Are you reading this while pulling your hairs in frustration thinking of baby names for girls?
I know, I feel you.
Few things are as stressful as finding the perfect baby name for your future baby. This is a list of the most popular and trending baby names for girls, and their meaning!
They say that you don’t know how many people you don’t like until you start trying to find a name for your baby. In fact, finding a name for your baby can be so difficult that some parents decide to wait until the baby is born to see their baby’s face and match a name to him or her.
We struggled for a few months to find the perfect name. My husband didn’t like the names I did, and viceversa.
It was so freaking frustrating, and we went through lists and lists of baby names for girls. Yes, for girls, at first the doctors thought Oliver was a baby girl, but that’s a story for another day.
When it comes to names, there’s an ocean of unexplored, unique, popular baby names for girls to choose from.
So, in the hopes of helping you choose the perfect name for your baby, I’ve compiled a list of the best baby names for girls!
Popular baby names for Girls
The top girl baby names for girls are Olivia, Emma, Ava, Sophia, and Emily.
I’ve done some research on the meanings of these names, since there’s a lot of confusion on where these names were originated and what they mean.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to know what’s in a name before choosing it.
So let’s get on to it.
Olivia
Olivia is, of course, the feminine form of Oliver.
The name Oliver (and Olivia) was popularized by Charle Dickens’ Oliver Twist, and its popularity, along with Olivia’s has been increasing steadily.
Most people associate Olivia with the Olive tree, and with peace.
This is because the universal symbol of peace is that white pigeon holding an Olive branch in its beak.
However, contrary to popular belief, there are other origins and meanings for the name Olivia (and quite epic, too, you’ll see!).
Deriving from latin Oliva, Olivia does mean peace coming from the Olive tree and its branches.
However, the most probable origin of the name Olivia comes from a derivation of the Scandinavian name Olaf, meaning Ancestor’s Descendant, or Ancestor’s Relic.
And, quite epic if I may add, the name Olivia can also mean Elf Warrior, since it also comes from the Old High Germanic Alfhari / Althir.
Emma
The name Emma has its origins in the Old German word Ermen, meaning Universal, or Whole.
It was initially a diminutive for German names that started with Ermen, like Ermintrude or Irmengarde.
It began gaining popularity in the 11th century when Duke Richard The Fearless of Normandy had a daughter named Hemma, who would eventually become the Queen of England and of Denmark.
Legendary!
Parents also use Emma as a diminutive for names starting with Em, such as Emily, Emmeline, or even Amelia.
Ava
The name Ava has come in and out of use.
Today is one of the most popular baby names for girls, and the variation we use now most probably comes from the name Eva.
Eva (and Ava), comes from the latin Avis, meaning Bird. The name Ava is associated with freedom, and a freshness of spirit.
However, this is not the only meaning of the name Ana.
It also has persian roots, that mean voice or sound.
In Russia, Ava is used as a diminutive for names like Avelina, Avenira, Avgusta, Avrora, and so on.
People also associate the name Ava to water or island. This is because the name has also Old Germanic roots, in medieval times, Ava was the diminutive of Avelyn (Later, it would evolve to Evelyn).
Sophia
Sophia (also spelled Sofia) is a legacy name that has been popular among baby names for girls forever.
Well, maybe not forever, but there are recordings of the name Sophia that go as far back as the 4th century.
It’s a name with Greek origins, meaning Wisdom.
It was very common in Europe during the Middle Ages, and it remains popular to this day. In the United States it began increasing popularity in the 90s, and hasn’t stopped since.
Emily
One of the most popular an greatest patrician families in Rome were the Aemilia descendants of the second King of Rome, the Aemilia would have the highest offices of the state until industrial times.
It’s widely believed that the name Emily comes from that family name, Aemilia, a name that has latin origins and it means Hard Workier.
Trending Baby Names for Girls
If you’re looking for baby names for Girls that are increasing quickly in popularity, these are the top trending names, meaning, the names that have had the highest increase in popularity the last year.
