The 50 most popular baby girl names
What are the most popular baby girl names in America? We have the answers. Using the Social Security Administration's most recent data, we've assembled a countdown list of the 50 most selected girl names in the U.S. in 2020.
Since our last major update, Natalie, Aubrey, Audrey and Bella all dropped out of the top 50. So, what names took their places? And what's No. 1? Read on.
50. Paisley
Is a male country-music star the reason Paisley has taken off as a popular girl name?
In Social Security Administration records going back to 1900, Paisley was never in the top 1,000 until 2006 — a year after singer-songwriter Brad Paisley scored his first top 5 album on the Billboard 200 chart. Of late, the name Paisley has been in and around the top 50 since 2014.
49. Lucy
Fun facts: Lucy became slightly less popular during the original run of "I Love Lucy," going from 216th place in 1951 to 227th place in 1957. The name's popularity continued to fall, bottoming out in 588th place in 1978, as Lucy Van Pelt, the crabby "Peanuts" character, came to pop-culture prominence.
With a new century, came new Lucy fans. From 2000 to 2003, the name jumped 100 spots, from 323rd place to 220th, and kept climbing from there.
48. Willow
In 2000, the year Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith welcomed a baby daughter, the name Willow was barely holding onto a spot in the top 800.
Now, the name is a star, right alongside singer Willow Smith.
47. Addison
This name shot up after "Grey's Anatomy" introduced the character Dr. Addison Montgomery (played by Kate Walsh) in 2005. It rose as high as 11th place in 2010.
Addison was a top 1,000 boy name for much of the early 20th century, and then reemerged in the late 1980s.
Addison began to chart as a girl name in 1994.
46. Lillian
In the 2000s, some young TV viewers came to know Lillian through Lillian "Lilly" Truscott (played by Emily Osment, pictured at left), the best friend on Disney's "Hannah Montana."
Though significantly more popular in the 2000s than it was in the 1970s and 1980s, Lillian, to date, has only been a top 10 girl name twice: in 1900; and, in 1901.
45. Leah
Leah seems to owe its current success more to one of Jon and Kate Gosselin's sextuplets, pictured, than to the "Star Wars" galactic princess, Leia.
The year after "Jon & Kate Plus 8" premiered in 2007, the name Leah moved into the top 50 for the first time.
The variation Leia, meanwhile, has long lagged behind Leah. It was the 295th most popular baby girl name in 2020.
44. Isla
This is Isla's first appearance in the top 50.
After dropping out of the top 1,000 in 1909, Isla essentially remained out of the discussion until 2008, when it reemerged as the 623rd most popular girl name.
The name's rising popularity roughly tracks with the career of actress Isla Fisher, who reached stardom via the box-office hits "Wedding Crashers" (2005) and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (2009).
43. Everly
A decade ago, in 2012, Everly ranked 902nd. Then, in 2013, Channing Tatum and then-wife Jenna Dewan welcomed daughter Everly. The name's been zooming up the charts ever since.
2019 marked Everly's first appearance in the top 50. Dewan is pictured here with her Everly in 2018.
42. Stella
Stella is now more fashionable than it was during its prior heyday of the early 1900s.
The name reentered the top 100 in the 2010. It cracked the top 50 for the first time in 2016.
41. Zoe
Actress Zoë Kravitz ("Big Little Lies," "The Batman") was born in 1988, just as this variation of Zoey was beginning its climb up the popularity chart.
Only intermittently popular from the 1940s to the 1970s, Zoe has been a top 50 name since 2009.
40. Emilia
A top 1,000 name of the first half of the 20th century, Emilia reemerged in the 1990s, and has been climbing ever since.
Since 2011, when actress Emilia Clarke became a star via "Game of Thrones," the name has surged from 325th place. It debuted in the top 50 in 2019.
39. Hannah
While "Hannah Montana" was in step with the rebirth of the name Lilian, it was out of step with the trajectory of Hannah.
As a baby girl name, Hannah peaked in popularity from 1998 to 2000, just prior to the debut of the Miley Cyrus sitcom. Hannah has been sliding down the rankings ever since.
38. Nova
For decades, Nova was arguably far better known as the title of a PBS science series than as a baby girl name. Then in 2011, it magically appeared in the Social Security Administration's top 1,000.
