Want to know the top baby names for 2021 so far? Here is a list of the top boy, girl, and gender-neutral baby names of 2021 so far, complete with my commentary!
Which trending names of 2021 are your favorites and which would you like to be over? View the past 20 years’ name rankings.

Top Baby Names of 2021 (so far)

The top 10 seem to be pretty traditional in the male and female categories. James has been crossing over as a girl’s name for the past couple of years, especially when used as a middle name. Although Ezra is traditionally a Hebrew boys’ name, it is growing in popularity for girls, because of the -A ending.

As you can see, nature/flower names are holding strong as a baby name trend for girls. Biblical names are coming back for boys.

I’m really loving the romantic Shakespeare names coming into style, Ophelia being one of my faves. Charlie is jumping the charts for girls and I predict will be in the top 20 very soon! Check out those Space Names: Orion and Nova!

Elliot has always been a fave of mine for girls ever since the TV show Scrubs. Notice that Elliott with two Ts is trending on the boy’s side while Elliot with one T is used for both.

Twilight name Esme is holding strong for girls – will those ever drop out of popularity? E names in general seem to be trending on the girl’s side with Eliza, Ella, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Evangeline, and Evelyn all in the top 50.

We’re now seeing some traditional Hebrew/Biblical names on the girl’s side with Sadie, Sophie, and Naomi – while on the boys’ side we see some traditional Brit names like Simon, Adrian, Tobias, and Alastair. If you’re wondering why Adalia is in the gender-neutral column, it was originally a boy’s name. In fact, Adalia was the son of Haman in the Bible.

We’ve noticed that the name Lincoln is falling as fast as it rose – now down from #49 in 2020. Seeing some New-Agey names in the gender-neutral column with Zephyr, Salem, Phoenix and Bodhi. Some names that were super-popular five years ago like Emily, Lucy, and Isabella – are dropping now.

Another favorite O name, Odette, is rising in popularity. Odette is the name of the Swan Queen character in the ballet Swan Lake. Note the other French names in this segment: Celeste and Elodie. I predict French names will be rising on the charts through 2023. Although Holly has been used as a female name in more recent times, it’s also a nickname for the male name and surname Hollis. We also see two more flower names in this segment, Daisy and Dahlia!

And yet ANOTHER flower name, Magnolia, appears in this segment – a name that could be a really nice alternative to the name Margaret with the same nickname, Maggie. No doubt that the name Maisie jumped onto the charts because of the Game of Thrones actress Maisey Williams, as her character’s name Aria/Arya has been topping the charts as well. Beware of using the name Kennedy – click through to the name detail to find out why!

I just love that a traditionally Celtic name like Saoirse (pr SEER-sha) has made the top 100. Especially since it’s not easy to pronounce or spell for Americans. Caspian is a surprise on the boys’ side – where did that come from? The Chronicles of Narnia? The rock band? The sea? Calliope is interesting in the girl’s column. Hey, what about twins named Caspian and Calliope? I think that would work.

What are your impressions of the trending names of 2021? Join us in our Facebook Group to chat about them!

Jennifer Moss

Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.

Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.