Naming tips
How to pick a baby name
Start wide, narrow the list with a few rules you both agree on, test every finalist out loud, then decide together. The wheel helps most at the start, when the list is still empty.
Go wide first
Set Popularity to Top 200 and spin 10 or 20 times. Shortlist every name that makes either of you pause, even a maybe.
Agree on rules
Decide what matters: a family initial, a short name for a long surname, or a name outside the top 50. Set the filters to match.
Test the finalists
Say each one with your last name, in a whisper and in a shout. Write the initials and the likely nicknames.
Decide together
Each of you vetoes freely, with no reasons needed. Spin the shortlist when 2 or 3 names are left.
Checks before a name is final
- Full name out loud. First, middle and last name together, to hear the rhythm and any run-together sounds.
- Initials and monograms. Make sure the letters don't spell a word you would rather avoid.
- Nicknames. List the short forms other people will use, and make sure you can live with each one.
- Spelling and saying it. Ask a friend to read it cold. If they stumble, expect teachers and baristas to stumble too.
- How common it is. The rank in the popup shows how many babies got the name in 2025, so you know how many classmates might share it.
- Time to live with it. Use the name at home for a week before you announce it.
Filters
Baby name generator filters
Four filters turn the wheel into a random baby name generator for a letter, a length or a level of popularity. The count of matching names updates as you change each one.
List
Girls, Boys or Both. Both mixes the lists in rank order and shows a shared name once.
First letter
Any letter, or A to Z with a count for each. Letters with no names are grayed out.
Name length
Any, 2–4, 5–6 or 7+ letters. Short names suit long surnames, and the reverse.
Popularity
Top 10, 25, 50, 100 or 200 on each list. Top 50 keeps the 50 most-given names.
| Name length | Girls' top 200 | Boys' top 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 2–4 letters | 37 names | 43 names |
| 5–6 letters | 97 names | 110 names |
| 7+ letters | 66 names | 47 names |
The wheel opens with the top 10 girls' and top 10 boys' names. Put on the wheel loads every match, and Random 12 loads 12 of them at random. Each name gets an equal slice, so a #1 name is no likelier than a #200 name; raise a weight in the Entries table to favor one. The randomness check shows how picks are made.
The data behind the wheel holds names and counts only, so there is no filter for meaning or origin. To pick a letter by chance first, spin the letter wheel, then set it here.
2025 data
Top 20 baby names in the US for 2025
Olivia was the most popular girls' name in 2025, given to 13,544 babies, and Liam led the boys' list with 20,818. The table lists SSA's top 20 for each list.
| Rank | Girls' name | Babies | Boys' name | Babies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Olivia | 13,544 | Liam | 20,818 |
| #2 | Charlotte | 13,400 | Noah | 20,358 |
| #3 | Emma | 12,754 | Oliver | 14,939 |
| #4 | Amelia | 12,699 | Theodore | 13,355 |
| #5 | Sophia | 12,561 | Henry | 12,020 |
| #6 | Mia | 11,078 | James | 11,945 |
| #7 | Isabella | 10,666 | Elijah | 11,111 |
| #8 | Evelyn | 9,123 | Mateo | 11,045 |
| #9 | Sofia | 8,252 | William | 10,545 |
| #10 | Eliana | 8,191 | Lucas | 10,219 |
| #11 | Ava | 7,732 | Benjamin | 9,762 |
| #12 | Eleanor | 7,649 | Levi | 9,642 |
| #13 | Violet | 7,546 | Elias | 8,837 |
| #14 | Ailany | 7,136 | Luca | 8,759 |
| #15 | Aurora | 7,065 | Jack | 8,748 |
| #16 | Harper | 6,792 | Sebastian | 8,605 |
| #17 | Elizabeth | 6,760 | Hudson | 8,583 |
| #18 | Lily | 6,673 | Samuel | 8,334 |
| #19 | Camila | 6,591 | Leo | 8,173 |
| #20 | Nora | 6,380 | Ezra | 8,126 |
- 7%Girls with a top-10 name8% of boys
- 8.9×Olivia vs Lia#1 and #200 on the girls' list
- 11.9×Liam vs Andres#1 and #200 on the boys' list
Source
Where the baby names come from
Every name, rank and count on this page comes from the US Social Security Administration's national baby name data for 2025. SSA tabulated the file from Social Security records as of March 1, 2026. It counts babies born in the United States who have a Social Security number.
The wheel uses the top 200 names on each list, with SSA's ranks and counts unchanged. SSA lists each name as female or male, and this page calls those the girls' and boys' lists. To protect privacy, SSA leaves out any name given to fewer than 5 babies.
Source: Popular Baby Names, Social Security Administration, national data for 2025, downloaded October 21, 2026. US government data, public domain.
By the numbers
What the 2025 baby name data shows
The top 200 names covered about 44% of the girls and 53% of the boys counted in SSA's 2025 data. The same file shows these patterns.
