Baby boy names that start with G have decreased in popularity over the past 100 years, but there are still plenty of good options to consider for your future son!
Every year on Mother’s Day, the Social Security Administration releases the list of all baby name lists.
That list gives parents a clear idea of what the most popular names are for babies born the year prior and is one of the most commonly used sources when searching for the perfect baby name.
But Mother’s Day doesn’t arrive until May — and it’s not even Christmas yet.
The good news is parents don’t necessarily need to wait until May to get an idea of what baby names are growing (or declining) in popularity this year — and you can thank BabyCenter for that.
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On Nov. 5, BabyCenter released its list of the most popular baby names for 2025.
While most of the names on the list came as no surprise to those who frequent their annual data, there were also a lot of changes and shakeups that might make you rethink your baby name strategy in 2026.
Here’s a look at what parents learned from BabyCenter’s 2025 data.
Most popular boy names in 2025
In 2024, the top 10 most popular boy names were (in order) Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas and William, per the SSA.
Fast forward to 2025 and not much has changed, according to BabyCenter.
Noah, Liam and Oliver remained in the top-three, while Elijah and Mateo rounded out the top-five. Lucas came in at No. 7 and James (12th), Henry (13th) and Theodore (17th) remained inside the top 20.
But William, which ranked 35th in 2025, doesn’t appear to be that popular among BabyCenter parents.
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Instead, names like Levi, Ezra, Asher and Luca cracked the top-10 and Leo, Hudson, Elias, Michael, Samuel, Muhammad and Theo rounded out the top 20.
Other boy names that saw increases in popularity include Malachi, Arthur, Ali and Nathaniel — but Hunter, Axel, Greyson and Max all dipped in popularity.
Here’s a closer look at the top-50 most popular boy names of 2025, according to BabyCenter:
| 1. Noah (motion, repose) | 26. Jack (God is gracious) |
| 2. Liam (will to protect) | 27. Josiah (Yahweh supports) |
| 3. Oliver (olive tree) | 28. Mason (stoneworker) |
| 4. Elijah (my God is Yahweh) | 29. Maverick (independent) |
| 5. Mateo (God’s gift) | 30. Gabriel (God is my strong man) |
| 6. Levi (joined, attached) | 31. Waylon (land by the road) |
| 7. Lucas (light, bringer of light) | 32. Wyatt (brave battle) |
| 8. Ezra (help) | 33. Carter (one who uses a cart) |
| 9. Asher (happy, blessed) | 34. Isaiah (Yahweh is salvation) |
| 10. Luca (light, bringer of light) | 35. William (will to protect) |
| 11. Leo (lion) | 36. Alexander (defender of mankind) |
| 12. James (supplanter, holder of the heel) | 37. David (uncle, beloved) |
| 13. Henry (home ruler) | 38. Owen (of the yew tree) |
| 14. Hudson (son of Hugh) | 39. Julian (downy-bearded) |
| 15. Elias (my God is Yahweh) | 40. Santiago (Saint James) |
| 16. Michael (who is like God?) | 41. Jackson (son of Jack) |
| 17. Theodore (God’s gift) | 42. Luke (light, bringer of light) |
| 18. Samuel (name of God) | 43. Cooper (barrel maker) |
| 19. Muhammad (praised, commendable) | 44. Adam (man, Earth) |
| 20. Theo (God) | 45. Matthew (God’s gift) |
| 21. Benjamin (son of the right hand) | 46. Logan (little hollow) |
| 22. Grayson (son of a steward) | 47. Ezekiel (God will strengthen) |
| 23. Daniel (God is my judge) | 48. Caleb (dog) |
| 24. Sebastian (venerable) | 49. Roman (of Rome) |
| 25. Ethan (solid, enduring) | 50. Kai (sea) |
Other names worth considering that landed in BabyCenter’s top-100 include Weston, Silas, Enzo, Bennett, Beau, Zion, Xavier, Jace, River, Jaxon, Walker, Parker and Easton.
Most popular girl names in 2025
Boy names are relatively easy to predict, but girl names — they saw quite a bit of shakeup in 2025.
