So you think you’ve found a unique baby name, only to find it’s hitting the top of the charts? Well there’s usually a clear predictor that a name will become popular: how fast it rises in ranking. So we analyzed five years of U.S. baby name data to uncover the fastest rising baby names, and the results might surprise you!
Using statistics from the U.S. Social Security Administration office of the actuary, we tracked the baby name rankings from 2020 to 2024 and calculated the biggest jumps in rank. These names might just hit the top 20 in the next 3-5 years. Is your favorite “unique” name on the list?
Top 20 Fastest Rising Boy Names (2020–2024)
| Name | 2020 Rank | 2024 Rank | Spots Gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colter | 972 | 218 | 754 |
| Eithan | 871 | 227 | 644 |
| Rome | 971 | 453 | 518 |
| Cillian | 957 | 463 | 494 |
| Callahan | 805 | 363 | 442 |
| Banks | 753 | 366 | 387 |
| Jaziel | 579 | 225 | 354 |
| Camilo | 876 | 526 | 350 |
| Stetson | 487 | 155 | 332 |
| Kohen | 644 | 318 | 326 |
| Truett | 958 | 648 | 310 |
| Zakai | 904 | 603 | 301 |
| Ares | 595 | 295 | 300 |
| Tatum | 490 | 195 | 295 |
| Koa | 583 | 292 | 291 |
| Tadeo | 703 | 412 | 291 |
| Saint | 571 | 282 | 289 |
| Shepherd | 594 | 311 | 283 |
| Zyair | 963 | 683 | 280 |
| Shiloh | 615 | 336 | 279 |
| Lian | 793 | 514 | 279 |
| Riggs | 947 | 668 | 279 |
Due to a three-way tie in the number of ranks gained for the last spot, 22 boy names are listed above. Why is Colter becoming so popular? Colter Wall is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Mike Colter is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Luke Cage. And Colter Shaw is the main character in the popular television series Tracker, based on a series of novels by Jeffery Deaver.
Eithan, is an alternate spelling of the name Ethan, and quickly rising on the charts as an alternative to the super-popular boy’s name. The name can be pronounced Ai-TAN or EE-than.
The name Rome is rising consistently for boys, with a nod to the Roman Empire, and possibly from the character Roman Roy from the television series Succession played by Kieran Culkin.
Top 20 Fastest Rising Girl Names (2020–2024)
| Name | 2020 Rank | 2024 Rank | Spots Gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrenley | 895 | 149 | 746 |
| Raya | 934 | 363 | 571 |
| Murphy | 978 | 474 | 504 |
| Marceline | 969 | 505 | 464 |
| Halo | 938 | 512 | 426 |
| Sylvie | 774 | 360 | 414 |
| Alora | 599 | 225 | 374 |
| Alisson | 915 | 551 | 364 |
| Miley | 744 | 387 | 357 |
| Iyla | 907 | 565 | 342 |
| Della | 916 | 580 | 336 |
| Elodie | 702 | 370 | 332 |
| Lainey | 366 | 38 | 328 |
| Florence | 763 | 435 | 328 |
| Antonella | 558 | 233 | 325 |
| Navy | 659 | 337 | 322 |
| Sunny | 691 | 372 | 319 |
| Nellie | 840 | 521 | 319 |
| Noah | 874 | 561 | 313 |
| Marlowe | 927 | 624 | 303 |
Wrenley has had a meteoric rise in ranking, from #894 in 2020 to #148 in 2024, followed by Raya rising from 935 to 363. Wrenley is a combination of using the nature name, Wren, with the name element lee/ley/leigh – a very popular suffix for girls’ names in the past decade.
As part of the Disney Princess lineup, the name Raya saw a 161% surge in name popularity in the year following the debut Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, released in 2021.
It’s interesting to see the biblical name Noah jump from a traditionally male name to the female side of the charts and then jumping in rank! We predict it will only rise in the next couple of years possibly hitting the top 20 in girls’ names.
You might choose a baby name because it feels rare, fresh, or wonderfully unique, only to watch it climb the popularity charts a few years later. The names that begin quietly, that were sparked by a favorite character, a celebrity you admire, are also being considered by thousands of other parents hearing it for the first time. Before long, your “unique baby name” can start showing up in playgrounds and classrooms all over town. So if you see a name starting to quickly rise in ranking, beware. It might turn into a Liam or Emma in the not too distant future!
Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.
Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.
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