r/namenerds • • May 08 '26

Mod Post Most Popular Baby Names 2025 in the United States - SSA

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311 Upvotes

r/namenerds • • 4h ago

Baby Names Naming Golda's sister!

10 Upvotes

We live in the US, and we're having another daughter. Our first is named Golda Yahav.

We'd like her name to be the same, a feminine first name and then a unisex middle name, because we like both! If we don't choose Aviva as the first name, I was thinking Aviv as the middle name.

Our list is short at the moment.

Golda and Naomi

Golda and Ofira/Ophira

Golda and Aviva

Golda and Yakira

Golda and Dafna/Daphna

Golda and Aluma

Am I very picky, I don't think so, but I irrationally dislike a lot of names. Talia, Margalit, Esther, Bluma, Ruth, and Malka are all names that my husband suggested that I said no to. I also said no to Liora, but I might like Lior as a middle name.

We're not Ashkenazi so we don't need it to be a Yiddish name or anything. My husband just happens to like a lot of them so maybe he was in a past life šŸ˜‚


r/namenerds • • 14h ago

Discussion Jennifer question

34 Upvotes

Does anyone in the U.S. know a Jennifer who is currently older than 60 or younger than 30?


r/namenerds • • 8h ago

Baby Names Hannah as a middle name?

10 Upvotes

My best friend passed a few years ago and I’d love to incorporate her name into a name for a baby girl. I would love to use it as a middle name, but I’m wondering what names people think go well with it. My list has a lot of random stuff I’ll just list it below pls don’t bully me lol. Open to other names too!

Clementine
Nora
Valerie
Noelle
Emmeline
Sylvie
Lina
Lena
Elara
Isoleen
Kate
Jane
Jessamine
Adira
Vivienne
Juliette
Serafina
Marigold (Goldie)
Clara
Daylily
Calla
Calla Lily
Clary
Edith
Cora
Iris


r/namenerds • • 8h ago

Name List Pre-K name list

9 Upvotes

I went on a field trip with my grandson's Pre-K class today. The names in his class were as follows:

Brooks

Jai

Legend

Maverick

Luna

Annie

Stella

Thaddeus

Isabella

Colton

Jhett

Everly

Cortlyn

Jatinder

In the other class the standout name to me was Gary!

A beautiful fall day to visit a pumpkin patch with a bunch of cute little kids!


r/namenerds • • 15h ago

Baby Names Baby name-Annie, Ann or Anning

36 Upvotes

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are Chinese, and we named our baby girl Anning (安宁). It’s a very meaningful name in Chinese, and we really love it. It’s also her official legal name.
However, we live in the US, and I’ve noticed that whenever I introduce her as Anning, people often hear ā€œAnnieā€ instead. I know Anning isn’t a common name in English, and it might not be the easiest name for native English speakers to pronounce or remember.
After having this happen so many times, I’ve started wondering if we should just use Annie as her nickname. I’ve also thought about Ann, but I’m not sure which one feels more natural.
We definitely want to keep Anning as her real name. I’m just thinking about what would be easier for her growing up in the US. At the same time, I don’t want her to feel like she needs an English name just because her Chinese name is unfamiliar to others.
I’d especially love to hear from Americans or native English speakers!
What is your first impression of the name Anning?
Would you find it difficult to pronounce or remember?
Do you think Annie or Ann would be a better nickname?
Or would you just stick with Anning and teach people how to say it?
I’m really curious to hear your thoughts from an American cultural perspective. Thank you!


r/namenerds • • 10h ago

Baby Names Help us find the perfect name for our baby girl!

12 Upvotes

We just found out we're having a girl (!!) and that she's healthy, which is so exciting! Now comes the stress of actually picking out a name. We have a running list, but nothing feels quite right yet. We're hoping some 3rd party strangers on the internet can help.

We like names that aren't common enough to be on the top 20 list, but aren’t unusual enough that people have never heard of them before.

Here are the names we have been bouncing around:

Top 20 Names:

  • Charlotte - this has always been my top name since high school. I'm from Charlotte so it has a personal connection too. It's heartbreaking that it has been such a popular name for so long because I really do love it, especially the nickname Charlie.
  • Sophie/ Sofia
  • Lily/ Lilian

Gender neutral names:

  • Addison
  • Blair
  • Kennedy
  • Campbell

Classic Fem Names:

  • Claire - this was my grandmother's (who was like a second mother to me) name. I think it is a nice a classic name, but the family connection is the main reason it's on the list.
  • Clara - twist on Claire, but a little different
  • Naomi - I love this one, but my husband is on the fence.
  • Margot
  • Natalie
  • Serena

We like V-names, however, both me and my husband have blonde hair and in my head I see these names "fitting" someone with darker hair or darker skin. This could just be a me thing tho, maybe I was too influenced but High School Musical.