Amoura
A name that has increasingly been gaining popularity since 2018. Amoura means “love” and is inspired by the word “love” in French: Amour, Italian: Amore, and Spanish: Amor.
Theodora
This popular baby girl name has been around forever. It saw a rapid decrease in popularity since 1950, but it dramatically increased popularity again after 2018.
Theodora is a name of Greek origin that means “God’s Gift”.
Navy
Inspired by the color, the first baby girls named Navy were born in the 80s, it has become more and more used since 2019.
British sailors were the first ones to dress in Navy blue because the color inspired trust. It’s also, of course, the color of the sea.
Emani
It can also be considered a name for a boy, but according to the SSA its popularity has significantly increased as one of the baby names for girls.
Emani is a baby girl name of Swahili origin, meaning “Faith”.
Yaritza
Yaritza is a name of Arabic origin, it is widely used in Spanish-speaking families as Yara, which means “butterfly“!
Alaia
Alaia is a name based in the Basque word for “joyful, happy”.
Alaiya
The interesting thing about Alaiya is that it can be a variation of Alaia, or of Aaliyah. So it could either mean “Joyful, happy”, from the Basque Alaia or “Ascender” from the Hebrew Aaliyah.
Oakleigh
This is my personal taste, but I don’t know why I’m so inspired by names that relate to trees, Earth, and nature in general. Oakleigh is one of my favorites.
Originally a boy’s name, it has gained popularity in girls lately. Oakleigh has British origins and it means “meadow of oak trees”.
Ainhoa
Ainhoa is a name that a lot of people use in Spain, where we live. But it has gained a popularity boost in America as well.
It’s a name of Basque origin meaning the “Town Of Virgin Mary”.
Salem
Salem is a name of Hebrew origin that means “peace”.
Lyanna
Lyanna can be a variation from either Liana or Leanna.
As a variation of Leanna (the most common), it means “favor” or “grace”.
If we use it as a variation of Lina it means “Decidated to Jupiter / Love”.
Kaisley
Kaisley is a name that probably comes from Old English, a combination of cat and meadow.
Its meaning has evolved to be “studious”, enlightened”, and “profound”.
Kamari
The name Kamari comes from the Arabic “alqamar” which means “Moon”.
Alaya
The origins of the name Alaya are unclear, but it’s connected to a Buddhist term, referring to all our consciousness.
The name can be interpreted to mean “dwelling”, “abode”.
Blessing
Although the name Blessing comes from the English word of the same name, exploring a little bit more, I found that the name Blessing means “Divine Gift” or “God’s favour and protection”.
Amora
Much like the name Amoura, the name Amora is inspired by the word “love” in Spanish (Amor), French (Amour), and Italian (Amore).
Palmer
Palmer is a name of Old English origin, also used to name boys!
Lately, the name Palmer is trending for girls as well, it means “Pilgrim”.
Alora
The name Alora could be a variation of Elora which means “sun ray” from the Greek name Eleanor.
It could also be a name of African roots meaning “My Dream”.
Nellie
Nellie means “Light” or “Sunshine” and it can be a variation of Eleanor (Greek), Helen (Greek), Nelly (English), or Cornelia (Latin).
That’s a Wrap
All these baby names for girls are not necesarily popular, some are rare but gaining popularity strongly!
When we named our baby boy, Oliver wasn’t a popular name, it was just trending in popularity.
If you’re still confused, take a note of the top three names you liked and see if you still like them in one day. You’ll be amazed at how much we can change our minds in just a day.
Also, if it helps, one of our criteria for finding names was that it was pronounced similar in several language. In today’s world, we figured it would be an advantage that our baby’s name sounded similar in other countries.
All in all, I’m sure that the name you choose will be perfect!
If you’re looking for more pregnancy related stuff, here’s my Ultimate Pregnancy Hospital Bag Guide to get you ready and out of the door to meet your new baby!
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