Naming a baby after a saint is one of the oldest habits in Christian families, and it is still a live one. Pew Research Center’s February 2025 survey of 9,544 U.S. adults found that 47% have a personal or family connection to Catholicism (1).
Here is the part that surprises most parents: the Church does not actually require it. Canon 855 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law asks only that parents, sponsors and the pastor take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given (2). Writing in U.S. Catholic, Molly Jo Rose says: “It is a great opportunity to name a life, but the greater opportunity is to raise a child who knows God and understands God’s name and not her own is at the center of her life.”
So a saint’s name is a choice worth making, not a box to tick, and there are well over 10,000 saints to choose from. Every name below comes with its origin, meaning, pronunciation and the saint who carries it, plus how common it is in the United States today.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Theodore, Henry, James, Sebastian and Elizabeth.
Five of the names on this list are plotted here. Every U.S. figure in this article comes from the Social Security Administration’s national baby-name file, which records a name only once it reaches five births in a year (3). Those counts cover American births alone and say nothing about how common a name is anywhere else.
100 Beautiful Saint Names for Babies
The list runs alphabetically and mixes boys’ names, girls’ names and a handful that suit either. Each entry gives the origin, meaning, pronunciation and the saint who carries it, then says where the name stands in the United States today.
Abraham
Abraham comes from the Hebrew Avraham, read as father of a multitude from the phrase av hamon goyim. The shorter Avram is usually glossed as high father. St. Abraham Kidunaia was a fourth-century hermit in Mesopotamia who left a wealthy family on his wedding day and spent decades in a walled cell. That story gives the name a quiet stubbornness that the Lincoln association only adds to. Abe and Bram are the nicknames waiting for him.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Father of many
- Pronunciation: EY-brah-Haem
- Variations: Aberham, Abrahame, Abrahim
- Namesakes: Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the U.S. from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, known for abolishing slavery. Avraham Shlonsky, an Israeli poet, known for Hebrew children’s classics.
- Popularity: Abraham ranked 209th in the United States in 2025, with 1,664 boys given the name that year, per Social Security Administration records. It has barely moved in a decade, and its best showing was 141st back in 1914.
Adam
Adam comes from the Hebrew adamah, the word for tilled earth, which is why it is so often read as son of the red earth. Scripture puts him in a garden with work to do, and Christian tradition has long treated the first man as the first gardener, which is where the patronage of gardeners comes from. Two syllables, no spelling trouble, no nickname required.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Earth
- Pronunciation: AE-Dahm
- Variations: Adem, Adamh, Addam
- Namesakes: Adam Clayton, an English-Irish musician and bassist of the rock band U2. William West Anderson (known as Adam West), an American actor known for portraying Batman in the 1960s ABC series.
- Popularity: Adam held 101st place in the U.S. in 2025, just outside the top 100, with 3,501 boys named. It is well off the peak of 1984, when nearly 24,000 boys got the name, and roughly a fifth fewer boys carry it now than a decade ago.
Adelaide
Adelaide grew out of the Germanic Adalheidis, built from adal, meaning noble, and heid, a word for rank or bearing. St. Adelaide was a tenth-century empress who was imprisoned by a rival king, escaped through a tunnel, and spent her widowhood founding monasteries. She is invoked by brides and by second wives, and the life behind that patronage is far tougher than the lace it suggests. Addie and Della come free with it.
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: Noble
- Pronunciation: AED-eh-Laed
- Variations: Adalaide, Adelade
- Namesakes: Adelaide Bennett, an American poet known for descriptions of Native American life. Adelaide Kane, an Australian actress, known for the soap opera Neighbors.
- Popularity: Adelaide ranked 289th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,062 girls named, and it is climbing fast: about two thirds more girls carry it now than in the previous decade.
Adrian
Adrian traces to the Latin Hadrianus, the name borne by the emperor Hadrian and taken from Hadria, a town near the Adriatic. St. Adrian of Nicomedia was a Roman guard who watched Christians hold up under torture, asked to be counted among them, and was executed for it in the early fourth century. Armorers and soldiers claim him. The name works on a boy or a girl and travels across Spanish, Polish and English without a stumble.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Dark one
- Pronunciation: EY-driy-Ahn
- Variations: Adrean, Adreeyan, Adreyan, Adrianne
- Namesakes: Adrian Hasler, the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 2013 to 2021. Adrian Warburton, a Royal Air Force pilot, and flying ace during World War II.
- Popularity: Adrian sat at 74th in the U.S. in 2025 with 4,464 boys named, keeping it inside the top 100 despite a slow slide from its 2008 high of 56th. It is given to girls too, though far less often.
Agnes
Agnes comes from the Greek hagne, meaning pure, and it picked up a second life from the Latin agnus, meaning lamb, which is why she is shown holding one. St. Agnes was a Roman girl of about twelve or thirteen who refused a marriage and was killed for it around the year 304. Engaged couples and young girls ask for her help. Every January two lambs are blessed at her basilica in Rome and their wool is woven into the pallia the pope gives new archbishops, a custom that has outlasted almost everything else attached to her. Aggie is the obvious nickname, though the full name has more spine.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Pure
- Pronunciation: AEG-Nahs
- Variations: Agness, Agneis
- Namesakes: Agnes Janich, a Polish visual artist with work appearing at the 9th Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates. Agnes Sampson, a Scottish healer and alleged witch of the North Berwick witch trials during the 16th-century.
