These trends will influence baby names in 2025, study finds

Did your child’s name make the list?
LOS ANGELES – A new study finds that parents are being influenced by major moments in pop culture – from hit television shows to competitive sporting events – and it’s giving huge hints into what the biggest baby names of 2025 will be. 
For the past two decades, parenting company BabyCenter has gathered data from hundreds of thousands of parents who register their babies’ names on the company’s app, giving them a real time look at which baby names are trending and falling.
BabyCenter analyzed the top rising and falling names from data submitted by BabyCenter parents earlier this month to help them make predictions of the biggest baby name trends and patterns to come.
Here’s what BabyCenter found.
As the Paris Olympic athletes sailed down the Seine during this summer’s opening ceremonies, BabyCenter parents-to-be were paying close attention to the host country. 
Francophiles seized on the opportunity to embrace the beauty of popular French names, causing them to rise on BabyCenter’s U.S. charts.
Raphael, the No. 2 boy name in France in 2023, was up 121 spots in the U.S. and Louis, France’s No. 4 boy name in 2023, was up 87 spots. 
The trend held true for girls, too: Louise was the No. 1 girl name in France last year, and was up 63 spots. 
From Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” to Charli XCX’s “Apple” to Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” female musicians are dominating the charts – and baby names, too. 
Sabrina Carpenter accepts the Song of the Year award for “Espresso” on stage during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024. (Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV)
BabyCenter found that Apple, a song on the Brat album, was spiking, rising 900 spots as a girl name. The last time the name Apple was this popular was in 2011, the year Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs died. And before that, Apple spiked in popularity in 2005 and 2006, just after Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin gave their daughter the name.
In addition, the names Sabrina and Billie were higher up in the charts, and Chappell (or the more traditional spelling, Chapel) may get some attention as a girl’s name next year, thanks to Chappell Roan’s rise to fame.
BabyCenter said parents are also choosing names from their favorite on-screen hits.
Riley, the preteen whose inner world is on full display in the “Inside Out” movies, was on the rise after the release of “Inside Out 2.”
Carmen is typically thought of as a girl’s name, but thanks to the television series “The Bear,” which took home 11 Emmy wins for its latest season, it’s rising in popularity as a boy’s name.
Jeremy Allen White attends the Los Angeles Premiere of FX’s “The Bear.” (Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
BabyCenter found that Ripley is a surname getting some love as a first name, due to Tom Ripley from Netflix’s “Ripley.”
When the women’s NCAA basketball tournament this year set record viewership numbers, BabyCenter parents passed their love for the sport onto their babies. 
The names of some of the biggest women’s basketball stars were skyrocketing, starting with Iowa State point guard and now Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. Her name was up more than 2,000 spots for girls.
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Kamilla Cardoso of the South Carolina Gamecocks had her first name higher in the charts, and the name A’ja was up more than 7,000 spots for girls, thanks to A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.
Not only did the WNBA have record viewership, but Super Bowl LVIII became the most-watched program in American TV history.
Creed – as in Humphrey, a Chiefs center – rose fast, up 209 spots. Travis (Kelce, a tight end and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend) was up 18 spots, and Isiah (Pacheco, a running back) was up 186 spots.
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BabyCenter expects the name Patrick (for Patrick Mahomes) to make a comeback (both as a player and as a name). The Chiefs’ star quarterback had an unsteady season and BabyCenter said his name took a hit, but he’s still considered one the best quarterbacks of all time – and he’s led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl wins so far.
What parents likely won’t be doing: Naming their babies Milton or Helene. These names currently rank No. 4,133 and No. 15,733, respectively – and BabyCenter expects them to drastically fall in popularity in 2025 after their namesake hurricanes caused major destruction in North Carolina and Florida.
Back in June, Justin Timberlake shocked his fans by getting arrested for driving while intoxicated. The name Justin dropped 59 spots in the rankings to No. 277. “This will ruin the tour,” became the meme of the summer, but it turns out it ruined the baby name for many parents, too.
The Stanley cup took the internet by storm at the end of last year, and the craze carried into 2024. While the name Stanley has been on the outs for a long time, it took an even deeper dive after the cup craze ended, falling more than 400 spots.
The information for this story was provided by BabyCenter which analyzed the top rising and falling names from data submitted by BabyCenter parents (and pulled Oct. 15, 2024). This data comprised the names of more than 500,000 babies born in 2024. This story was reported from Los Angeles.