"It’s always an exciting time of year when the Social Security Administration (SSA) releases its list of the 1000 most popular baby girl names of the year. Expectant parents might use the SSA list for baby name inspiration or parents might look to see where their kid’s name falls on this year’s list. Others might simply be curious: Will Olivia will hold onto her spot as the top baby girl name for another year? Will Luna keep inching her way up the list? Keep scrolling to find out.
Using data from each year’s social security card applications, the United States federal agency ranks the most popular names given to both baby girls and boys from the previous year. But if you’re thinking that you don’t want to commit your kid to a childhood of name-sharing with 20 others in her school, don’t worry. While the list brims with U.S. parents’ top picks, each name only accounts for 1-2% of all baby names given that year.
Ready to find your new favorite baby name? Scroll on for the most popular baby names for girls in 2023 that are sure to inspire the most popular baby girl names in 2024, too.
The 20 Most Popular Baby Girl Names of 2023
1. Olivia: Holds her place as the most popular girl’s baby name for a fourth year in a row. With Latin roots, Olivia means “olive tree.”
2. Emma: Another recent popular choice for baby girl’s Emma had the top spot in 2018. Derived from the Germanic word ermen meaning “whole” or “universal.”
3. Charlotte: French origin, feminine derivative of Charles meaning “free man.”
4. Amelia: Of German origin meaning “work.”
5. Sophia: Greek origin meaning “wisdom.”
6. Mia: Popularly associated with the Italian word mia and the Spanish word mía, both meaning “mine.” Mia originated as a short form of Maria, which ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Miryam.
7. Isabella: The Spanish and Italian variation of “Elizabeth” meaning “pledged to god.”
8. Ava: This sweet name moved down a few spots this year. Of Latin origin, meaning “life; bird; water, island.”
9. Evelyn: English from French and German origin meaning “desired, or water, island.”
10. Luna: Cracking the top 10 for the first time in 2022, this pretty name is of Latin origin and means “moon.”
11. Harper: English origin with a literal meaning, “harp player.”
12. Sofia: Of Greek origin and the most popular girl’s name in the U.S. from the early-2010’s, Sophia means “wisdom.”
13. Camila: Of Latin origin meaning “young ceremonial attendant.”
14. Eleanor: No wonder this sweet old-fashioned name is up in popularity. Eleanor means light-hearted, you can’t get lovelier!
15. Elizabeth: Like Isabella, Elizabeth means “pledged to god” and is a top-name mainstay.
16. Violet: Moving up nearly 20 spots in the past two years, this pretty, floral-inspired name of Latin origin means “purple.”
17. Scarlett: If you’re looking for a name that evokes passion and fire, Scarlett is the perfect choice. Its meaning comes from the color red.
18. Emily: A popular baby name mainstay, Emily is of Latin origin meaning “rival.”
19. Hazel: Moving up eight spots from the previous year, this nature-inspired name of old English origin means “the hazel tree.”
20. Lily: This pretty, floral-inspired name jumped 10 spots from the previous year and means “pure.”
The Most Popular Baby Girl Names 21-50
21. Gianna
22. Aurora
23. Penelope
24. Aria
25. Nora
26. Chloe
27. Ellie
28. Mila
29. Avery
30. Layla
31. Abigail
32. Ella
33. Isla
34. Eliana
35. Nova
36. Madison
37. Zoe
38. Ivy
39. Grace
40. Lucy
41. Willow
42. Emilia
43. Riley
44. Naomi
45. Victoria
46. Stella
47. Elena
48. Hannah
49. Valentina
50. Maya
Baby Girl Name Trends of 2023
The SSA list tends to see more creative options for girl names versus the list of boy names (where William, John, and Michael have remained for decades.) The list of girl names does have some century-long mainstays like Elizabeth. However, other names once considered old-fashioned, like Sophia and Isabella, have moved into the top 10 list of baby girl names.
Pop culture and celebrity baby names have influenced naming trends for baby girls, too. Take a name like Luna, for example. Once considered to be a unique baby name, celebrity couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend named their daughter Luna in fall, 2016. Now it’s the 10th most popular girls name, with similar celestial names like Nova and Aurora growing in popularity.
Additionally, nature-inspired names like Lily, Ivy, Hazel, and Willow are among the top 50 most popular girl names. As well as colorful girl names like Scarlett and Violet.
The Top 5 Fastest-Rising Girls Names of 2023
Starting last year, the Social Security Administration also ranked the top five fastest-rising girls’ names. While Wrenlee topped the list for 2022, here are the year’s biggest movers:
1. Kaeli: A feminine name of Irish origin, meaning “slender.”
2. Alitzel: Of Native American origin, this colorful name means “rainbow lady.”
3. Emryn: This powerful gender-neutral name of Welsh origin means “immortal ruler.”
4. Adhara: Of Arabic origin meaning “virgins,” as well as the name of one of the brightest stars in the sky, keeping with the celestial naming trend.
5. Azari: With Hebrew roots, Azari means “helped by God.”