- Popularity: Agnes ranked 1,016th in the U.S. in 2025 with 246 girls named. That is a long way from its 41st-place peak in 1913, but the curve has turned: roughly twice as many girls received it in the last decade as in the ten years before.
Albert
Albert is the Germanic Adalbert, from adal, meaning noble, and beraht, meaning bright. St. Albert the Great, known in Latin as Albertus Magnus, taught Thomas Aquinas and wrote on botany, minerals, astronomy and logic at a time when almost nobody was writing on all of them at once. The Church names him patron of natural scientists. Bertie softens it; Al keeps it plain.
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: Bright famous
- Pronunciation: AEL-Bahrt
- Variations: Adelbert, Alburt
- Namesakes: Albert Gore Jr., the 45th vice president of the U.S. from 1993 to 2001. Albert Bogen, a Hungarian fencer who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Albert ranked 614th in the U.S. in 2025 with 461 boys named, well down from the 15th place it held in 1914 and still easing off decade over decade.
Alexander
Alexander is the Latin form of the Greek Alexandros, from alexo, meaning to defend, and aner, meaning man. Dozens of saints carry it, among them St. Alexander of Bergamo, a Roman soldier said to have refused to sacrifice to the emperor and beheaded in the Italian city that still keeps him as patron. The name carries centuries of kings and popes without feeling heavy, and Alex, Xander and Sasha give a boy three very different ways to be called.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Defender of men
- Pronunciation: AeL-ahg-ZAEN-Dahr
- Variations: Aleksander, Alexsander, Alexandar
- Namesakes: Alexander Haig Jr., the U.S. Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan. Alexander Armstrong, an English comedian, and host of the BBC One game show Pointless.
- Popularity: Alexander ranked 30th in the U.S. in 2025 with 7,230 boys named. It reached 4th in 2009, and it is down about a third on the previous decade, which still leaves it one of the most-used names on this list.
Ambrose
Ambrose is the English form of the Latin Ambrosius, from the Greek ambrosios, meaning immortal. St. Ambrose was the bishop of Milan who baptized Augustine and stood up to an emperor over a massacre. The old story that bees settled on his mouth as a baby, leaving honey behind, is why beekeepers claim him and why his name has a sweetness to it. Bram or Brose will do for short.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Immortal
- Pronunciation: AEM-Browz
- Variations: Ambros
- Namesakes: Ambrose Small, a Canadian theater magnate who owned Ontario theaters like the Grand Opera House in Toronto. Ambrose Bierce, an American short story writer whose story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge appeared as a Twilight Zone episode.
- Popularity: Ambrose ranked 735th in the U.S. in 2025 with 358 boys named, and it is one of the sharper climbers here: roughly four times as many boys received it in the last decade as in the ten years before.
Anastasia
Anastasia is the feminine of Anastasius, from the Greek anastasis, meaning resurrection, which is why it was long given to girls born near Easter. St. Anastasia of Sirmium is named in the Roman canon of the Mass and is one of the few women commemorated there. Weavers keep her. The name is grand on paper and easy in daily use, since Ana, Stasia and Tasia are all sitting inside it.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: She who will rise again
- Pronunciation: Ae-nah-STAES-Yah
- Variations: Anastacia, Anastazya, Anastaysia
- Namesakes: Anastasia Melnichenko, the Ukrainian founder of the #IAmNotAfraidToSayIt social media campaign, a precursor to the MeToo movement. Anastasia Motaung, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2019.
- Popularity: Anastasia ranked 163rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,832 girls named, and 2025 was its highest-count year on record. Its best rank came in 2018 at 147th.
Angelo
Angelo comes through the Latin Angelus from the Greek angelos, meaning messenger. St. Angelus of Jerusalem was a thirteenth-century Carmelite preacher killed in Sicily, and converts look to him. Italian-American families have carried it for generations without it ever feeling dated, and Ange does the work at home.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Angel, messenger
- Pronunciation: Aen-jheh-LOW
- Variations: Anjelo, Angele
- Namesakes: Angelo Bonomelli, an Italian-Costa Rican surfer and part of the Volcom Europe surf team. Angelo Bruno (born Angelo Annaloro), a Sicilian-American mob boss of the Philadelphia crime family for two decades.
- Popularity: Angelo ranked 304th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,124 boys named, and it has held remarkably level for a century: it sat at 146th in 1914 and has never disappeared since.
Anne
Anne comes from the Hebrew Hannah, from chanan, meaning to show favor. Medieval tradition gave the name to the mother of the Virgin Mary, and St. Anne became the saint women in labor called on, along with grandmothers, miners and cabinetmakers. One syllable, no fuss, and it slides into a middle-name slot beside almost anything.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Grace
- Pronunciation: AEN
- Variations: Ann
- Namesakes: Anne Diamond, a British journalist and host of Good Morning Britain for TV-am. Anne Meara, an American comedian and part of the 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara.
