Future Top 1000 Girl Names: Betty, Marigold, True

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, as reported annually by the US Social Security Administration, or 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.

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.

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

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.

ARAYA

A Thai name meaning righteous as well as a Spanish surname borrowed from the map, Araya is a name that spans the globe. (Possible meanings are also found in Amharic as well as Japanese.) It’s also sometimes a surname or a masculine name, but sound gives this one to the girls in the US. It’s steadily risen in use over the last two decades, and seems poised to reach the Top 1000.

BETTY

Back in the day, Betty ranked a sky-high #2, behind only Mary. (And well ahead of Elizabeth, the formal name from which Betty derives.) But those days are long past – Betty left the US Top Ten in 1944 and the Top 1000 in 1996. More proof of the name’s vintage? It brings to mind the late comedy icon Betty White, born in 1922, as the US neared peak-Betty. The name feels ready for revival, a sister for Sadie. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds named a daughter Betty – and Taylor Swift announced it in her song lyrics – so clearly, style-conscious parents are taking notice.

ELOWYN

Novel nature names aren’t only for English. The Cornish name Elowen refers to an elm tree, and it’s trending in the UK. But the spelling Elowyn is slightly more popular in the US. Why? Maybe because we often choose a Y spelling for an import – think Gwendolyn or Brynn. Or maybe it’s thanks to Elowyn Greenbriar, a character in The Folk of the Air, a bestselling YA fantasy series. Either way, it’s Elowyn with a Y that sits just outside of the US Top 1000 and could easily rank.

HARRIET

Antique Harriet fits right in with so many traditional favorites, but the -et ending also brings to mind newer chart-toppers, like Scarlett and Juliette. A feminine form of boys’ favorite Henry, Harriet could be a sister for Josephine, a substitute for Eleanor. It’s been just slightly outside of the Top 1000 for the past three years.

LAKELYNN

Lake is a straight-up nature name with plenty of appeal, but it remains rare. Lakelynn picks up on modern innovations like Oaklynn and Emberlynn that have gained dramatically in recent years. For parents looking for something new, it blends nature names with mix-and-match choices, in the key of Wrenley or Oakleigh. It’s a recipe for success.

LOTTIE

Sweetly vintage Lottie can be a nickname for Top Ten Charlotte. (It’s said to be one of Princess Charlotte’s nicknames.) American parents have long favored Charlie instead. But we also love Sadie and Ellie and Millie, which makes Lottie a logical next choice. A nineteenth century Top 100 favorite, Lottie hasn’t ranked in the US since the 1950s – but that might just meant his name is prime for revival.

LOVE

Word names have always had their place. While some, like Grace, feel traditional, others seem far more modern. Love has always been given – in small numbers – to our daughters and our sons. But lately, it’s spiked in use dramatically for girls. That’s almost certainly thanks to Netflix’s dark psychological thriller You, starring Penn Badgley as Joe. Love Quinn is introduced in the second season, remains a central figure in the third, and appears as a guest during the fourth. Season five is coming in 2024, and while the character isn’t at the heart of the story, parents watching the show will continue to discover Love as a given name.

MARIGOLD

Downton Abbey took Marigold from rare to familiar; the numbers have just taken a while to catch up. The flower name fits right in with Violet and Rose – also Downton names – but also modern choices like Willow and Azalea. The character was introduced in 2014; it has risen dramatically in use since then and now sits just outside the official Top 1000.

SERAPHINA

Fiery and elaborate, Seraphina sounds like it ought to rank somewhere between Isabella and Valentina, or at least Francesca and Aurelia. So far that hasn’t come to pass – even though Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck welcomed their daughter Seraphina way back in 2009. (Plenty of other pop culture references exist, too.) Maybe it’s just taken more than a decade for this long and lovely name to make it to the top of parents’ shortlists in big numbers.