In 2012, it served as the name of an aspiring fairy godmother (played by Amy Acker) in a first-season episode of the series "Once Upon a Time." The name hasn't looked back. This is Nova's first appearance in the top 50.
37. Violet
Formerly a top 100 girl name of the 1900s to 1920s, Violet reemerged as the 89th-most popular baby girl name in 2012. It cracked the top 50 for the first time in 2015.
Actress-singer Christina Milian is seen here in 2018 with daughter Violet.
36. Aurora
Aurora cracked the Social Security Administration's top 50 in 2017.
The name seemed to surge following the release of the 2014 Disney hit "Maleficent," costarring Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora.
35. Lily
As a baby girl name in the United States, Lily has emerged as a 21st-century favorite. It entered the top 100 for the first time on record in 2002, and rose as high as 15th in 2011.
Two famous Lilys include "Cinderella" actress Lily James (pictured), and Lily Collins, of Netflix's "Emily in Paris."
34. Victoria
This classic hasn't been out of the top 50 since 1986, a few years after the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless" introduced the character Victoria Newman (played of late by Amelia Heinle, pictured).
Though TikTok has created a new generation of famous Victorias (including Victoria Bachlet, Victoria Adeyinka and Victoria Annunziato), the social media app isn't moving the needle for the name: This is Victoria's lowest showing in the Social Security Administration rankings since 1989.
33. Riley
Golden State Warriors basketball star Stephen Curry is seen with daughter Riley in 2015, the same year Riley debuted as a top 35 baby girl name.
In 2002, Riley was a top 100 name for girls and boys -- a rare occurrence. In 2020, Riley was the 258th most popular boy name.
32. Zoey
Now more popular than its variation Zoe, Zoey is a relative newcomer to the ranks of popular baby girl names.
It cracked the top 100 for the first time in 2008, amid the run of the tween sitcom, "Zoey 101," starring Jamie Lynn Spears. It rose to as high as 22nd in 2014.
31. Hazel
Already on its way up, the name Hazel went to next level in 2014 following the release of the movie "The Fault in Our Stars," starring Shailene Woodley as heroine Hazel Lancaster. The name went from 105th place in the Social Security Administration rankings that year to 63rd place in 2015.
2020 marked Hazel's best showing on the popularity charts since 1917.
30. Nora
When "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" star Awkwafina was born Nora Lum in 1988, Nora was the 397th most popular baby girl name.
The name, a favorite of the early 20th century, dropped out of the top 500 in 2000. But then it began to climb.
From 2003 to 2004, Nora jumped more than 60 spots. The move came as moviegoers made a hit out of the super-sized Steve Martin family comedy, "Cheaper by the Dozen." The film co-starred Piper Perabo as the brood's eldest daughter. The character's name? Nora.
29. Ellie
Ellie Kemper, the actress, has been a star since her debut on "The Office" in 2009; Ellie, the baby name, has been a rising star since the 1990s.
The name's 2020 showing was its best yet in the Social Security Administration rankings.
28. Grace
From 1900 to 1914, Grace was a top 25 baby girl name. Then it began to slide down the rankings -- a trend that was unchanged by the mid-20th century rise of Grace Kelly as both a movie star and a princess.
Things started to turn around in the late 1980s, and it reemerged as a top 50 favorite following the 1998 premiere of the TV comedy "Will & Grace," starring Debra Messing as designer Grace Adler. Grace reached as high as 13th place in 2004 and 2005.
27. Chloe
Even with the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" connection, it's Chloe with a "C," as in actress Chloë Grace Moretz, pictured, that's the more popular variation over Khloe with a "K" (160th place), as in Khloé Kardashian.
Chloe is currently trending down after reaching ninth place in the Social Security Administration rankings in 2009 and 2010.
26. Aria
Before 2000, Aria wasn't a top 1,000 baby girl name; before 2010, its variation Arya wasn't a ranked favorite, either. Then came the TV versions of "Pretty Little Liars," featuring Lucy Hale's Aria Montgomery (pictured, left), and "Game of Thrones," featuring Maisie Williams as Arya Stark (pictured, right).
Aria reached as high as 19th place in 2018. Arya achieved its best ranking in 2019, when it rose to 92nd place. (In 2020, it slipped to 112th place.)
25. Penelope
In the last 10 years, the name Penelope is more popular than it's ever been in Social Security Administration data.