- Popularity: Anne ranked 619th in the U.S. in 2025 with 472 girls named, holding steady rather than falling. It reached 52nd in 1915, its best showing on record.
Anselm
Anselm joins the Germanic ans, a word for a god, to helm, meaning helmet, so it reads as something like protected by God. St. Anselm of Canterbury argued his way to God from first principles and is usually called the father of scholasticism. Naming a boy Anselm is a bet on him being the one in the room asking why. Ansel is the softer everyday form.
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: With divine protection
- Pronunciation: AEN-Sehlm
- Variations: Anslem, Ansel
- Namesakes: Anselm McLaurin, the 34th Governor of Mississippi, served from 1896 to 1900. Anselm Kiefer, a German painter whose work used themes like German history and the Holocaust.
- Popularity: Anselm is genuinely rare in the United States: nine boys were given the name in 2025, placing it 8,307th. Fewer than 310 American boys have received it since records began in 1880.
Anthony
Anthony comes from the Roman family name Antonius, whose meaning is genuinely unknown; the h in the English spelling came from a later association with the Greek anthos, meaning flower, and the priceless reading is a folk gloss. St. Anthony of Padua is the one people talk to when the car keys vanish, and that habit has kept his name in ordinary use for eight centuries. Tony is built in and nobody has to be taught it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Priceless one
- Pronunciation: AEN-Thahn-Iy
- Variations: Anthoney, Anthone, Anthoni, Antony
- Namesakes: Anthony Hopkins, a Welsh actor best known for his role as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. Antony Matheus dos Santos, a Brazilian footballer for the Brazil national team.
- Popularity: Anthony ranked 46th in the U.S. in 2025 with 5,967 boys named. It has come down sharply from the 23,000-plus of 1987, roughly halving in the last decade against the one before, and it is still comfortably inside the top 100.
Athanasius
Athanasius is the Greek athanatos, meaning deathless. St. Athanasius of Alexandria spent seventeen years in exile across five separate banishments for refusing to soften the Nicene position on Christ, which is where the phrase contra mundum, against the world, attaches to him. Greek families still shorten it to Thanasis or Thanos. It is a heavy name for a small boy, and that is rather the point.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Immortal
- Pronunciation: Ah-tha-NAH-see-Uhs
- Variations: Athnasious, Athanasios
- Namesakes: Athanasios Mantzouranis, a Greek track cyclist who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Athanasios Eftaxias, the Prime Minister of Greece from July to August 1926.
- Popularity: Athanasius is rare in the United States, given to 19 boys in 2025 for a rank of 5,053rd. It only entered the federal data in 2001, and use has roughly doubled in the last decade.
Augustine
Augustine comes from the Latin augere, meaning to increase, by way of Augustus, the title Roman emperors took. St. Augustine of Hippo wrote the Confessions, a book that invented the modern habit of examining your own motives on the page, and he did it after a long stretch of resisting the whole idea. Brewers, printers and theologians all claim him. Gus is the nickname, and it does the name a favor.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Great, venerable
- Pronunciation: Aw-guws-TIYN
- Variations: Agustine, Augusteen, Augusteyn, Augustin
- Namesakes: Augustine Chacon (known as El Peludo), a Mexican outlaw in the Arizona Territory during the late 1800s. Augustine Kelly, an Irish cricketer, who played for the Ireland cricket team between 1920 and 1930.
- Popularity: Augustine ranked 545th in the U.S. in 2025 with 549 boys named, its highest count in the whole 145-year record, and it is given to girls as well. Use has more than doubled over the last decade.
Benedict
Benedict comes from the Latin benedictus, blessed, built from bene, meaning well, and dicere, meaning to speak. St. Benedict of Nursia wrote a rule for monastic life so practical that it is still read as a management text, and it shaped Western monasticism for fifteen centuries. He is a patron of Europe. Ben is right there, and Benedict has shed most of the stuffiness it carried a generation ago.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Blessed
- Pronunciation: BEHN-eh-Dihkt
- Variations: Benedikt, Bennedict
- Namesakes: Benedict Cumberbatch, an English actor named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. Benedict McCarthy, the South Africa national football team’s all-time top scorer with 31 goals.
- Popularity: Benedict ranked 814th in the U.S. in 2025 with 305 boys named, its best count since the data began. Roughly twice as many boys received it in the last decade as in the ten years before.
Brendan
Brendan comes from the Irish Bréanainn, thought to derive from a Welsh word for prince. St. Brendan the Navigator supposedly sailed west from Ireland in a hide-covered boat looking for the Isle of the Blessed, and a modern crew repeated the voyage to show it could be done. Sailors and whales both belong to him. It is a good name for a family that likes the water.
- Origin: Irish, Latin
- Meaning: Prince
- Pronunciation: BREHN-Dahn
- Variations: Brenndan, Brenden, Brendon
- Namesakes: Brendan Gleeson, an Irish actor known for the Harry Potter films (2005-2010). Brendan Walsh, an American chef and winner of the “Who’s Who of Cooking in America” James Beard Foundation Award.
