Names that Peaked in 2012

Streamlined spelling of Sophie popular in several European nations.

Blending classic with contemporary elements, Alayna is considered a spin on the name Alana, which also draws inspiration from Elaine and Elena. An obscure choice until the 80s, it began to climb the charts after fencer Alayna Snell took part in the 1984 Olympics.

Mayson, usually a spelling variation of the popular boys' occupational name Mason, has been on the US Top 1000 since 2010. This follows as trend for adding the letter Y to a name or substitution as Y for another vowel, as in Ayden or Kaytlyn.

A unisex Hebrew name sometimes given in Israel to kids born under the goat sign of Capricorn; it's also spelled Yael/Ya'el.

The K makes this slightly more modern than its more traditional original

An interesting vowel combination lightens up Graham.

Most names that start with Cam- are on the upswing, so why not this obscure term for Wales as well as for a prehistoric time period.

Blending the sounds of Bryce, Brian, Riley and Kylie, Brylee is a modern invention that ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2005 to 2022. It peaked back in 2012 when it was given to around 770 babies, but has since been in decline. Given to around 230 girls in a recent year, Brynlee and Oakley are now preferred.

This much less popular variation draws more from Karin.

Deriving from "Lilian", as an elaborate form of the flower name, "Lily", Lilianna is a clean and polished spelling for those wanting the pronunciation Lily-Ann-uh.

Names that sound and/or are spelled like Dalilah exist in several languages, from the Swahili Dalili to the Arabic Dalil to the Hebrew Delilah. While all these forms have pretty sounds, you'll encounter less confusion if you go with one of the original forms rather than Dalilah.

Madelyn is the most popular, phonetically-clear spelling of the lovely and stylish French name. Madilyn edges it toward Marilyn, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Aubrianna, along with Aubriella, is an elaboration of a perfectly good if too trendy name, Aubrey. The final -anna or -ana or -ella does not improve on the original. But A names of all kinds continue to appeal to the masses.

Sometimes, a new name is created by lopping off the first letter or letters. Such is the case with Abrielle, which feels like Gabrielle without its shirt.

An alternative to the highly popular Aubrey. It entered the US Top 1000 back in 2001, peaked in 2012 when it neared the Top 300, then dropped out of the charts in 2023. Aubree remains the more popular alternative.

This inventive spelling is part cowboy and part Kardashian.

Lagging about 400 slots behind the original.

Carson is finally beginning to fall slightly after a nearly 2-decade reign of popularity, and we suspect its many spelling variations will follow suit.

This creative spelling variation of Landon is widely used but still lags far behind the original.

In all its iterations, this name is on the rise. Ariana and Arianna are both highly popular choices in the US, and as with other popular appellations, creative spellings are inevitable. The trendy y in place of the i might be tempting, but anyone bearing this spelling will constantly be correcting people who assume one of the two dominant versions.