- A leads the girls' list. 34 of the top 200 girls' names start with A.
- J leads the boys' list. 29 of the top 200 boys' names start with J.
- No top-200 name starts with U or Y on either list, and no boys' name starts with Q.
- Only 2 names make both top-200 lists: Parker (#106 girls, #102 boys) and Charlie (#133 girls, #145 boys).
- Thousands of names sit outside the top 200. The full file lists 17,297 different girls' names and 13,930 boys' names.
- A34 names
- E24 names
- S18 names
- M16 names
- L15 names
- J29 names
- A26 names
- C18 names
- E18 names
- L15 names
A to Z
The most popular baby names for each letter
The highest-ranked girls' and boys' name for every first letter in the 2025 top 200, with its national rank. Set First letter in the baby name generator to spin the rest.
- AGirls: Amelia (#4)Boys: Asher (#28)
- BGirls: Brooklyn (#118)Boys: Benjamin (#11)
- CGirls: Charlotte (#2)Boys: Cooper (#27)
- DGirls: Delilah (#51)Boys: Daniel (#22)
- EGirls: Emma (#3)Boys: Elijah (#7)
- FGirls: Freya (#176)Boys: Felix (#175)
- GGirls: Gianna (#33)Boys: Gabriel (#37)
- HGirls: Harper (#16)Boys: Henry (#5)
- IGirls: Isabella (#7)Boys: Isaac (#47)
- JGirls: Josephine (#53)Boys: James (#6)
- KGirls: Kennedy (#85)Boys: Kai (#93)
- LGirls: Lily (#18)Boys: Liam (#1)
- MGirls: Mia (#6)Boys: Mateo (#8)
- NGirls: Nora (#20)Boys: Noah (#2)
- OGirls: Olivia (#1)Boys: Oliver (#3)
- PGirls: Penelope (#22)Boys: Parker (#102)
- QGirls: Quinn (#97)Boys: none in the top 200
- RGirls: Riley (#48)Boys: Roman (#42)
- SGirls: Sophia (#5)Boys: Sebastian (#16)
- TGirls: Tatum (#189)Boys: Theodore (#4)
- VGirls: Violet (#13)Boys: Vincent (#107)
- WGirls: Willow (#44)Boys: William (#9)
- XGirls: Ximena (#183)Boys: Xavier (#108)
- ZGirls: Zoe (#31)Boys: Zion (#142)
Two people
Shortlist and veto with two people
The shortlist keeps the names you like, and a name drops out when either person ticks Veto. Type each person's name to label the 2 veto columns.
Add names from a spin of the baby name generator with Add to shortlist, or type any name, including ones that aren't on SSA's lists. It holds up to 60 names and stays in this browser, so share it with Copy.
Spin the shortlist puts every name with no veto on the wheel and spins once. In the sample, that wheel would hold Hazel, Theo and June.
Down to one name and still unsure? Ask the yes or no wheel and notice which answer you were hoping for.
Baby name shortlist: 3 of 5 names left
Hazel
Theo
Juniper (vetoed by Alex)
Arlo (vetoed by Sam)
June
Ideas
More ways to use the baby name wheel
Beyond a first name, the baby name generator helps with middle names, tie-breaks and a game for the shower.
Widen your list
Choose Top 200, spin 10 times and shortlist every name that makes you pause.
Names for one letter
Pick the letter in First letter, then put every match on the wheel.
Middle name ideas
Choose 2–4 letters and spin for short names to try in the middle.
Break a tie
Shortlist the 2 or 3 names you can't choose between, then press Spin the shortlist.
Baby shower game
Each guest spins, then guesses the name’s rank before reading the rank line in the popup.
Blend the parents' names
Write a few blends of both your names by hand, then type them in Add a name to sit beside the SSA names.
To pick a person rather than a name idea, such as who chooses the middle name, use the random name picker.
FAQ
Baby name generator FAQ
What is the most popular baby name in the US?
Olivia for girls and Liam for boys in 2025, the latest year in SSA's data.
How does a baby name generator work?
This one filters SSA’s top 200 lists, puts the matches on a wheel and picks one at random. The popup then shows the name’s rank and number of babies.
What filters can a baby name generator use?
Here: girls, boys or both, first letter, name length and popularity. The data has no meanings or origins, so those filters aren’t offered.
Does a more popular name come up more often?
No. Each name gets an equal slice. The rank only shows in the popup and the shortlist.
Can I add my own names?
Yes. Type them in the Entries box to spin them, or use Add a name to put them on the shortlist.
Which names are on both the girls’ and boys’ lists?
Only Parker and Charlie appear in both top-200 lists for 2025.
Can two people use one shortlist on different phones?
No. The shortlist stays in one browser. Press Copy and send it to the other person.
Last updated · Written and tested by Melissa T. Brown