- Popularity: Brendan ranked 1,098th in the U.S. in 2025 with 195 boys named. It is the steepest faller on this list, down about 71 percent on the previous decade after peaking at 96th in 1999.
Brice
Brice descends from the Latin Bricius, a name of Gaulish rather than Latin roots whose sense is uncertain, though it is often glossed as speckled or swift. St. Brice succeeded Martin of Tours as bishop, behaved badly enough to be run out of the city, spent seven years in Rome and came back a different man. People with stomach complaints call on him.
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: Quick, speedy
- Pronunciation: BREYSS
- Variations: Bryce
- Namesakes: Brice Tirabassi, a French rally driver who won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2003. Brice Lalonde, a French politician named Minister of the Environment in 1988.
- Popularity: Brice ranked 2,946th in the U.S. in 2025 with 42 babies named, down about 59 percent on the previous decade. The Bryce spelling is far more common here.
Bridget
Bridget is the anglicized Brigid, from the Old Irish Brígh, meaning exalted or strength. St. Brigid of Kildare founded a double monastery, ran it herself, and gathered so much folklore around her that she is patron of poets, dairymaids, blacksmiths and chicken farmers all at once. Ireland made her feast a public holiday in 2023, the first Irish bank holiday named for a woman. Children still weave her rush cross on February 1 and hang it over the door for the year. Bridie and Birdie are the affectionate forms.
- Origin: Celtic
- Meaning: Strength, virtue
- Pronunciation: BRIH-Jhaht
- Variations: Bridgitte, Briggitte, Brighid, Brigid, Brigit
- Namesakes: Bridget Everett, an American comedian known for the semi-autobiographical 2022 HBO series Somebody Somewhere. Bridget Hustwaite, an Australian radio presenter for the Good Nights program.
- Popularity: Bridget ranked 724th in the U.S. in 2025 with 385 girls named, down roughly two fifths on the previous decade and well off its 1973 peak of 112th.
Catherine
Catherine reached English through the Greek Aikaterine, later reshaped toward katharos, meaning pure. St. Catherine of Alexandria is the one who argued down fifty philosophers and gave her name to the spiked wheel, while St. Catherine of Siena wrote letters telling a pope to go home to Rome, and he went. Students, philosophers and nurses all have a Catherine to call on. Kate, Cat, Katie and Rina all come out of it, which is why it never really dates.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Pure
- Pronunciation: KAETH-ah-Rihn
- Variations: Catharine, Catharin
- Namesakes: Catherine Ashton, the British High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2009 to 2014. Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
- Popularity: Catherine ranked 314th in the U.S. in 2025 with 972 girls named, down about a third on the previous decade. It held 18th place in 1914 and more than 660,000 American girls have carried the C spelling since 1880.
Cecilia
Cecilia comes from the Roman clan name Caecilius, itself from caecus, meaning blind. St. Cecilia is patron of musicians because of a line in her passion account describing her singing in her heart during her own wedding, and composers from Purcell to Britten have written odes for her feast day. Cece and Cissy are the everyday forms.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Blind
- Pronunciation: Sah-SIYL-Yah
- Variations: Cacelia, Cecilea, Cecelia
- Namesakes: Cecilia Mangini, the first female documentary filmmaker in Italy. María Cecilia Montes, the wife of the former President of Chile Sebastián Piñera.
- Popularity: Cecilia hit both its best rank and its highest count in 2025: 108th, with 2,506 girls named. Use is up by around three fifths on the previous decade.
Chiara
Chiara is the Italian form of Clara, from the Latin clarus, meaning bright or clear. St. Clare of Assisi ran off to join Francis at eighteen, founded the Poor Clares, and was later made patron of television because of a vision she had of a Mass she could not attend. Say it kee-AH-rah and expect to spell it out in the States.
- Origin: Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Light, clear
- Pronunciation: Kiy-AAR-ah
- Variations: Chiarah, Chiarra, Chiarrah
- Namesakes: Chiara Simionato, an Italian long-track speed skater who competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Chiara Appendino, an Italian politician and mayor of Turin from 2016 to 2021.
- Popularity: Chiara ranked 1,066th in the U.S. in 2025 with 228 girls named, its highest count yet, and use is up about a third on the previous decade.
Christopher
Christopher is the Greek Christophoros, from Christos and pherein, meaning to bear. The legend has a giant of a man carrying a child across a river and finding the weight impossible, because the child was carrying the world. Travelers keep his medal in the glovebox to this day. Chris, Kit and Topher are all live options.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Christ-bearer
- Pronunciation: KRIHS-taa-Fer
- Variations: Cristopher, Chrystopher, Christapher
- Namesakes: Christopher Awdry, an English author contributing to The Railway Series books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine. Christopher Bengtsson, a Swedish ice hockey player for IF Björklöven of the HockeyAllsvenskan.
- Popularity: Christopher ranked 68th in the U.S. in 2025 with 4,748 boys named. It is down about half on the previous decade, a long way from the 60,000 boys of 1984, but more than two million American boys have carried it since 1880.
