Modern Baby Girl Names

Jalen variations are all over the Top 1000 of 2015 for both genders, and this oddly-spelling version earned spot Number 933. This trend is clearly on the decline, however.

Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?

Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no boys recorded with either spelling of the name.

Lobbing off the final E makes Melanie more modern.

Wylie is one Celtic surname with as much appeal for girls as for boys. Wylie is ripe for spelling variations: Wiley is as appropriate as Wylie but when you spell it Wylei, as Corey Parker did for his son, you're getting into yooneek naming territory.

With Grace mega popular and Gracie on the rise, this modern compound name provides a trendy alternative. With the vibes of Brooklyn and Evelyn and the contemporary feel of Oaklynn and and Emberlynn, Gracelynn is currently in the US Top 400.

Baby girl names ending in lyn seem to become more numerous all the time, and this choice combining the pretty nature suffix Lake with lyn is destined for more widespread use. Lakelyn and her sister spelling Lakelynn both entered the US charts for the first time in 2022, and are sure to continue to rise.

Dayana is an Hispanic variant of Diana, notably belonging to Venezuelan actress, model and producer Dayana Mendoza. It also belongs to a South American orchid whose name derives from the surname of English botanist John Day. Its use can be partly attributed to the popularity of Diana, the Princess of Wales.

Nonbiblical Hebrew name used as an affectionate nickname since the Middle Ages.

Skater Tai Babilonia brought this sleek modern name to the world's attention. Pronounced "tie."

Londyn is now a more popular name than the original London for girls. Some parents feel that varying the spelling nudges the name away from over-identification with the British capitol. Substituting a y for another vowel is also seen by some as more feminine. For boys, London is five times as popular as Londyn -- though both variations are far more popular for girls.

This variation of Marley is gaining momentum due to the popular -leigh suffix, which is all over the US popularity lists. This name in particular reentered the US Top 1000 in 2013.

Queen has seen a revival in recent times, reaching its record high in 2018 with 280 births — it has remained steady since then. Previously, Queen saw a peak in the 1920s, but its origins go back even further than that. Queen was a noted name among enslaved people in America, along with other royal choices such as Duke, Squire, and Prince.

Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. The name comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cold water." Nairobi is popularly known as the Green City.

As a Top 600 name for girls for more than 20 years, Kamryn has become a widely-accepted version of the original Cameron. It also ranks just below the Top 1000 for boys too, though it is used three times more often on girls.

Can be shortened to Nova. Appeared on the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.

The scope of biblical names has expanded to include sacred place-names, and this makes a plausible possibility, though it does have a masculine feel.

From obscure male biblical boy's name to unisex favorite, Jadon/Jaden, in all its variations, has had a meteoric rise in popularity, building on Jade and Jada, plus the trendy en ending.

Caylee was the third fastest-rising name in 2009 and peaked then at Number 263, but has since dropped in the charts, perhaps due to the Caylee Anthony association.