The Most Popular American Girl Names
In this article you will find an extensive list of American baby names for girls. It ranges from special American girl names to traditional American girl names, common American girl names and the most popular American first names for girls in the US over the last 100 years.
American girl names: press play
"What to Expect When You're Expecting" is a 2012 American romantic comedy that follows five couples through the highs and lows of becoming parents. In the storyline of Jules Baxter and Evan Webber, the two disagree about what to name their newborn daughter. Coming from different backgrounds, traditions and perspectives, they show with a lot of humor one of the challenges many American parents face.
So what can you expect when you are a couple looking for an American girl name? Lots of options! Because the US has few or no naming rules (depending on the state), you would be spoiled for choice. Of course, the same goes for American boy names. Add social trends, cultural change and personal taste, and the list of American girl names becomes endless.
Special American girl names
Whether for emotional significance, religious faith, symbolism or tradition, many parents in the US choose a name with a strong message for their little girl. The list below brings together American girl names that are known for their special meaning.
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Abigail | My father's joy |
| Amelia | Work or industrious |
| Ava | Life or bird (depending on origin) |
| Charlotte | Free man or petite |
| Chloe | Blossom or fertility |
| Ella | Light or beautiful fairy |
| Grace | Elegance or God's grace |
| Hannah | Favor or grace |
| Isabella | God is my oath |
| Lily | Purity or rebirth (from the flower) |
| Mia | mine or bitter (depending on origin) |
| Olivia | Olive tree or peace |
| Sophia | Wisdom |
| Stella | Star |
| Victoria | Victory |
| Zoe | Life |
In the spirit of the English saying 'What's in a name?', these American girl names are very popular in the US, with meanings that range from elements of nature to religious influences.
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Traditional American girl names
Comment tu t'appelles? Because the population has such diverse origins and because of the country's history, traditional first names for American girls can be traced back to many different languages and cultures. Can you tell from the list below which traditional American first name has English, German, French, Irish, Scottish or Latin roots?
| Name | Kurz/Koseform |
|---|---|
| Alice | Ali |
| Anna | |
| Beatrice | |
| Caroline | Caro |
| Clara | |
| Dorothy | |
| Eleanor | Ellie |
| Elizabeth | Beth, Liz |
| Emily | |
| Emma | |
| Erin | |
| Julia | |
| Katherine | |
| Lillian | |
| Lucy | |
| Maeve | |
| Margaret | Maggie, Meg |
| Mary | |
| Nora | |
| Rose | |
| Sarah | |
| Sophia |
Et voilà! Starting with the early European settlers who displaced the Native American peoples, a long history of immigration and colonization has made the US a melting pot of American girl names.
Common American girl names
Visit a playground in the US today and you will hear a mix of the rather old-fashioned girl names mentioned above and some more modern options. While the traditional names clearly have their origins in the history of the country, the modern American girl names are strongly shaped by current pop culture and celebrities. The following list shows the most common American girl names.
| Name | Kurz/Koseform |
|---|---|
| Amelia | |
| Ava | |
| Charlotte | Charly |
| Emma | |
| Evelyn | Eve |
| Harper | |
| Isabella | Bella, Izzy |
| Luna | |
| Mia | |
| Sophia |
If you are facing the same challenge as Jules and Evan in the movie and need to find a compromise when naming your newborn daughter, one of these common girl names could be a good choice to get everyone on board with the baby.
Most popular American girl names of the last 100 years
A total of 3,664,292 babies were born in the United States in 2021, which works out to more than 10,000 a day on average. Although there are hardly any rules for the first names or baby names of American children, every child legally needs a name, not least for official documents. The following American girl names are the most popular ones found on birth certificates over the last 100 years.
| Name | Kurz/Koseform |
|---|---|
| Abigail | Abby |
| Addison | Addie |
| Alexis | Lexi |
| Alice | Ali |
| Allison | Ally |
| Alyssa | |
| Amanda | Mandy |
| Amber | |
| Amelia | Amy |
| Amy | |
| Andrea | Andi |
| Anna | |
| Ashley | |
| Aubrey | Bree |
| Audrey | |
| Ava | |
| Avery | |
| Barbara | |
| Bella | |
| Bethany | Beth |
| Brittany | Britt |
| Brooklyn | Brooke |
| Caroline | Caro |
| Charlotte | Charly |
| Chloe | |
| Claire | |
| Crystal | |
| Danielle | Dani |
| Destiny | |
| Elizabeth | Liz, Beth |
| Ella | |
| Emily | |
| Emma | |
| Evelyn | Eve |
| Faith | |
| Gabriella | Gabby |
| Grace | |
| Hailey | |
| Hannah | |
| Isabella | Bella, Izzy |
| Isabelle | Bella, Izzy |
| Jacqueline | Jackie |
| Jade | |
| Jasmine | Jaz |
| Jennifer | Jen, Jenny |
| Jessica | Jess, Jessie |
| Jordan | |
| Julia | |
| Kaitlyn | Kate, Katie |
| Katherine | Kate, Katy |
| Kayla | |
| Kaylee | |
| Kennedy | |
| Kimberly | Kim |
| Kylie | |
| Lauren | |
| Layla | |
| Leah | |
| Lily | |
| Lindsay | |
| Lisa | |
| Lillian | Lily |
| Mackenzie | |
| Madeline | Maddy |
| Madison | Maddie |
| Makayla | Kayla |
| Marissa | |
| Mary | |
| Maya | |
| Megan | Meg |
| Melanie | Mel |
| Mia | |
| Michelle | Shelly |
| Morgan | |
| Natalie | |
| Nicole | Nikky |
| Olivia | Liv |
| Paige | |
| Peyton | |
| Rachel | |
| Rebecca | Becky |
| Riley | |
| Samantha | Sam |
| Sara | |
| Savannah | |
| Scarlett | |
| Serenity | |
| Shelby | |
| Sophia | |
| Sophie | |
| Stella | |
| Stephanie | |
| Sydney | |
| Taylor | |
| Trinity | |
| Vanessa | |
| Victoria | Vicky, Tori |
| Violet | |
| Zoe | |
| Zoey |
What all the American girl names above have in common: many people carry them, and they reflect a range of cultural influences and tastes that have shifted over time.