Clement
Clement comes from the Latin clemens, meaning merciful. St. Clement I was one of the earliest popes and is said to have been tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea, which is why blacksmiths, metalworkers and mariners all claim him. Clem is the short form, and the French Clément gives it a lift.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Mercy
- Pronunciation: KLEHM-ehnt
- Variations: Clemens, Clements
- Namesakes: Clement Higgins, a British Member of Parliament between 1892 and 1895. Clement Ivanov (known as Puppey), an Estonian Dota 2 player for Team Secret.
- Popularity: Clement ranked 2,262nd in the U.S. in 2025 with 62 boys named. It is uncommon but rising, up about half on the previous decade.
Constantine
Constantine is the Latin Constantinus, from constans, meaning steadfast. Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, ended the persecutions with the Edict of Milan, and called the council at Nicaea. The Eastern churches honor him as a saint alongside his mother Helena. It is a long name for a small child, but Costa, Dino and Gus all live inside it.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Steadfast
- Pronunciation: KAAN-stahn-Tiyn
- Variations: Constantin
- Namesakes: Constantine Paparrigopoulos, a Greek historian and founder of modern Greek historiography. Constantine Lascaris, a Greek scholar, involved in the revival of Greek learning in Italy during the Renaissance.
- Popularity: Constantine ranked 1,573rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 108 boys named, holding roughly level over the past decade.
Damian
Damian comes from the Greek Damianos, linked to damazo, meaning to tame. Sts. Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers and physicians who, tradition says, refused payment from anyone, which earned them the nickname the moneyless ones. Doctors, surgeons and pharmacists keep them. The name is smooth, unfussy, and works in English, Spanish and Polish alike.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: To tame
- Pronunciation: DEY-miy-Ahn
- Variations: Damien, Dameon
- Namesakes: Damian Smith, the artistic director of The National Theater Ballet school in Melbourne. Damian Martin, an Australian basketball player with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League.
- Popularity: Damian ranked 109th in the U.S. in 2025 with 3,213 boys named, close to its 2013 best of 98th and steady over the last decade.
Daniel
Daniel puts together the Hebrew din, meaning to judge, and el, meaning God. The prophet who read the writing on the wall and came out of the lions’ den unhurt is the reason the name spread through Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike. Dan, Danny and Dane give a boy room to grow into or out of it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God is my judge
- Pronunciation: DAEN-Yahl
- Variations: Daniyel, Danial, Danniel
- Namesakes: Daniel Craig, an English actor best known for the James Bond film series. Daniel Adair, a Canadian drummer and member of the band Nickelback.
- Popularity: Daniel ranked 22nd in the U.S. in 2025 with 8,085 boys named. It is down about a third on the previous decade after peaking in 1985, yet nearly two million American boys have carried it since 1880.
David
David comes from the Hebrew Dawid, usually read as beloved. The shepherd who killed Goliath and became king is one strand; the other is St. David of Wales, a sixth-century monk whose feast on March 1 is still marked with daffodils and leeks. Dave and Davy are there if he wants them, and the full name has never once looked out of place.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Beloved
- Pronunciation: DEY-Vihd
- Variations: Davyd, Daevid, Davidd
- Namesakes: David Tennant, a Scottish actor and the 10th incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who (2005-2010). David Attenborough, an English broadcaster known for the natural history series, the Life Collection.
- Popularity: David ranked 35th in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,794 boys named. It was the single most popular boys’ name in the country in 1960 and more than 3.6 million American boys have received it since 1880.
Declan
Declan comes from the Irish Deaglán, a name whose sense is debated and often given as full of goodness. St. Declán of Ardmore was preaching in Waterford before Patrick arrived, which makes him one of the four pre-Patrician bishops of Ireland. His holy well and the stone on the strand still draw pilgrims every July, and the round tower and ruined oratory above Ardmore bay have been standing over the site for eight hundred years. It is an Irish name that Americans can say correctly on the first try, which explains a lot about its climb.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Man of prayer
- Pronunciation: DEH-Klaen
- Variations: Daclan, Declyn, Deklan
- Namesakes: Declan Costello, the Irish President of the High Court from 1995 to 1998. Declan Edwards, an Irish footballer for Galway United.
- Popularity: Declan ranked 139th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,570 boys named. It only entered the federal data in 1951 and use is up about four fifths on the previous decade.
Delphina
Delphina comes from the Latin Delphinus, the name for someone from Delphi, the Greek town that housed the oracle. St. Delphina of Provence was a fourteenth-century noblewoman who married a count, lived with him in a vowed celibate marriage, and gave away everything after his death. The name shares its root with the dolphin, which is a nicer image than most saints’ names offer. Della and Fina are the natural nicknames.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Woman from Delphi
- Pronunciation: Dehl-FIY-nah
- Variations: Delfina, Delphia, Delphine
- Namesakes: Delfina Potocka, a Polish countess and student of pianist Frédéric Chopin. Delfina Guzmán Correa, a Chilean actress known for the 1968 Raúl Ruiz film Three Sad Tigers.
- Popularity: Delphina is the rarest name on this list: seven girls were given it in the U.S. in 2025, a rank of 12,226th, or roughly one in 250,000 births. Fewer than 950 American girls have received it since 1880.
