Popular Girl Names: What’s Next for the US Top 1000?

Dust off that crystal ball! Let’s guess the future Top 1000 baby girl names.

When it comes to popularity, there’s a sharp divide.

A name either ranks in the US Top 1000 most popular baby names, as reported annually by the US Social Security Administration, or (obviously) it does not.

We tend to focus our energy on the baby names at the tippy-top of the charts. Olivia and Amelia and Charlotte, the most popular baby girl names of our moment.

But the really interesting part is often what happens on the fringes.

Because once a name debuts in – or returns to – the US Top 1000, it’s often the beginning of a slow, steady climb … that might lead to the Top Ten in another two dozen years or so.

Or not.

Nevertheless, in order for parents to consider a name, they have to hear it. Inspiration can come from so many places, of course – television shows, popular songs, athletes and other public figures. But sometimes names just catch on thanks to style and sound, working their way into the rankings.

And names that crack the US Top 1000 are more likely to be heard.

So these are my guesses for future Top 1000 girl names. I’m looking for names like Layla and Nova, Freya and Juniper. Once-rare possibilities that now feel right at home on nearly any playground.

FUTURE TOP 1000 GIRL NAMES

Some of these are appearing on the future Top 1000 girl names for the very first time. Others are making an encore appearance.

AGNES

Traditional names trend in and out of favor; it’s even more dramatic for girls’ names. A Top 100 staple from the late 19th century into the 1920s, Agnes reads delightfully antique. It’s the kind of name that parents considering Esther or Hazel choose when they found out those are taken. The initial A is about as popular as it gets right now, and Agnes turns up the temperature on names like Alice and Frances. It’s the tiniest shift from antique to truly daring. 233 girls received the name in 2024; 258 births were required to make the US Top 1000.

BETTY

Yes, I’ve been betting on Betty for ages. The late, great Betty White is one reason. Taylor Swift’s “Betty,” borrowed from the name of a Blake Lively-Ryan Reynolds daughter – accounts for another two. But beyond that, Betty just plain fits with Billie and Lottie and so many names we love for girls now. In 2024, 253 girls were named Betty. It wouldn’t take much to put this former Top Ten name back on parent’s radar.

ELARA

Namerology called Elara the Name of the Year for 2025. There’s a weird AI-twist to this story, but even without the tech angle, Elara works. It’s one-part El name, one-part Sarah/Clara/Kiara. With just 208 births recorded in 2024, it will take a big leap to put Elara into the US Top 1000, but this name might have enough momentum. After all, Elodie and Elowyn rocketed up the popularity charts, with names like Eliana and Elianna, Eleanora, Elina, Elliott, Elora, Elise and Elyse also gaining in use.

ELENI

With 255 births in 2024, Eleni missed the mark by just a handful of births. Elena ranks in the US Top 100, and has since 2016. Plenty of other spellings of this name rank, too: Elaina, Alaina, Alayna. Alina, Elina, and Alena, plus Eliana, again with multiple spellings, are only a little different. Eleni is the modern Greek form of Helen. That makes it accessible. Plus we’re in the era of Greek mythology names. If Athena and Persephone are popular, then Eleni isn’t a stretch. And we are wild about El- names, with Elodie, Elowyn, Elodie, Eloise, Elora, Elisa, and Elsie all gaining in use. Eleni might appeal to parents looking for an update to names like Avery and Wrenlee, Eliza, Natalie, and Chloe, too – a very broad range of styles.

FIA

We love a good Irish import. For Fia, the question isn’t so much if this name will eventually rank in the US Top 1000, but when. Fia literally means deer, but it suggests untamed wilderness. It’s a mini name in the key of Mia and Lia, but it’s also an appealing image. Fia is a sister for Maeve, an alternative to Ava. Only 92 girls were given the name in 2024, but in Ireland and Northern Ireland, it’s a solid Top Ten name.

FAWN

With Fia on the list, maybe Fawn isn’t such a stretch? Okay, actually it is. Just 22 girls were named Fawn in 2024. But mega-influencer Nara Smith named her youngest Fawnie Golden. Her older daughter’s middle name, Honey, has raced up the popularity charts. Fawn shares quite a bit with that name – ties to the natural world, a warm and appealing color, and a straightforward, simple sound. It’s a longshot of a prediction, but I think there’s potential.

GEORGIE

Everybody loves Georgia, part-classic and part-place name. With names like Stevie, Scottie, and Billie joining mainstays like Charlie in the US Top 1000, Georgie feels inevitable. There’s also something sweetly retro about this name. Georgy Girl was a book-turned-movie about a young woman exploring swinging London in the 1960s. The movie’s plot seems impossibly outdated in 2026, but something about the sound still resonates and makes Georgie feel even more sparky and vibrant.

