2025 gave us no shortage of memorable names. From puppies to popstars and hurricanes to Hollywood, we’ve collected the names that dominated this year’s headlines.
Humans in the Headlines
Ariana
Ariana Grande had a moment, especially with her magnetic performance as Glinda in Wicked.
Photo by Barbie Simons
Stephen
Stephen Colbert appeared in headlines with an announcement that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in 2026. Fun fact: his surname was originally pronounced Coal-bert, not the French-sounding Coal-bair he uses today.
Jimmy
Jimmy Kimmel was briefly removed from the air in 2025, then quickly reinstated after a major boycott of ABC and Disney.
Taylor & Travis
Wedding bells are ringing! Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement this year.
Leo
The first American-born Pope, Pope Leo XIV, became a global headline this year. Born Robert Francis Prevost, he’s been known as Rob or Bob to family and friends.
Photo by Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar
Charlie
Charlie Kirk was a major political commentator who was covered extensively this year after his shocking death.
J.J.
J.J. Spaun, born John Michael Spaun Jr., won the 2025 U.S. Open golf tournament.
Elon
Elon Musk dominated headlines early this year, especially with his DOGE team.
Zohran
Zohran Mamdani was elected the next Mayor of New York City.
Gavin
California Governor Gavin Newsom has appeared in headlines for his trolling posts clapping back at political opponents.
Carlos and Aryna
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka won the U.S. Open for singles events in tennis.
Benito
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, was selected to perform at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Jensen and Sam
Jensen Huang, President and CEO of NVIDIA, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, were talked about all year for their impact on artificial intelligence.
Not Human, Still Famous
Soleil
Soleil, a Belgian sheepdog, won Best of Show at this year’s National Dog Show.
JoAnn
JoAnn Fabric announced this year that they were filing for bankruptcy and closing all of their craft stores.
Melissa
Hurricane Melissa blew into 2025 as one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record, causing extensive damage in Jamaica.
Chelsea
Chelsea F.C. won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.
Leonid
Meteor shower Leonid was active in November this year.
Aurora
The Aurora Borealis – or Northern Lights – could be seen from several places this year, leading to countless colorful photos being shared.
Photo by AstroAnthony
Anora
The film Anora won Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards.
Krystin Morgan is a writer, career consultant, and talent acquisition professional living in Seattle, WA with her husband, daughter, and dog. She's been obsessed with names since childhood, when she spent hours with friends poring over baby name books to find the meaning of every name they could think of.