Ranked 941th in 2001, the name soared in popularity as actress Penelope Cruz emerged as the then-costar, on screen and off, of Tom Cruise.
24. Layla
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" version of "Layla," his 1970s hit with Derek and the Dominos, may have been the prime driver behind this popular baby girl name. The acoustic "Layla" dropped in 1992. A year later, Layla cracked the Social Security Administration's top 1,000 for the first time since 1978.
The name rose to as high as 23rd place in 2019. Actress Layla Crawford ("The First Family") is pictured.
23. Madison
This name surfaced as a popular girl name after 1984's "Splash" introduced audiences to Daryl Hannah's Madison the mermaid.
Madison cooled after a run in the Social Security Administration top 10 from 1998 to 2014. But the latest rankings show the name ticking upward again, going from 26th place in 2019 to this spot in 2020.
22. Eleanor
This name returned to the pop-culture discussion via Kristen Bell's character on the 2016-2020 comedy, "The Good Place."
The moniker is now roughly as popular as it was in the 1910s and 1920s.
21. Scarlett
Since Scarlett Johansson debuted as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Natasha Romanoff in 2010's "Iron Man 2," the name Scarlett has zoomed from 115th place among popular baby girl names to the top 25.
Scarlet with one "T" was the 446th-most popular baby girl name in 2020.
20. Mila
Mila debuted in the top 1,000 in 2006, the same year Mila Kunis graduated from "That '70s Show" having established herself — and her name — as stars.
To date, Mila's best showing in the Social Security Administration rankings came in 2018, when it reached 14th place.
19. Avery
Long a popular boy name, Avery emerged as a baby girl name in 1989, the same year TV's "Murphy Brown" introduced Colleen Dewhurst (pictured, right) as the maternal force of nature, Avery Brown.
Since its debut that year in the top 1,000, Avery has risen from 971st place, reaching an all-time high of 12th place in 2013.
Interestingly, "Murphy Brown" also seems to have energized Avery as a boy name. After falling to 494th place in 1991, Avery jumped to 297th in 1993. In the intervening year, "Murphy Brown" dropped an episode in which the title character gave birth to a son she named, you guessed it, Avery.
Avery was the 212th most popular boy in 2020.
18. Emily
Model Emily Ratajkowski was born in 1991, the same year Emily became a top 10 baby girl name, en route to a run as the most popular baby girl name from 1996 to 2007.
The name has been trending down since 2008. This is its lowest showing in the Social Security Administration rankings since 1988.
17. Sofia
This variation of Sophia established itself as a rising star of the 2000s, even before Sofia Vergara came to fame on "Modern Family."
Sofia reached as high as 13th place in 2013. It has been the 17th most popular girl name since 2018.
16. Elizabeth
Relatively speaking, this is Elizabeth's worst showing in the Social Security Administration rankings in roughly two generations, or since 1976.
Overall, Elizabeth is about as perennially popular as names get. Since 1900, Elizabeth has failed to qualify as a top 25 most popular girl name only twice. And since England's Queen Elizabeth II began her reign on the worldwide stage in 1953, it's yet to dip below 22nd place.
15. Ella
In 2020, singer Ella Mae was nominated for her third career Grammy Award — and the name Ella scored its third-straight finish in the Social Security Administration's top 15.
A top 100 name from the 1900s to 1920s, Ella soared to new popularity heights in the mid-2000s.
14. Luna
This baby girl name is hot and getting hotter; it's up from 16th place in the 2019 rankings. Just a decade ago, in 2012, Luna was the 224th most popular girl name.
Singer John Legend is seen in 2019 with his daughter, Luna.
13. Abigail
Soccer star Abby Wambach was born in 1980, just as Abigail cracked the Social Security Administration top 200 for the first time. (Abigail, by the by, is Wambach's given middle name.)
The name broke into the top 100 in 1989, and kept getting hotter and hotter from there. Abigail was a top 10 name from 2001 to 2016.
12. Gianna
Basketball star Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash in 2020. The Bryants' deaths prompted an outpouring of tributes that year — and inspired parents, such as Lakers teammate Pau Gasol and his wife, to name their newborn daughters after Gianna. Gasol's daughter has it as her middle name.
The name Gianna went from being the 79th-most popular girl name in 2019, to this spot in 2020.