Dominic
Dominic comes from the Latin Dominicus, meaning of the Lord. St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, and is tied to the spread of the rosary; he is usually shown with a star on his forehead and a dog carrying a torch. Astronomers claim him, which is a pleasingly odd patronage. Dom and Nico both work, and the Italian Domenico is worth knowing about.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Lordly
- Pronunciation: DAAM-ahn-Ayk
- Variations: Dominick, Dominik
- Namesakes: Dominic West, an English actor known for the TV series The Wire (2002-2008).
- Popularity: Dominic ranked 106th in the U.S. in 2025 with 3,277 boys named, just outside the top 100 and about a fifth down on the previous decade.
Edmund
Edmund joins the Old English ead, meaning prosperity, to mund, meaning protection. St. Edmund the Martyr was a ninth-century king of East Anglia killed by a Danish army after refusing to renounce his faith, and for centuries his shrine at Bury St Edmunds was one of England’s great pilgrimage sites. Ned and Ted both come out of it, which few people expect.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Fortunate protector
- Pronunciation: EHD-Mahnd
- Variations: Edmand, Eadmund, Edmond
- Namesakes: Edmund Spenser, an English poet known for The Faerie Queene. Edmund Garrett, an American illustrator famous for images of the legends of King Arthur.
- Popularity: Edmund ranked 1,082nd in the U.S. in 2025 with 199 boys named. Use is up nearly half on the previous decade, though it is still far from the 130th place it held in 1914.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth comes from the Hebrew Elisheva, read as my God is an oath. The New Testament Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist; St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a thirteenth-century princess, spent her short widowhood running a hospital she paid for herself and is patron of bakers and of charitable work. Few names carry this much royal history and still hand a child Eliza, Libby, Betsy, Bess and Liz to choose from.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God is my oath
- Pronunciation: Ih-LIHZ-ah-Bahth
- Variations: Elisabethe, Elizabith, Elizebeth
- Namesakes: Elizabeth Olsen, an American actress who debuted in the film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Elizabeth Haigh, a Singaporean-born chef who appeared on MasterChef in 2011.
- Popularity: Elizabeth ranked 17th in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,760 girls named, one of six names on this list still inside the top 20 and the highest-placed girls’ name here. Nearly 1.7 million American girls have carried it since 1880.
Emilia
Emilia comes from the Roman family name Aemilius, usually linked to aemulus, meaning rival. St. Emilia of Caesarea had ten children and produced three canonized saints and a bishop among them, which is why she is invoked by mothers. The name is soft without being slight, and Millie and Mia are both waiting inside it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Rival
- Pronunciation: Eh-MIYL-yaa
- Variations: Emelia, Emilea, Emilya, Emmilia
- Namesakes: Emilia Broomé, the first woman in the Swedish legislative assembly in 1914. Emilia Tsoulfa, a Greek sailor and bronze medalist in 1998 European championships.
- Popularity: Emilia ranked 45th in the U.S. in 2025 with 4,677 girls named. Births over the last decade ran roughly four times ahead of the ten years before.
Faustina
Faustina is the feminine of the Latin Faustus, meaning fortunate. St. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun who kept a diary of her visions of Christ, and that diary became the basis for the Divine Mercy devotion and the feast now kept the Sunday after Easter. She was canonized in 2000. For a Polish or devotional family this is one of the strongest choices on the list.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Good luck
- Pronunciation: Fow-ZTIYN-ah
- Variations: Fausta, Faustine, Faustyna
- Namesakes: Faustina Acheampong, the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana from 1972 to 1978. Faustina Agolley, an Australian TV host of the music program Video Hits.
- Popularity: Faustina ranked 4,104th in the U.S. in 2025 with 35 girls named, up about half on the previous decade from a very small base.
Felicity
Felicity comes from the Latin felicitas, meaning good fortune or happiness, which was also the name of a Roman goddess. St. Felicity was a slave imprisoned with Perpetua in Carthage in 203 and gave birth in prison days before they died together; both are named in the Roman canon of the Mass. It is a virtue name that sounds cheerful rather than solemn, and Flick and Fliss are the British shortenings.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Luck
- Pronunciation: Feh-LIHS-ih-Tiy
- Variations: Felicitee, Feliciti
- Namesakes: Felicity Hyde, the British founding director of the Women’s Royal Air Force. Felicity Cockram, the general manager of the Australian Film Institute from 2002 to 2005.
- Popularity: Felicity ranked 473rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 653 girls named, up about seven tenths on the previous decade and close to its 2017 peak of 345th.
Felix
Felix is the Latin for lucky or successful, taken as a surname by the dictator Sulla, who believed the gods favored him. Dozens of saints carry it, and the best-loved is St. Felix of Nola, who tradition says hid in a ruin while a spider spun a web across the opening so his pursuers walked on by. Spiders are still associated with him. The name is short, cheerful, and needs no nickname at all.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Happy, fortunate
- Pronunciation: FIY-Lihks
- Variations: Felyx, Feliks
- Namesakes: Felix Unger, an Austrian doctor who performed the first artificial heart transplantation in Europe in 1986. Felix Diogg, a Swiss painter and, most important, Classicism portraitist.
