My Name List

Isabella has been a Top 10 name for girls in the US for two decades now. The Latinate form of Isabel, a variation of Elizabeth which originally derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba, Isabella reigned as Number 1 in 2009 and 2010.

Jack may have fallen from its Number 1 place in England, but in the US it's as popular as it was at its height in the 1920s and 1930s. A durable, cheery, everyman form of John, Jack ranks as one of the most popular boy names starting with J.

This is a strong new James varietal, sometimes shared by girls. An original way to honor Grandpa Jim, Jameson is swiftly moving up the charts, entering the Top 100 for the first time ever in 2017. Jameson is one of the hottest boy names starting with J, still the most popular first initial for boys' names. One small caveat: Jameson is also a brand of whiskey.

It's far cooler to drop the first syllable and go for Elle.

A Jada alternative that has lost ground this decade after peaking around 2010.

This spelling of Jillian is now much more popular than the original, maybe because the G version invites pronunciation problems.

Actor Joaquin Phoenix (brother of River, Rain, Liberty and Summer) highlighted this one, then Kelly Ripa began talking about younger son Joaquin on her daily TV show, and presto—it's now one of the hottest and most appealing multicultural baby boy names.

Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity -- but not TOO much popularity -- for more than a decade now. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song "Hey Jude", double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.

The family of Kaylin names includes a wide variety of spellings—Kaylen, Kaelyn, and Kaylynn are a few—that enjoy varying degrees of popularity. This particular spelling plays on a couple contemporary trends, namely the ae vowel combination and the -lynn ending. While it's definitely a distinct spelling, it's likely to be misspelled more often than not.

Kai is an internationally flexible name with many possible origins and meanings, growing in popularity in the US and a diverse range of European countries.

Kaius is a K-ization of the Latin Caius, the name of an ancient poet, introduced by style maven Rachel Zoe. More recently, it was used by Derek Jeter for his son.

Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name.

Yesterday's hottie, today's mom name. It derives from several English place names and may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce".

Khloe's a variation of the popular Chloe, thanks to reality star Karshadian of the K-named family. Khloe jumped a whopping 101 places into 2009's Top 100 and peaked at 42 in 2010 but has declined in popularity in recent years.

A friendly Irish and Persian name chosen by Geena Davis for one of her twin boys, whose father is Iranian.

Killian – aka Cillian – is a spirited yet resonant Gaelic name that was borne by several Irish saints and could make a distinctive replacement for the dated Kelly. Kylian is another spelling that's gaining traction, thanks to French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. Possible downsides: an unsavory first syllable and a connection to the trendy brew.

Chosen for their first son by musical couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, this Jamaican place and elegant British surname also boasts the more regal yet user-friendly short form, King.

Knox is an old Scottish surname that Brad Pitt (whose great-great-grandfather was named Hal Knox Hillhouse) and Angelina Jolie took out of the back cupboard, dusted off, and elevated to coolness--to the point where it entered the popular baby names list in 2009. Knox now ranks among the most influential celebrity baby names.

A new-style name based on Kyle and a cousin of Dylan, in spelling if not sound or image.