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100 more top American girl names and their meanings to help you choose
Still haven't found the right one among the American girl names so far? Here are 100 more American girl names for you, each with its meaning.
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Adeline | The noble one |
| Aria | Melody |
| Ariana | The holy one |
| Autumn | Autumn |
| Avalon | Isle of apples |
| Bailey | Bailiff |
| Beatrix | The happy one |
| Bianca | The white one |
| Blair | Plain, field |
| Blaire | Plain, field |
| Brenda | Sword |
| Bridget | The strong one |
| Brielle | God is my strength |
| Brianna | The strong one |
| Cadence | Rhythm |
| Callie | The most beautiful |
| Camilla | Temple attendant |
| Cassandra | She who enchants men |
| Celeste | The heavenly one |
| Chanel | Pipe |
| Charity | Charity |
| Cora | Girl |
| Cordelia | Daughter of the sea |
| Daisy | Daisy |
| Dakota | Friend, ally |
| Dana | The judge |
| Daphne | Laurel |
| Darcy | The dark one |
| Dawn | Dawn |
| Delilah | The delicate one |
| Demi | Half |
| Eden | Delight, pleasure |
| Eliza | God is my oath |
| Eloise | Healthy warrior |
| Esme | Beloved |
| Estelle | Star |
| Evangeline | The good news |
| Faye | Fairy |
| Fiona | The white one, the fair one |
| Flora | Flower |
| Francesca | The free one |
| Genevieve | Woman of the people |
| Georgia | Farmer |
| Giselle | Hostage, pledge |
| Gwendolyn | White brow, white eyebrow |
| Hadley | Heath |
| Hazel | The hazelnut |
| Heather | Heather |
| Hope | Hope |
| Imogen | Girl |
| Iris | Rainbow |
| Ivy | Ivy |
| Jocelyn | Member of the Gaut people |
| Josephine | God will add |
| Joy | Joy |
| June | The young one |
| Juniper | Juniper |
| Keira | The dark-haired one |
| Kelsey | Ship victory |
| Kendra | Water woman |
| Kinsley | King's meadow |
| Lana | Rock |
| Lara | The cheerful one |
| Laura | The laurel-crowned one |
| Laurel | Laurel |
| Lavender | Lavender |
| Lena | The graceful one |
| Lila | Purple, lilac |
| Lola | Sorrow |
| London | From the capital |
| Lorelei | Alluring woman of the rock |
| Lydia | The woman from Lydia |
| Mabel | The lovable one |
| Magnolia | Magnolia |
| Mallory | Unlucky |
| Margot | Pearl |
| Marley | Pleasant, lovely |
| Matilda | Strength in battle |
| Meadow | Meadow |
| Melody | Singing, song |
| Mila | Dear, precious |
| Millie | Hardworking |
| Molly | Star of the sea |
| Naomi | The lovely one |
| Nora | Light |
| Nova | New |
| Nyla | Winner |
| Opal | Gemstone |
| Paisley | Church |
| Penelope | Weaver |
| Phoebe | The radiant one |
| Piper | Flute player |
| Quinn | Descendant of Conn |
| Raven | Raven |
| Ruby | Red |
| Sadie | Princess |
| Sage | Wise |
| Skylar | Scholar |
| Summer | Summer |
| Willow | Willow |
Final thoughts on American girl names
Not everything you see in movies is real. But sometimes it is, and choosing an American first name for a girl proves the point. The US combines creative freedom, a rich history and a keen sense for trends, which makes finding a name both easy and almost impossible. The result is a choice of names almost as big as the country itself.
And with social media shaping baby name trends more and more, we at Lottili are curious to see which American girl names will get liked over the next 100 years and which ones won't make it into the top name rankings.
Sources
German Federal Ministry of Justice: Naming law
