Olivia and Noah continue to reign as the most popular baby names, according to BabyCenter’s latest rankings, but several newcomers are shaking up the charts in 2026.
Olivia held onto the No. 1 spot for girls, while Eliana made one of the biggest jumps, climbing five places to No. 2 after entering the top 10 last year. Amelia followed at No. 3, Charlotte moved up to No. 4, and Sophia rounded out the top five.
Other popular girl names include Isabella, Emma, Aurora, Evelyn and Mia. Evelyn returned to the top 10 after dropping out in 2024, while Ellie slipped to No. 11.
For boys, the top five names remained unchanged for the third consecutive year. Noah held the No. 1 spot, followed by Liam, Oliver, Elijah and Mateo.
Lucas climbed to No. 6, while Elias made its first appearance in the top 10 after jumping eight spots to No. 7. Levi, Ezra and Leo completed the top 10, pushing Asher and Luca out of the rankings.
Several names also made their debut in the top 100 this year. Magnolia was the only new addition for girls, climbing 40 spots to No. 88.
For boys, Milo jumped 41 spots to No. 89, Stetson climbed 46 spots to No. 95, Archer rose to No. 96, and Dean returned to the top 100 for the first time this century, landing at No. 100.
Meanwhile, some longtime favorites are losing popularity. Leah and Brooklyn dropped out of the girls’ top 100, while Christian and Ryan fell off the boys’ list.
BabyCenter also found that parents are increasingly choosing longer names. Nearly 29% of the top girl names and 31% of the top boy names contain seven or more letters.
When it comes to first initials, the letter E dominates girls’ names, accounting for 15% of the top 100. For boys, J is the most popular starting letter, appearing in 14% of the top 100 names.
The rankings reflect baby-naming trends tracked by BabyCenter and highlight how traditional favorites continue to hold strong while newer and vintage-inspired names gain popularity.