TALLULAH

Tallulah has never ranked in the US Top 1000, but it still feels like a sparky, vintage choice. Credit goes to early Broadway and Hollywood star Tallulah Bankhead. It’s trending now because we love so many l-l names, like Delilah and Liliana. Plus, Luna, Lucy, and Louise all share that lovely lou sound. Tallulah just plain fits, and the numbers suggest that this could be Tallulah’s year.

TRUE

Tru – hold the E – rocketed in the boys’ Top 1000 in 2017 and continues to climb. There’s a Kardashian granddaughter named True, though, and plenty of examples to make this name solidly unisex. Just like fellow word names River and Reign, there’s every reason to guess that True will gain in use for girls. And while there’s no obvious explanation, Tru – hold the E – is more popular for boys at the moment, while the four-letter True is slightly more successful for girls.

WENDY

At first glance, Wendy isn’t anywhere near ready for a comeback. It was a 1960s favorite, meaning there are plenty of grandma Wendys right about now. And yet, pop culture has recently given us Peter Pan and Wendy. While the movie is a 2023 release, it’s been under development – and much discussed – for years now. Any Disney-loving family probably knows that a fresh take on Wendy Darling has been headed their way for a while, re-casting her as braver and more adventurous than some earlier tellings. The numbers suggest Wendy is still stuck in style limbo, but this feels like a possible name that could break all the rules. It’s also in the key of Wednesday, a name poised to rocket next, thanks to another classic character reinvented on a streamer.

PAST PREDICTIONS

Here are the 54 girls’ names I’ve previously predicted would enter the rankings – and their current standing:

AGNES
AMAL
ANDIE
ANNABETH
ANNELIESE
ANTONELLA (ranks #555 as of the 2021 data)
AUGUST
BEATRIX
BELLAMY (ranks #765 as of the 2021 data)
BERNADETTE
BETTY
BILLIE (ranks #941 as of the 2021 data)
BIRDIE (ranks #897 as of the 2021 data)
BRIAR (ranks #515 as of the 2021 data)
CLEMENTINE (ranks #549 as of the 2021 data)
CLEO (ranks #804 as of the 2020 data)
CLOVER (ranks #866 as of the 2021 data)
DELIA
EGYPT
EISLEY
ELLERY
ELODIE (ranks #737 as of the 2021 data)
EMERALD (ranks #913 as of the 2021 data)
EMILIANA
FLORA (ranks #647 as of the 2021 data)
FLORENCE (ranks #713 as of the 2021 data)
FRANKIE (ranks #593 as of the 2021 data)
GOLDIE (ranks #883 as of the 2021 data)
HARRIET
INDIE (ranks #680 as of the 2021 data)
INAYA
JOVIE (ranks #763 as of the 2021 data)
KENSINGTON
LAKELYN
LANDRY (ranks #962 as of the 2021 data)
LOTTIE
LOUISE (ranks #643 as of the 2021 data)
LUELLA (ranks #923 as of the 2021 data)
MARIGOLD
MARLOWE (ranks #896 as of the 2021 data)
MAVIS (ranks #760 as of the 2021 data)
MAXINE (ranks #701 as of the 2021 data)
MAYLEE
NAIROBI
NOA (ranks #330 as of the 2021 data)
OCEAN (ranks #877 as of the 2021 data)
OCTAVIA (ranks #248 as of the 2021 data)
OPAL (ranks #547 as of the 2021 data)
OPHELIA (ranks #321 as of the 2021 data)
PALMER (ranks #329 as of the 2021 data)
PEPPER
PERSEPHONE (ranks #778 as of the 2021 data)
POPPY (ranks #401 as of the 2021 data)
PROMISE (ranks #740 as of the 2021 data)
RAE
RAMONA (ranks #794 as of the 2021 data)
RIPLEY
SALEM (ranks #506 as of the 2021 data)
SAPPHIRE
SCOUT (ranks #829 as of the 2021 data)
SERAPHINA
SYLVIE (ranks #586 as of the 2021 data)
TALLULAH
WINNIE (ranks #690 as of the 2021 data)
ZELDA (ranks #606 as of the 2021 data)
ZORA (ranks #824 as of the 2021 data)