Top 1,000 Baby Girl Name Ideas

Choosing a name for your baby is a large responsibility that can be both a stressful and enjoyable experience. Naming your baby is one of the first and most important decisions you will make for your little one.

Many people expecting a baby hope to incorporate meaning into their baby's name, as well as honor family and cultural heritage or traditions. Here are some things to consider as you name your baby girl and a list of the recently most popular baby girl names, as recorded by the Social Security Administration.

top baby names for girls — Illustration by Emily Roberts, Verywell

How Many Names Will She Have?

The traditional number of names in the United States is three names: a first name, a middle name, and your family or last name. There are certainly some families who have a tradition of two middle names, or no middle name at all. Ultimately, however, it's up to you how many names your daughter will have.

Whether it's two, three, or more, also consider what the initials will be. Will they spell out something undesirable?

Whose Name Will She Share?

Naming a baby for a family member is a tradition that a lot of families share. While the thought process behind sharing a name may be common, how families execute this sharing of names is very different. In some parts of the country, or depending on your cultural traditions, it is more common to designate a mother's last name into the child's official name as a middle name.

Some families may also get creative by creating new combinations with their daughters' names. For instance, you could blend the sounds of both parents names, incorporate birth parents' names, or use different names that have similar meanings or sounds.

Outside of family, also consider popular, unpopular, and inspirational figures who will share your baby girl's name.

Consider Gender-Specific Names

Up until about the late 1990s, baby names were decidedly girl names or boy names, with few exceptions. Today's names can be much more gender-neutral, with names that represent both traditional male and female names, or names that can be either, both, or neither.

The Social Security Administration

Around Mother's Day, the Social Security Administration (SSA) releases the most popular baby names from the previous year. This is determined by birth certificate data. If you need some help choosing your baby's name, or would just like to look through some of the most popular baby names throughout the year—as far back as the 1800s—you can use the Social Security Administration's website as a baby-naming resource.

For the 2018 release, here are the top 1,000 most popular baby girl names. This year's list has some familiar names, such as Emma and Oliva, which are still at the top, and most of the top 20 are unchanged. Harper, which has been in the top 20 since 2013 but wasn't even in the top 1000 until 2004, has a new high at ninth most popular. One name with a big jump in popularity is Luna, now at number 23.

How to Choose a First, Middle, and Last Name for Your Baby