- Popularity: Felix ranked 175th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,064 boys named. Use has nearly doubled on the previous decade and 2024 was its highest-count year on record.
Francis
Francis comes from the Latin Franciscus, meaning the Frenchman, a nickname given to Giovanni di Bernardone by his cloth-merchant father. That boy became St. Francis of Assisi, who gave his inheritance back in the town square, wrote the Canticle of the Sun, and is patron of animals and of ecology. He is also the reason there is a nativity scene in your living room: he set up the first one at Greccio in 1223 to make the story concrete for people who could not read it. Two modern popes have taken the name. Frank, Frankie and the feminine Frances all sit alongside it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Free man
- Pronunciation: FRAEN-Sihs
- Variations: Frances, Fransis
- Namesakes: Francis Bowling, a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1977 to 1984. Francis Elliott, a British journalist and editor at The Times from 2013 to 2021.
- Popularity: Francis ranked 420th in the U.S. in 2025 with 769 boys named, plus 122 girls. Use is up about three fifths on the previous decade, a genuine turnaround for a name that held 29th place back in 1915.
George
George is the Greek Georgios, from ge, meaning earth, and ergon, meaning work, so literally a farmer. St. George was a Roman soldier martyred under Diocletian, and the dragon arrived in his story about nine centuries later, by way of the crusades. England, Georgia, Ethiopia and Portugal all keep him as patron. Georgie is the only nickname it needs.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Farmer
- Pronunciation: JHOWRJH
- Variations: Georgiy, Georgie
- Namesakes: George Bush, the 41st president of the U.S. from 1989 to 1993. Prince George of Cambridge, third in the line of succession to the British throne.
- Popularity: George ranked 126th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,848 boys named, up about a quarter on the previous decade. It sat 6th in 1913 and nearly 1.5 million American boys have carried it since 1880.
Gertrude
Gertrude joins the Germanic ger, meaning spear, to thrud, meaning strength. St. Gertrude the Great was a thirteenth-century German nun and one of the first writers on the Sacred Heart, while the separate St. Gertrude of Nivelles picked up her cats through a patronage against mice. Trudy and Gertie are the way in for a family willing to be early on this one.
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: Spear of strength
- Pronunciation: GAHR-Truwd
- Variations: Gertraude, Gertruyd, Gertruyde
- Namesakes: Gertrude Abercrombie, an American painter called “the queen of the bohemian artists.” Gertrude Crampton, an American children’s book writer known for Tootle (1945).
- Popularity: Gertrude ranked 6,632nd in the U.S. in 2025 with 17 girls named, one of the steepest long-term falls here from 32nd place in 1914. The last decade shows a small uptick from a very low base.
Gregory
Gregory comes from the Greek gregorein, meaning to be watchful. Sixteen popes have taken the name, and St. Gregory the Great sent the mission that converted the English, reorganized the Church’s finances, and had the chant tradition named after him. Musicians and singers call on him. Greg is the everyday form and always has been.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Vigilant, a watchman
- Pronunciation: GREHG-eh-Riy
- Variations: Gregary, Greggory, Gregori
- Namesakes: Gregory Mertens, a Belgian football player for Lokeren. Gregory Rusland, a member of the National Assembly of Suriname since 2015.
- Popularity: Gregory ranked 593rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 493 boys named, down about two fifths on the previous decade after peaking at 21st in 1962.
Helena
Helena comes from the Greek Helene, usually tied to helios, meaning sun, with torch as the other common reading. St. Helena was the mother of the emperor Constantine and travelled to Jerusalem in her seventies, where tradition credits her with finding the True Cross. Archaeologists claim her, which is a fine thing to tell a curious girl. Say it heh-LEH-nah or HEL-en-uh; both are in use.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Light, bright
- Pronunciation: Heh-LEH-Naa
- Variations: Helene, Helen
- Namesakes: Helena Molony, an Irish activist who fought in the 1916 Easter Rising. Helena Laine, a Finnish javelin thrower who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Helena ranked 363rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 841 girls named, its highest count on record, and use is up about a third on the previous decade.
Henry
Henry comes from the Germanic Heimirich, from heim, meaning home, and ric, meaning ruler. The Normans brought it to England in 1066 and eight kings later it was thoroughly English. St. Henry II was a Holy Roman Emperor who founded the diocese of Bamberg and was canonized in 1146. Hank and Harry both belong to it.
- Origin: Germanic
- Meaning: Home rule
- Pronunciation: HHEHN-Riy
- Variations: Henri, Henrey
- Namesakes: Henry Cavill, a British actor known for playing the DC Comics character Superman. Henry Mancini (born Enrico Mancini), one of the greatest American music composers in the history of film.
- Popularity: Henry is the highest-ranked boys’ name on this list after Theodore: 5th in the U.S. in 2025 with 12,020 boys named, its best-ever placing, and up about seven tenths on the previous decade.
