Most Popular Baby Girl Names

What are the most popular baby girl names?

Maybe you’ve had your baby’s name picked out since you were a child yourself. Perhaps you and your partner simply can’t agree or neither of you has any idea where to start! Whether you want an original name or one of the most popular baby girl names!

Choosing your newborn’s name is tough. It’s REALLY tough. After all, it’s going to be with them throughout their life. It’s going to be one of the first things people learn about them as they get older.

No pressure right?

Well, you’ve ended up on this blog post, which probably means you’re in need of a bit of inspiration. And, you’ve come to the right place!

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular baby girl names being chosen by new parents in the 2020s so far.

Top 10 Baby Names for Girls

Got a little girl on the way? New mums and dads have been choosing the following 10 popular baby girl names over the last two years.

Olivia has been the number one baby name for girls since 2017. Famous Olivias include Oscar-winning actor Olivia Colman, Made in Chelsea star Olivia Bentley and actor Olivia Wilde.

Like Olivia, Amelia has maintained its place in the top 10 for the last five years. Its popularity has increased massively since the 1990s and has been consistently one of the most common baby names for girls since the mid-2000s.

According to the Office for National Statistics, younger parents (under 35) are opting for shorter, less traditional baby names, which might explain why names like Isla (as well as the next four names in the top 10 list) are so popular.

Ava has been in the top 10 of girls’ baby names since 2011. There are a number of possible origins for the name, including the Germanic word ‘aval’ (‘guarantee’) or the Latin word ‘avis’ (bird or birdlike).

Mia is another very modern name, entering the top 100 for the first time in 1997. It’s been in the top 20 since 2002, and the fifth is the most popular it’s ever been.

The name Ivy came to be considered very old fashioned during the late 20th-century, but it made a fairly rapid comeback in the last decade. It was in 227th position in 2010 but has leapt into the top 10 since then.

Lily has been an ever-present in the top 100 girls baby names for the last century, but it’s only in the last 20 years that it’s risen to become one of the most popular names for newborn girls.

Isabella is a popular choice thanks to its versatility, with lots of variations on the name, but the most common is probably Bella. The name has grown in popularity throughout this century, perhaps thanks to a certain teen vampire book…

Rosie has remained a popular name for girls in every region of the UK for decades, although ninth represents its highest place in the charts.

Only entering the top 100 for the first time in 1997, Sophia steadily rose to a peak of seventh in 2019 but has since fallen back a bit.

Baby Names Inspired by a Location –

Naming children after locations isn’t a new phenomenon, but the most obvious and famous example that kicked off the recent trend was David and Victoria Beckham naming their firstborn son ‘Brooklyn’. There are also plenty of other celebrity examples, like Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Dakota Fanning.

There are no baby girls names in the top 100 that are clearly named after locations, apart from the more traditional choices, like Florence and Georgia.

How to create a list of potential baby names:

Unless you’re lucky enough to already know what you want to call your newborn, you might be daunted by the prospect of putting together a shortlist of names. Of course, you might also be going off the pre-picked names now the day your little one arrives is approaching!

Think about what’s important to you…

Is uniqueness something you value because you don’t want your daughter to be one of 10 other Emilys in her year group? Perhaps naming them after someone special to you is a factor? Or a name from Greek mythology, French origins or just a cute, nature-inspired name like Willow?

Whatever your criteria, communication with your partner is key. Neither one of you should keep quiet if you really don’t like a suggested name — because you’re going to have to live with it for a long time! So, work together and think carefully.

It’s also worth remembering that middle names are an option too, so if you feel guilty about not naming your daughter after your recently-deceased grandmother (for example), you can always honour them with a second, third or fourth name instead!

Our best advice, though? Don’t rush. Give yourselves the time to reflect on different names and wait and see if you feel like it suits your baby once they’re born. You can change your mind right up until filing the official paperwork.

Generally, no.

However, according to some studies, a name can impact how we’re treated by other people — which is key in our early development. For example, men with uncommon first names were thought more likely to drop out of school and be lonely later in life. However, subsequent research has contradicted that early research.

The reality is inconclusive, but some experts suspect the impact of a name is rarely more important than the effect of being raised by parents that would choose that name!

When Elon Musk and Grimes named their child ‘X Æ A-12’, it raised a lot of eyebrows. That said, being the son of a billionaire celebrity probably makes up for it… But it’s also a name that will be remembered!

Do you still need more inspiration for baby names? Because we’ve got plenty! Check out our blogs on imaginative and creative baby names here:

Best Irish Baby Names | Best Scottish Baby Names | Cool Baby Names | Unusual Baby Names and What They Mean | Unique Baby Names | Baby Names Inspired by Animals | Baby Names Beginning with A