Baby Name Predictions for the 2022 U.S. Top 1000 (Girls)

We have under two weeks to go before the new list of the most popular baby names in the U.S. comes out! The Social Security Administration is due to release data on all the names given to at least 5 children in the country in 2022 any day now, likely next Friday to coincide with Mothers’ Day.

The other day, I posted my predictions for the Top 10, which are the baby names most frequently counted in a given year. Now I’m looking at the Top 1000, or the names that are just becoming “popular.” While the SSA probably could start sharing the Top 1500 or Top 2000 due to the wide variety of names that parents are choosing now, the top 1000 has served as the dividing mark between commonality and rarity in American baby naming for the better part of 25 years. In earlier eras, far more children wore the most popular names. Even after Mary and John fell from the #1 spots and well into the 90s, each generation complained about how frequently they shared names with classmates. Now, there’s no guarantee kids named Liam and Olivia, the #1 names in the country for infant boys and girls, will even run into other Liams and Olivias in their grade (they probably will, though).

When we talk about rare American baby names, we talk about current baby names that rank below the Top 1000. Because today’s parents increasingly prefer unusual names, though, there’s a huge difference between a name given to 250 babies versus 5 babies. 5 babies means you probably won’t encounter one at all, but 250 babies averages 5 children per state *and* is just under the popularity threshold for girls.

So what are we predicting for the 2022 U.S. Top 1000? I always look at what names are likely to exit or enter. What names are about to be rare, and what names are about to be popular? The Top 1000 threshold is so much harder to predict than the Top 10 because there’s a lot more volatility. Because there’s so much ground to cover, I’m splitting my Top 1000 predictions into separate posts for girls’ and boys’ names. Let’s start with the girls’ names I think may leave the top 1000 this year. If you’re reading on mobile, scroll left at each chart for full visibility.

Girls’ Names Likely to Exit the Top 1000:

Name	2021 Rank	2021 Babies	2020 Rank	2020 Babies	2019 Rank	2019 Babies
Alexia	874	308	735	370	633	466
Annabella	1000	254	851	318	652	447
Avah	825	332	657	436	657	444
Ellen	920	288	804	335	799	345
Elliot	773	366	572	509	593	510
Ensley	789	358	590	492	666	433
Frida	973	264	887	298	730	386
Itzayana	971	265	757	359	791	350
Judith	959	270	908	288	822	331
Julissa	915	290	783	346	694	415
Kaisley	870	312	758	359	845	318
Kamilah	979	263	823	330	805	340
Keyla	980	263	837	325	776	356
Kyleigh	981	263	835	327	768	361
Kynlee	921	287	810	334	701	413
Lyanna	969	266	766	353	604	500
Madalyn	929	284	818	332	753	372
Meghan	986	261	880	303	734	384
Sariah	970	266	844	322	983	262
Tinsley	892	301	718	386	808	339
Tori	995	256	845	322	905	293
Zola	990	259	936	274	976	265

I didn’t include names that were new to the top 1000 in 2021 on my exit list because we simply don’t know what they’ll do in 2022!

Notes:

• Alexia – Partly due to its association with Alexa and drops related to the Amazon device, partly due to “Alex” names having reached their peak, perhaps partly due to Alexia sharing its name with a disability.
• Though Annabella fits several ongoing trends (old-fashioned, maximalist/long, vowel-heavy), it has two things going against it. One is that the “-Bella” ending trend has already peaked for many names, but the other bigger one is that Annabelle and related names were skewered by a horror movie “Annabelle” in 2014. Annabelle and related names were trending upwards until then.
• Elliot enjoyed an upwards trend as a girls’ name for much of the 2000s and 2010s before a significant and sudden drop in 2021. My guess? Actor Elliot Page publicly came out as transgender in December 2020. Caitlyn and other spellings of Caitlin/Kaitlyn took massive hits to popularity when Caitlyn Jenner came out in 2015, so…it follows. Page’s birth name dropped too, though it’s hard to say whether that’s because of transphobia or because Ellen is an old name falling out of fashion more naturally. Elliott with two ‘T’s also dropped for girls (from #448 to #552) between 2020 and 2021. We’ll see what the names do in 2022; Caitlin names were already past peak by 2015, so maybe the drop will be temporary for the Elliots since they’re still fashionable?
• Meghan enjoyed a brief revival thanks to Meghan Markle and is now dropping again.
• Zola sounds quite trendy, though I wonder if some parents associate it too heavily with the wedding website.

Let’s talk about the names I think may join the top 1000. In 2021 the #1000 name (Annabella) was given to 254 babies assigned female at birth. Let’s assume, then, that the new names have to hit around 250 uses to become popular in 2022.

