Choosing a baby name is such a monumental experience in pregnancy. The pressure to pick the right name can feel heavy and the options seem endless. Some parents-to-be start with a preferred letter, while others lean into a sound or meaning. Each year we watch the naming patterns take shape.
In 2022, we saw a rise in utopian and celestial names. Movie characters also inspired some lovely names (we're looking at you, Encanto). The Social Security Administration recently announced the top baby names of 2022Opens a new window – but now we're five months into 2023. This year's baby name trends are already taking shape. With 2022 behind us, let's look ahead to 2023.
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We gather our baby name data from parents who share their babies' names in real time, giving us an up-to-the-minute look at what's trending. While the data in this article is frozen for reporting purposes, you can take a live look at the top 100 baby names here.
We studied the most popular names of the year so far and found these five trends.
1. Nature names
Names with nature themes continue to dominate the charts, as they have for years. Olivia, the #1 girl name since 2021 (along with its male counterpart Oliver), derives from the fruit called "olive."
Floral names are perennially popular for girls especially. Some of these names are familiar favorites – Violet, Hazel, Willow, and Ivy have all been in the top 100 for the past five years at least (some longer!). But there are some up-and-comers, too: Iris only just made it to the top 100 names last year, Jasmine may be making a comeback after taking a dip for a few years, and Daisy is an old favorite that's on the rise.
Parents love to name their little girls after other natural phenomena, too:
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Nature names are certainly more common among girls – but don't think that means the boys are getting left out of this trend. Rowan, River, and Leo are all sitting pretty among the top 100 names for boys.
2. Vintage names
Names that were popular 100 years ago (more or less) are back in a big way. Some, like Penelope, are more popular now than they were in their heyday – Penelope topped out at #265 when it was popular in the 1940s and '50s, but broke into the top 100 names for the first time ever in 2013 and hasn't left since.
Parents are shaking the dust off of these vintage names for their precious new arrivals:
3. Short names
Parents expecting babies in 2023 are keeping it short and sweet – names with four letters or fewer are all the rage, especially for boys. Some, like John, Luke, and Adam, have been popular for as long as we've been ranking names. Others are debuting in the top 100 for the first time ever: Milo, Ace, and Zion are all newcomers.
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There are fewer short girl names ranking among the top 100 this year, but they're just as sweet. They're also popular: All but Arya appeared in the top 100 last year.
4. Names with strong meanings
Maybe it's aspirational, but parents are gravitating toward names with strong meanings in 2023. In some cases, the name comes directly from the word: Faith, Grace, and Serenity are all in the top 100 girl names this year.
But for the most part, parents are finding subtler ways to nod to the characteristics they want their baby to emulate. Take Ezra, a Hebrew name that means "helper." It's been steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, and has held onto a spot in the top 100 names since 2015.
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Other names include:
- Sofia, Sophia, and Sophie mean "wisdom"
- Amelia means "industrious"
- Valentina means "strong"
- Naomi means "pleasant"
- Ethan means "strong" or "enduring"
- Maverick means "an unorthodox or independent-minded person"
- Alexander means "defender of men"
- Atlas comes from Greek myth, where the Titan Atlas was sentenced to carry the world on his shoulders
5. Names that used to be nicknames
If you find that you love a name's nickname but don't love the name as much, there's nothing stopping you from giving your baby a nickname as their full name. Just look at Liam: Short for William, it didn't rank as an independent name until the 1960s – and now it's been one of the most popular boy names for a decade.
Check out these popular nicknames-turned-full names:
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The top 10 girl names of 2023 so far
The top four girl names from 2022 have held steady so far this year. But after more than 15 years in the top 10 baby names, Sophia's popularity appears to be wavering. It and Mia are in a tight race for the #10 spot – we'll just have to wait and see who wins out.
- Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Lily
- Luna
- Aurora
- Mia
The top 10 boy names of 2023 so far
The top 10 boy names, on the other hand, have seen some upheaval. Noah edged out Liam to take over as the #1 name, and there are four new names in the top 10: Leo, Mateo, Ethan, and Aiden. William, Henry, Benjamin, and Theodore fell out of the top 10 entirely – though there's still time this year for a comeback.
- Noah
- Liam
- Oliver
- Elijah
- Leo
- Mateo
- Ethan
- James
- Lucas
- Aiden