  • Vanessa
  • Veronica
  • Vivian

r/namenerds • • 7h ago

Baby Names Help Us Find a Girl Name

7 Upvotes

My husband and I just found out we are expecting a baby! Yay!!

We have several boy names we love: Lawrence, Augustine, Nathaniel

We have one girl name agree on: Clara

Girls names I love include: Genevieve, Adeline, Iris

Girls names he loves: Eleanor, Madison

I feel like we have similar enough tastes that this shouldn’t be too hard, but I feel like we have gone through hundreds of girls names. I also feel like most of own name opinions are pretty basic, but we cannot find any other girl options we love.


r/namenerds • • 1h ago

Name List Last names that start with AM?

• Upvotes

Anything unique and pretty


r/namenerds • • 1h ago

Character/Fictional Names Japanese Male names that start with I that don't sound too old.

• Upvotes

I know this is pretty specific, but I really want an I name for this character. He is 19 years old, the story takes place in modern day, and he is a kabuki actor.

He was originally named Ikuji Inazumi (ēØ²ē© ä¼Šä¹…äŗŒ), but Ikuji sounds too old of a name, I think? Or do you think that would fit him more?

Any and all advice is very welcome and appreciated.


r/namenerds • • 1h ago

Baby Names Name varitions for Ingrid.

• Upvotes

Expecting our first baby, a little girl, in a few months and plan to name her after my mother, Ingrid. I want to honour her but honestly, I do not love her name. Please give some suggestions


r/namenerds • • 11h ago

Baby Names Middle names that go with Maya

8 Upvotes

We plan to name our baby girl Maya and was thinking of a middle name. Any suggestions?


r/namenerds • • 31m ago

Name Change Stuck on a new name

• Upvotes

Hi, I’m looking for a new name for myself (23f) and struggling to find something that feels right. I’m not transitioning or anything but I’m finding more and more the name I was given at birth does not fit me. And really just feels disconnected and bring me sadness. I’ve never really thought I could change my name because I’m happy with my gender and have a name that fits my gender. And I don’t necessarily have bad connections to my family or outright hate the name they gave me. But because of that I’m really struggling to look for one. Which for me is strange because I have the longest list of baby names that I adore. But when I tried them out as names for myself they didn’t feel like me. I would like if it was something that seems plausible to have been given to someone my age (2003) and not like I just picked it out this year. I like really feminine and elegant names that have a lot of potential nicknames. My birth name is very short and was picked because my dad hates nicknames and so picked something that cannot be given any nicknames and it’s something I’ve always hated about my name so I really want to have that. But I’m open to a shorter name depending on how it feels and as long as it still can have at least one nickname. I’d love to hear any recommendations! Vibes are elegant, romantic, artistic, vintage, literary, whimsical and dreamy. I would really like that it isn’t super common but maybe has a more common nickname. I am also pretty picky with the flow of pronunciation, I don’t like any really hard sounds in the middle. Or choppy syllables. Think really flowy or airy almost musical sounding.


r/namenerds • • 16h ago

Name List Cora or Agnes or Lily or Ingrid or Elsa

18 Upvotes

Help us decide for a baby girl!

Surname will be double barreled Italian and English.

Criteria:

- easy to spell and pronounce across the languages. We want a name that will travel well across English, Italian, German and French, because of family reasons.

- short (3 syllables max)

- not terribly overused

If you don’t like any of the current options, please feel free to suggest new ones along the same lines. Thanks!


r/namenerds • • 9h ago

Baby Names Honoring my dads name into my baby’s name

5 Upvotes

I’m having a hard time thinking of names that go with my daughters name (Marlow), that would also honor my fathers name Barry Keith. Keith means wood so we were considering Magnolia but it feels a little trendy at the moment so i’m not sure. if we have a boy I’m considering Beau or just using keith as a middle name in general but girl names are where i’m stumped honestly if anyone has any suggestions please share

***Edit***
Adding on, I currently have a daughter named Marlow Jane and am looking for Sibling names that also honor my dads name


r/namenerds • • 12h ago

Baby Names Go with Gus or a longer version?