Girls’ Names Likely to Enter the Top 1000:

Name	2021 Rank	2021 Babies	2020 Rank	2020 Babies	2019 Rank	2019 Babies
Amal	1039	241	1121	214	1283	179
Atlas	1245	187	1640	126	2230	82
Aura	1040	241	1210	189	1475	149
Avani	1006	252	1048	238	1940	101
Ehlani	1041	241	1790	110	16158	5
Elowyn	1048	239	1205	190	1318	173
Emberlyn	1056	237	1449	149	1573	136
Indy	1062	235	1515	140	1782	114
Jhene	1076	231	1123	214	1645	128
Jream	1016	249	1265	177	1986	97
Lakelyn	1049	239	1187	195	1164	205
Lakelynn	1028	245	1469	146	1687	124
Leylani	1092	225	1221	187	1446	153
Lottie	1093	225	1554	136	1640	129
Love	1019	248	1033	242	1658	127
Maisy	1021	247	1126	212	1130	214
Majesty	1005	253	1140	208	1020	252
Marigold	1022	247	1092	223	1297	177
Nori	1013	251	1170	199	1032	249
Rosalina	1017	249	1044	240	1086	230
Saanvi	1008	252	1061	233	1039	247
Scottie	1137	215	1328	166	1835	111
Sol	1054	238	1223	187	1510	144
Tallulah	1030	245	1127	212	1245	188
Violette	1033	244	983	259	1021	252
Winifred	1067	234	1098	222	1212	193
Xyla	1072	233	1398	156	1794	114

I also have a list of maybes for entry.

Girls’ Names that Might Enter the Top 1000:

Name	2021 Rank	2021 Babies	2020 Rank	2020 Babies	2019 Rank	2019 Babies
Araya	1068	233	1263	177	1305	175
Ayana	1114	219	1258	179	1174	201
Beatrix	1119	218	1164	200	982	262
Bernadette	1186	203	1443	150	1546	139
Elouise	1130	216	1325	166	1222	191
Emiliana	1032	244	1147	206	1087	229
Gianni	1010	251	1031	242	1654	127
Harriet	1051	238	1075	229	985	261
Ida	1127	217	1191	194	1267	183
Keziah	1100	223	1166	200	1278	181
Lilia	1020	247	1150	205	1101	223
Nairobi	1044	241	1119	215	2666	65
Onyx	1322	169	1755	114	2036	94
Reya	1135	216	1275	175	1500	145
Rhiannon	1112	221	1155	204	1247	187
Rowyn	1071	233	1188	195	1153	208
Sarahi	1045	241	1222	187	1053	243
Seraphina	1087	227	1271	176	998	258
Sterling	1270	182	1683	122	1778	115
Tilly	1136	216	1340	164	1342	170
Tru	1117	219	1477	145	1780	115
True	1138	215	1299	170	1511	144
Vayda	1066	234	1181	196	1114	219
Wednesday	1802	112	2334	76	2327	78
Yuna	1189	203	1436	152	1426	157
Zahara	1205	197	1350	163	1369	165
Zaira	1118	219	1572	134	1464	151

Notes:

• Ehlani – Alani (Rank #183) and Kehlani (Rank #150) were both quite trendy in 2021. Kehlani especially has spun off a huge amount of spelling variations and names, though Ehlani specifically appears to be an influencer’s baby’ name from 2020.
• Parents have been talking about Elowyn and Elowen for years, though they’ve never been able to decide on a spelling. One of them should have been in the top 1000 by now. For the record, Elowen is the original spelling.
• Gianni is a possibility, though because Gianna Bryant was the influence for many girls named Gianni in 2020 and 2021, entry somewhat depends on whether Gianna remains a top 15 name in 2022. It’s already a Top 400 name for boys.
• Popular names mean alternative spellings, hence Emberlyn, Maisy, Violette, Elouise, Reya, and Rowyn. Reya looks like it might be getting a boost from Raya and the Last Dragon.
• Marigold became trendy in large part thanks to Downton Abbey, though vintage-sounding nature names are hugely popular at the moment. Marigold couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
• Nairobi is a character in Casa de Papel / Money Heist.
• Regarding Lottie, Scottie, Indy, Maisy, and Tilly: Americans have finally decided it’s okay to put nicknames on the birth certificate, long after our British cousins adopted the practice. Bonus points for trendiness if the nicknames are vintage, boyish, or both.
• Also speaking of Lottie, I’ve personally seen a lot of buzz about this one on Facebook. That combined with a big jump between 2020 and 2021 and the popularity of Charlotte leads me to believe that it will become popular by 2024.
• Nori, Sterling, and Love are celebrity baby names, respectively the daughters of Kim Kardashian, Patrick Mahomes, and Diddy. Diddy’s daughter was born in early December 2022, so that may have a bigger impact on the 2023 stats. You may know Nori better by her legal name, North West.
• Why am I calling Wednesday now when it’s nowhere near the threshold? Because not only was it already trending, Netflix released their hit series in the autumn of 2022. I don’t know if that’s too late in the year for the boost, so if not 2022 then expect Wednesday to hit the top 1000 in 2023.

Remember, these are just predictions. Some of the ones I think will exit will go, but others will hold on. It’s the same for the names I think could enter. We’ll see how right or wrong I am soon enough!

Do you have any girls’ names you’re watching out for this naming season? Are there any names on here you don’t think will reach the top 1000 for 2022 or at all? What about ones you think are getting popular? Let me know, and look for the results!