LOWEN

We’re forever seeking out new surname names for girls. Now that Marlowe is rising, could similar-sounding Lowen be next? It’s a 21st century update to Lauren, a fresher alternative to just naming your daughter Owen, and an open door to nickname Lola. 92 girls were named Lowen in the most recent data set, which is a relatively small number. But Lowen is also the main character in Colleen Hoover’s novel Verity. Published in 2018, it’s set to become a major motion picture later in 2026, with Dakota Johnson as Lowen. Maybe that’s too late for the name to trend now, but there’s already buzz.

RUMI

118 girls were named Rumi in 2024, but that was before KPop Demon Hunters. The animated Netflix smash was a cultural earthquake. First there was “Gangnam Style.” Then there was BTS. This movie eclipses them all. Rumi, the main character and lead singer of fictional pop group Huntr/x, has became a favorite of girls everywhere. Her signature purple braid dominated many a Halloween costume. But Rumi was already a cross-cultural senstation of a name, used by Beyonce for her firstborn – and by the creator of KPop Demon Hunters for her real-life daughter.

SALLY

Lots of things that I said about Betty apply to Sally, too – including the numbers. With 223 births in 2024, Sally is just a stone’s throw from the Top 1000 rankings. But this name really makes this list now because of Role Model’s smash hit “Sally.” Song titles have always shifted what we name our children, and something about this one feels exactly right. Sally is a little more traditional than Lainey, but edgier than Sadie. Another factor? Hallie, Halle, Callie, and Kallie are all rising in use already.

SUNDAY

If names that point to the sun are having a moment, then Sunday has potential. Nicole Kidman named her daughter Sunday way back in 2008, inspired by an Australian patron of the arts. Mike Myers chose the same name in 2014. Nickname Sunny is a plus, and several influencers have recently mentioned – or used – the name, too. It might be a reference to the seventh day of the week, traditionally reserved for worship. That makes it a slightly less obvious Christian choice than Angel or Heaven. The name has more than quadrupled in use in less than a decade, and with 232 girls receiving the name in 2024, the numbers are there. A mix of word name, possible allusions to sunshine and/or spirituality, and the sense that it’s just a little different could be the perfect mix.

WEDNESDAY (repeat from last year’s list)

If the numbers point to Sunday’s success, Wednesday is – approrpriately – murkier. The hit Netflix reinvention of The Addams Family’s firstborn put this name on everyone’s lips. Played to perfection by Jenna Ortega, it’s easy to fall in love with her character – and her name. While inspiration probably came from the old nursery rhyme – “Wednesday’s child is full of woe” – the character is intelligent, loyal, and capable – if, yes, a little dark. With Winnie, Willow, and more W names on the charts, Wednesday could fit right in, even if the spelling is slightly bedeviling.

LAST YEAR’S PREDICTIONS

How did the last round of prognostication go? Let’s take a look …

ELENI (unranked as of 2024)

This name fell slightly short and returns to the predictions of future Top 1000 girl names.

GEORGIE (unranked as of 2024)

Another name returning for this year’s crystal ball-gazing exercise.

HONEY (ranked #935 as of 2024)

As a generation of children answering to word names like Ivy and Aria grows up, Honey doesn’t sound so outlandish. It’s been a Top 200 pick in England & Wales in recent years, and British celebs like Jamie Oliver and Kate Winslet famously chose the name for their daughters. It’s quadrupled in use in the US since 2017. That’s well after reality sensation Here Comes Honey Boo Boo left television – another reason to think the name’s rise isn’t a pop culture fluke. Though speaking of pop culture, influencer Nara Smith’s daughter Rumble Honey’s middle might also be a contribuing factor to the name’s success.

LAVENDER (ranked #998 as of 2024)

One of the biggest baby name trends of recent generations? Nature names. Another two: the letter V in the middle (think Olivia, Ava, Evelyn) and R-ending favorites (hello Harper and Piper and River, which is all of the above). With Violet firmly established in the US Top 1000, Lavender is an obvious successor.

LENI (unranked)

A boyish nickname with deep ties to classic girls’ names? That describes long-time favorite Charlie, but also Leni. Traditionally short for Eleanor or Magdalena, to name just two, Leni is also bestowed independently. One famous figure? Heidi Klum’s firstborn daughter, Leni, now following in her model mother’s footsteps.

MAVEN (unranked as of 2024)

Word names have gone from out-there picks to perfectly ordinary choices. File Maven midway between modern nature names like Meadow and old school virtue choices like Grace. Plus, it shares the middle V and appealing sound of fellow word name Haven, a choice that continues to rise. And speaking of rising, Irish origin Maeve and Margaret nickname Maisie are fast-rising favorites. There’s room for another May name. Lastly, Maven isn’t a common surname or place name, but we’re used to girls’ names like Emberlynn and London, Harper and Peyton. Maven sounds right at home – and yet, for now, it’s failed to crack the Top 1000 again.