7 Upvotes

Trying to think of boy names, we both like Gus. Not sure about longer versions, I don't love Gustav (and we aren't Scandinavian) but I really hate August/Augustin. Does anything know any Gus's who are just Gus or is it better to make it something longer (slash will people always assume it's short for something).


r/namenerds • • 8h ago

Baby Names Middle name help for December baby boy

3 Upvotes

Jude Alexander
Jude Archer
Jude August
Jude Cameron
Jude Elias
Jude Hudson
Jude Parker
Jude Theodore
Jude Teddy

Open to any other suggestions, especially something beginning with a vowel, an E or an A, or is a bit longer and masculine/traditional.


r/namenerds • • 3h ago

Baby Names Dean or Fulton?

2 Upvotes

Middle name would be John or some variant.

Last name is a boring one like Smith or Jones.


r/namenerds • • 9h ago

Baby Names Brother for Lana?

3 Upvotes

Looking for the same vibe.

Love Kit, and Shia but not sure if they really match that well? Maybe overthinking. HELP


r/namenerds • • 4h ago

Baby Names Feedback for boy names!

1 Upvotes

Looking for feedback on my current boy name shortlist, as well as suggestions for other names that might fit our style! 😊
The siblings, in age order, are Felicity, Augustus, Gideon, Phoenix(girl), and Elodie.
We try not to repeat first initials between our children (middle initials can repeat), and all of our children’s middle names are more familiar, established names.
Ideally, I like boy names that fall somewhere around the 300–600 range in US popularity. I prefer names that feel established, a little old-fashioned, and recognizable without being overly common or trendy. I also try to avoid names that are rapidly rising in popularity, although I made an exception for Elodie because I loved it too much to pass up, even knowing the Ellie-name trend was gaining momentum.
I love names that feel distinctive without sounding invented or like we’re trying too hard to be unique. My current favorites are a little more unusual than my other children’s names, so I’m looking for an outside perspective on whether they’re wearable as first names or might be a little too out there.
My top four contenders (the more unusual options):
Nazareth (favorite but also the one I’m most concerned is too out there)
Laszlo / Lazlo
Wilder
Calloway / Callahan
Calloway and Callahan are a little outside my usual naming style, but I’m considering them partly to honor a family member, Cali.
Some of the more familiar options I’m considering:
Jasper
Declan
Malachi
Sullivan
I’d love feedback or any suggestions for names with a similar feel: established, sturdy, a little uncommon, and preferably with some history behind them. Ideally, I’d like to avoid anything too trendy or anything that feels like a made-up spelling.
We’re in the US, so US popularity and naming trends are what I’m interested in.
Thanks for reading! 😊


r/namenerds • • 4h ago

Name Change Surname with connotations of openness to experience, exploring etc?

0 Upvotes

Does anyone know of any, preferably starting with an A? I know the Spanish word "abrar" ("to open"), so maybe "Abrada"? That might be too literal; I'm not a native speaker


r/namenerds • • 8h ago

Baby Names Naming Llewyn’s little brother!

2 Upvotes

My first son’s name is Llewyn (which means lion lamb) and we’ll be having our second son around his second birthday!! I love wild/nature names, and names that are very very unique and playful!

Some of my top picks right now are

Wilder
Pippin
August
Sylvan
Alfie

Any help with additional names would be appreciated!


r/namenerds • • 6h ago

Baby Names Struggling with a middle name for my son! Do any of these work?

1 Upvotes

We have a 3 syllable last name, similar in sound to Pavuru (This is NOT our real last name, this is made up to get the idea across). First name for baby boy is Ari (set in stone). Here are the middle names:

Ari Griffin Pavuru
Ari Callum Pavuru
Ari Reese Pavuru (maybe my fav)

Do any sound nice to you? We’ve been struggling hard but willing to keep trying if they’re bad!


r/namenerds • • 14h ago

Name Change I can't choose Yana or Eva?

4 Upvotes

F20. I want to change my name. What do you think about name Eva? What are your associations? Is it usable now or outdated? International? How do you pronounce it? What do think about Yana? Is it okay in English community? Any associations?


r/namenerds • • 7h ago

Baby Names What do we think: Anderson Ames?

0 Upvotes

Curious of opinions on this name for a baby boy? My husband worries the ā€œ-sonā€ names (Jackson, Hudson, etc.) will maybe sound dated in a few years? I feel like Anderson is pretty classic. I like surnames as first name and this happens to be a family/maiden surname in our lineage (but no close relatives with this surname that are alive). I like the nickname potential. We like Ames, that was our backup boy name. Considering them together. Our last name starts with an A, so initials would be Triple A. Is that cringe? We could do Anderson James but we dislike the nickname ā€œAJ.ā€ Any thoughts? Thanks!