney princess to a Foo Fighters song.

#4 SCOTTIE (+1031; unranked on last year’s list)

A white hot debut for calendar year 2022, Scottie leapt again this year. It’s part of the Stevie-Charlie-Andie trend, but Scottie also benefits from our love of TT. Just look at Lottie, Lettie, Scarlett, and Juliette, to name a few.

#3 ELIANA (+1071; #5 on last year’s list; #21 in 2022; #20 in 2021; #20 in 2020)

This might just be the name that defines the 2020s. It’s relatively new in the US, a romance language import seldom heard here before the 1980s, and really not until the 21st century. Elianna rose in the rankings, too.

#2 LAINEY (+1210; #1 on last year’s list; #8 in 2022; #15 in 2021)

The girls’ answer to swaggering neo-Western picks like Wyatt and Stetson, Lainey owes its burst of popularity to Yellowstone actress and country music’s Lainey Wilson. But it’s bigger than that, too, a name that refreshes classics like Helen and Elaine, and a choice that feels in keeping with both popular surname choices like Riley and vintage nicknames like Sadie. Lainey checks all of the boxes, and continues to hit the different-not-unusual sweet spot for parents.

#1 AILANY (+2,285; unranked on last year’s list)

The undisputed champ of fastest rising girl names 2025 is Ailany. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2023, and powered up the list, nearly reaching the US Top 100 in 2024. That’s a tremendous rise, seldom seen. It’s a fast favorite among Spanish-speaking Americans. (Check Baby Center’s Spanish language site. One fascinating suggestion read on other Spanish-language sites: could it be Taíno in origin? That’s the language spoken in the Caribbean, related to other South American indigenous languages, prior to European colonization.) Regardless of origin or meaning, Ailany is a spelling and sound that hits all the right notes for a daughter born today.

This year’s list almost feels like it has a split personality. Many of the rising names are well-established favorites. But others are absolutely brand new choices we wouldn’t have heard five years ago – and now they’re headed within striking distance of the Top 200 or even higher.

Are any of these names a future #1 favorite in the US?

Do you have a favorite from the fastest rising girl names 2025?