ROMY (#926 as of 2024)

Remy and Remi have become twenty-first century staples with gender neutral appeal. Romy, originally a nickname for Rosemary and Rosemarie, sounds like a logical successor. It’s a little bit Ruby, a little bit Reagan, and an R name that has double in use over the last five years. Romy also feels ever so slightly European, thanks to German-French screen legend Romy Schneider. The Prix Romy Schneider is presented annually to an up-and-coming French actress. Romy now reads a little like a feminine form of the very-popular Roman and Rome, as well as a successor to the unisex Remy.

SALOME (#952 as of 2024)

Ultimately from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace, Salome has a great meaning. The pronunciation is more straightforward in our age of Esme: sal oh may. It’s associated with a scandalous Biblical character, a princess known for demanding the head of John the Baptist. There’s a real historical figure who matches up to this Salome, as well as others in the ancient world and mentioned in the Bible. If Delilah can rank in the US Top 100, then Salome has potential, too.

SHEA (unranked as of 2024)

Originally an Irish boy’s name and surname, Shea has ranked in the US Top 1000 for boys and girls previously. It’s strongly associated with New York’s historic Shea Stadium. It’s sometimes mixed up with a Hebrew name meaning gift, too, particularly when spelled Shay. The name had a good run from the 1970s into the early 2000s, but never reached even the Top 500 in the US. Today it could benefit from the shared sound with Charlotte, as well as a bright, vowel ending. Like fellow Irish origin name Maeve, it’s accessible in English. But it’s also a unisex possibility, so don’t count Shea out permanently.

SUNDAY (unranked as of 2024)

A day of the week with a warm, sunshiny vibe and spiritual notes, Sunday returns to the future Top 1000 girl names predictions in 2026.

TILLY (#953 as of 2024)

Casual and breezy, but with plenty of history, Tilly could be short for a longer name, like Matilda. Though it might work for anything with a strong T and L sound. Natalia, maybe? Tilly recently left England’s Top 100, but in the US, it’s been climbing steadily over the last decade or more. As for the spelling, Tilly-with-a-Y might be more familiar thanks to the chain store located in many suburban shopping malls. Originally named The World of Jeans and Tops, it was re-named Tillys after co-founder Tilly Levine. If combined with Tillie, this name would rank even higher.

WEDNESDAY (unranked as of 2024)

Thanks to a mix of Wednesday Addams’ star power and our love of W names, Wednesay returns to the predictions list again this year, even if it fell shortly last go round.

PAST PREDICTIONS

Here are the girls’ names I’ve previously predicted would enter the rankings – and their current standing as of calendar year 2024:

• AGNES
• AMAL
• ANDIE #847
• ANNABETH
• ANNELIESE
• ANTONELLA #233
• ARAYA*
• AUGUST #910
• AURA #872
• BEATRIX
• BELLAMY #861
• BERNADETTE
• BILLIE #694
• BIRDIE #754
• BRIAR #522
• CLEMENTINE #477
• CLEO #603
• CLOVER #618
• DELIA
• DOLLY
• EGYPT
• EISLEY
• ELLERY 
• ELODIE #370
• ELOWYN #447
• EMERALD #707
• EMILIANA #890
• ESMAE
• FLORA #648
• FLORENCE #435
• FRANKIE #591
• GOLDIE #645
• HARRIET
• HONEY #935
• IDA
• INDIE #651
• INAYA #760
• JOVIE #625
• KENSINGTON
• LAKELYN #756
• LAKELYNN #674
• LANDRY 
• LOIS
• LOTTIE #676
• LOUISE #540
• LOVE #846
• LUELLA #827
• MARIGOLD #693
• MARLOWE #624
• MAVEN
• MAVIS #566
• MAXINE #520
• MAYLEE
• NAIROBI
• NOA #253
• OCEAN #833
• OCTAVIA #295
• OPAL #450
• OPHELIA #261
• PALMER #258
• PEPPER
• PERSEPHONE #737
• POPPY #338
• PROMISE #818
• RAE
• RAMONA #772
• RIPLEY
• ROMY #926
• RUE
• SALEM #430
• SAPPHIRE*
• SCOUT #927
• SERAPHINA #778
• SOLANA #691
• SYLVIE #360
• TALLULAH #815
• TILLY #953
• TRUE (did not rank, but Tru ranks #892)
• WENDY
• WINIFRED*
• WINNIE #550
• WINRY
• ZELDA #748
• ZORA #918

* indicates that the name ranked in the US Top 1000 after appearing on a past future Top 1000 boy names list, but does not currently chart

What do you think will be the future top 1000 girl names?

This post was published on May 5, 2025 and revised on February 18, 2026.