Kobe, meanwhile, went from being the 556th-most popular boy name in 2019, to being the 239th-most popular in 2020.
11. Camila
Singer Camila Cabello was born in 1997, the same year this fast-rising name first cracked the Social Security Administration's top 1,000.
In 2020, Camila was the second-most popular baby girl name in California, and the third-most popular girl name in Texas.
10. Harper
NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier is seen here with his daughter Harper in 2021. Harper was the most popular girl name in 2020 in South Dakota and West Virginia.
The name Harper climbed on both the boy and girl name charts this century. The name's rise coincided, coincidentally or not, with the rise of a TV show about a family named Harper.
The top-rated "Two and a Half Men" premiered in 2003. A year later, Harper became a top 1,000 girl name for the first time on record. On the boy side, Harper returned to the top 1,000 in 2006, after a 100-year absence.
After reaching as high as 606th place in the early 2010s, Harper is slipping down the boy rankings again. It stood at 970th place in 2020.
9. Evelyn
"Basketball Wives" reality star Evelyn Lozada is seen here in 2019.
Per Social Security Administration data, Evelyn has been in or just outside the top 10 since 2017. In 2020, it was a top five girl name in a number of states, including Iowa, Montana and Wisconsin.
8. Mia
In 2000, a year after soccer star Mia Hamm helped lead the U.S. team to a Women's World Cup championship, the name Mia cracked the top 100 popularity rankings for the first time.
To date, Mia has been high in the rankings as sixth place, a position it held from 2013 to 2017. In 2020, it was a top five girl name in states such as Arizona, California and New Jersey.
7. Isabella
A fixture in the top 10 since 2004, Isabella hasn't always been one of the cool kids, as it were.
The name slipped out of the top 1,000 in 1949. It didn't stage a comeback until 1990 — one year after the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" introduced a heroine by the name of, wait for it, Isabella (played by Staci Greason).
Isabella was the No. 1 girl name in 2009 and 2010. In 2020, it was especially popular among parents in states such as Delaware, Florida and Hawaii.
6. Amelia
This is Amelia's best-ever showing in the Social Security Administration rankings. In 2020, it was the most popular girl name in Alaska, Kentucky, North Dakota and Vermont.
Amelia has been a mainstay of the top 50 since 2010. That's the year of the debut of the Shondaland character Dr. Amelia Shepherd (played on "Private Practice" and "Grey's Anatomy" by Caterina Scorsone).
5. Sophia
When actress Sophia Bush was born in 1982, the name Sophia was the 224th most popular girl moniker. By the time Bush debuted on "One Tree Hill" in 2003, Sophia had risen to 20th.
Though no longer the most popular girl name, as it was from 2011 to 2013, Sophia remains a top-five favorite, and was the second-most popular girl name in 2020 in Hawaii, New Jersey and New Mexico.
4. Charlotte
Princess Charlotte's British parents, Prince William and the former Kate Middleton, are on the same page as their American counterparts when it comes to this name.
In the United States, Charlotte has never been more popular — and this marks its best showing in the Social Security Administration rankings. In 2020, Charlotte was the top girl name in eight states, including Indiana, Maine and Virginia.
3. Ava
A trendy baby girl name in Hollywood circles, as Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear's Ava Sambora (left) and Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon's Ava Phillippe (right) can attest, Ava has been among the nation's five most popular baby girl names since 2006.
It has claimed the No. 3 spot on the popularity charts since 2016. In 2020, it was the No. 1 baby girl name in five U.S. states, all of them southern states: Alabama; Georgia; Louisiana; Mississippi; and, South Carolina.
2. Emma
After a five-year run in the No. 1 spot, Emma dipped to No. 2 in the 2019 Social Security Administration rankings, where it's remained since. It was the most popular girl name in 2020 in Florida and Pennsylvania.
The name Emma has been in overdrive since 2002, a year after actress Emma Watson emerged via the first Harry Potter movie.
1. Olivia
After cracking the top 10 in 2001, two years after Mariska Hargitay debuted as Olivia Benson on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Olivia became the No. 1 baby girl name in 2019. This is its second year at the top of the rankings.
Olivia's coalition is broad and diverse. In 2020, it was the top name for baby girls in 30 states, from Arizona to Wyoming, and from California to Rhode Island. It was also tops in Washington, D.C.