According to the SSA, the top 10 most popular girl names in 2024 (in order) were Olivia, Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, Isabella, Evelyn, Ava and Sofia.
BabyCenter had similar data for 2024, which had a top-10 of Olivia, Amelia, Emma, Sophia, Charlotte, Isabella, Ava, Mia, Ellie and Luna.
The top-10 didn’t change much in 2025 — except Ava and Luna, which were replaced by Eliana and Aurora.
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Eloise, Sienna, Catalina, Juniper and Oaklynn made their debut in the top-100 for 2025, while Sarah, Emersyn, Charlie, Josephine, Vivian and Kehlani are re-joining the top-100 after years of decline.
Unfortunately, that means some names fell out of the top-100 compared to last year.
For example, Nevaeh, Kennedy, Anna, Ember, Jade, Savannah, Audrey, Cora, Natalie, Skylar and Oakley are no longer top-100 girl names.
Here’s a closer look at the top-50 most popular girl names of 2025, according to BabyCenter:
| 1. Olivia (olive tree) | 26. Ella (other, foreign) |
| 2. Amelia (unceasing, vigorous, brave) | 27. Scarlett (red fabric) |
| 3. Sophia (wisdom) | 28. Elizabeth (God’s oath, oath to God) |
| 4. Emma (whole, great) | 29. Chloe (green spout) |
| 5. Isabella (God’s oath, oath to God) | 30. Elena (torch, corposant) |
| 6. Charlotte (free woman) | 31. Nora (honor, light) |
| 7. Eliana (God has answered) | 32. Penelope (type of duck) |
| 8. Ellie (bright, shining one) | 33. Lainey (bright, shining light) |
| 9. Aurora (dawn) | 34. Isla (island) |
| 10. Mia (mine) | 35. Camila (young ceremonial attendant) |
| 11. Ava (breathing, living) | 36. Avery (ruler of the elves) |
| 12. Lily (lily flower) | 37. Riley (rye clearing) |
| 13. Luna (moon) | 38. Mila (gracious) |
| 14. Evelyn (desired, wished for) | 39. Delilah (delicate, weak) |
| 15. Violet (purple flower) | 40. Lucy (light, bringer of light) |
| 16. Aria (song, air) | 41. Valentina (strong, vigorous, healthy) |
| 17. Sofia (wisdom) | 42. Leilani (heavenly flower) |
| 18. Hazel (hazel tree, light brown) | 43. Grace (blessing) |
| 19. Harper (one who made or played a harp) | 44. Paisley (church, cemetery) |
| 20. Layla (night) | 45. Naomi (my pleasantness) |
| 21. Nova (new) | 46. Abigail (father’s joy) |
| 22. Willow (willow tree) | 47. Emilia (rival) |
| 23. Ivy (climbing plant) | 48. Iris (rainbow) |
| 24. Gianna (God is gracious) | 49. Ayla (moonlight, halo) |
| 25. Eleanor (other Aenor, bright) | 50. Stella (star) |
Names that start with (or contain) El- are the real winners here.
Aside from the 13 that landed in the top-50, eight others — Adeline, Melody, Raelynn, Eloise, Bella, Gabriella, Madelyn and Brielle — landed in the top-100, according to BabyCenter.
What the most popular names tell us about 2026 trends
While parents won’t have official SSA data for 2025 until May, you can learn a lot from the data above.
For example, Hebrew names and names tied to God are still dominant when it comes to boy names — and names that include “el” are still very much popular among girl names.
Boy names meaning “light,” most of which arederived from the Latin word lux, are also very trendy for 2025 and beyond.
Nature names — specifically flower names (Lily, Violet, Leilani, Chloe) and plant or tree names (Olivia, Hazel, Willow, Ivy, Riley) — are other popular favorites for baby girls.
There are also a ton of popular occupational names (Cooper, Carter, Mason, Harper) and patronymic names (Grayson, Benjamin, Hudson, Jackson, Abigail) listed in BabyCenter’s top-50 for 2025.
But all of that means nothing unless those names interest you.
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If you’re struggling to find the perfect name for your future little one, check out our baby name lists at Mod Moms Club or try out our baby name generator to narrow down your list based on your preferences.
