Baby names & trends
Historical name data, changing tastes and a calmer way to make a shortlist together.
Name Scout: Explore Official SSA Baby-Name Trends
Name Scout turns U.S. SSA baby-name records into trends by year, state, and decade, with name meanings and partner-synced favorites.
Open the guideThe Fastest-Rising Baby Names of 2025 Depend on What You Count
Klarity climbed 1,396 places on 257 extra babies. Ailany climbed 87 places on 4,530. Rank jumps and real gains tell different stories.
Read the postHow Shared Baby Names Shift Between Girls and Boys
Ashley became strongly female in the U.S. records, but Rowan, Taylor and Remy show why changing name shares are not an irreversible rule or a forecast.
Read the postThe X-Name Boom Peaked in 2018. What Changed?
Names containing X rose from 0.29% of boys’ published counts in 1960 to 4.46% in 2018, then eased to 3.36% in 2025. The group includes classics and newer spellings.
Read the postThe Top Ten Baby Names Cover Far Fewer Babies Now, 1910–2025
The leading ten boys’ names accounted for 33.8% of published counts in 1950 and 8.0% in 2025. Girls’ top-ten share fell from 24.1% to 7.0%.
Read the postHow the Final Letters of Boys’ Names Changed, 1910–2025
Final N reached 36.4% of boys’ published name counts in 2011, then fell to 28.0% in 2025. Written endings reveal a shift, but cannot stand in for pronunciation.
Read the postOld Baby Names Can Return—Without a Universal 100-Year Clock
Eleanor, Violet, Eloise, Josephine, Leo and Arthur show different revivals. Their histories explain why an old name can feel current, without predicting the next comeback.
Read the postHow Long Does a Baby Name Take to Fall Below Half Its Peak?
Shirley reached half its peak count in four years; James took 25. Karen, Brittany, Alexa and Elizabeth show why one decay rule cannot describe every name.
Read the postNames Associated With Light and Water: Meaning and U.S. Trends
Clara, Lucy, Lucia, Kai, River and Marina offer different connections to light or water. Separate documented origins from imagery, then compare exact-spelling popularity.
Read the postHow the Long-Name Gap Between Girls and Boys Narrowed, 1880–2025
The gap between girls’ and boys’ 7+ letter names has shrunk from 21.2 percentage points in the 1990s to 4.6 in 2020–25.
Read the postOlivia Kept First Place. Charlotte Nearly Closed the Gap.
Olivia’s lead over Charlotte narrowed from 2,175 U.S. girls in 2024 to 144 in 2025. Counts reveal a change that the unchanged number-one rank hides.
Read the postHow to Read Baby-Name Trends by Decade: Rank, Count and Share
Elizabeth, Olivia and Eleanor show three different histories. Use pooled decade shares, recent annual counts and local context to understand a shortlist.
Read the postHow to Choose a Baby Name With Your Partner
Collect independently, compare the overlap and discuss what each favourite offers. A worked shortlist example helps turn disagreement into a smaller, usable set.
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