Ignatius
Ignatius comes from the Roman family name Egnatius, later reshaped toward the Latin ignis, meaning fire. St. Ignatius of Antioch was thrown to the beasts in Rome around 107 and wrote seven letters on the road there that are among the oldest Christian documents outside the New Testament. St. Ignatius of Loyola, a wounded Basque soldier, founded the Jesuits in 1540 and wrote the Spiritual Exercises. Iggy is the nickname, and it is a lot more fun than the name suggests.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Fiery
- Pronunciation: Ihg-NEY-Shahs
- Variations: Ignatios, Ignatious
- Namesakes: Ignatius Bonomi, an English architect associated with Durham in north-east England. Ignatius Chombo, the Finance Minister of Zimbabwe in 2017.
- Popularity: Ignatius ranked 1,664th in the U.S. in 2025 with 100 boys named. Use has more than doubled on the previous decade.
Isabel
Isabel began as the Spanish and Occitan reworking of Elisabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning my God is an oath. Blessed Isabelle of France turned down a marriage the pope himself had arranged, founded a monastery at Longchamp, and lived there without ever taking vows. The name is warmer than Elizabeth and shorter than Isabella, which is much of its appeal. Izzy, Belle and Sabel all fit.
- Origin: Spanish, Hebrew
- Meaning: Pledged to God
- Pronunciation: IHZ-ah-Behl
- Variations: Isabella, Isabelle, Isabele
- Namesakes: Isabel Ruth, a Portuguese actress known for the film River of Gold. Isabel Lorenzo, a Spanish politician, serving in the Senate of Spain between 2003 and 2007.
- Popularity: Isabel ranked 177th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,746 girls named, down about a quarter on the previous decade after peaking at 83rd in 2003.
Isaiah
Isaiah renders the Hebrew Yesha’yahu, from yasha, meaning to save, and yah for God. The prophet’s book supplies the Advent and Christmas readings Christians hear every year, and the Eastern churches keep him on a feast day of his own. Tradition says he was executed by being sawn in two. Zay and Izzy are the common short forms.
- Origin: Latin, Hebrew
- Meaning: Yahweh is salvation
- Pronunciation: Ay-ZAY-ah
- Variations: Isaya, Isaia, Issaiah
- Namesakes: Isaiah Ford, an American football player for the Miami Dolphins. Isaiah Mustafa, an American actor known for Old Spice TV commercials.
- Popularity: Isaiah ranked 57th in the U.S. in 2025 with 5,267 boys named, down about a quarter on the previous decade but comfortably inside the top 100.
Jacinta
Jacinta is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Hyacintha, from the Greek hyakinthos, the flower. St. Jacinta Marto was one of the three shepherd children at Fátima in 1917 and died in the influenza pandemic while still a child, which made her and her brother Francisco the youngest non-martyrs ever canonized when Pope Francis declared them saints at Fatima in 2017. Say it hah-SEEN-tah in Spanish, jah-SIN-tah in English.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Pronunciation: Jah-SIYN-Taa
- Namesakes: Jacinta Allan, an Australian politician serving as Deputy Premier of Victoria since June 2022. Jacinta Monroe, an American basketball player in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
- Popularity: Jacinta ranked 4,397th in the U.S. in 2025 with 32 girls named, up about half on the previous decade but still rare here.
James
James arrived through the Late Latin Iacomus, a worn-down form of Iacobus, the Latin for Jacob. Two apostles carry it, and St. James the Greater is buried, tradition holds, at Santiago de Compostela, the end point of a pilgrimage route that still draws hundreds of thousands of walkers a year. Spain keeps him as patron. Jim, Jamie and Jem are all still in use.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: JHEYMZ
- Variations: Jaimes, Jaymes
- Namesakes: James Dean, an American actor best known for the film Rebel Without a Cause (1955). James Polk, the 11th president of the U.S. from 1845 to 1849.
- Popularity: James ranked 6th in the U.S. in 2025 with 11,945 boys named, and it has held steady over the last decade rather than sliding. More than 5.2 million American boys have received it since 1880.
Jerome
Jerome comes from the Greek Hieronymos, from hieros, meaning sacred, and onoma, meaning name. St. Jerome spent decades in a cave near Bethlehem translating the Bible into Latin from the Hebrew and Greek, producing the Vulgate, and he was famously bad-tempered about anyone who questioned his readings. Translators, librarians and scholars all claim him. The French Jérôme is the more elegant spelling.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Sacred name
- Pronunciation: Jheh-ROHM
- Variations: Jerrome, Jerom
- Namesakes: Jerome Kuehl, an American TV producer known for the series The World at War. Jerome “Jerry” Garcia, an American musician and lead singer of the rock band Grateful Dead.
- Popularity: Jerome ranked 1,257th in the U.S. in 2025 with 158 boys named, down about a third on the previous decade after peaking at 93rd in 1938.
Joan
Joan is the older English feminine of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning God is gracious. St. Joan of Arc led a French army at seventeen, was burned at Rouen at nineteen, was cleared by a retrial twenty-five years later and canonized in 1920. She is patron of France and of soldiers. It is one syllable and it carries more history than most three-syllable names manage.
- Origin: French, Hebrew
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: JHOWN
- Variations: Joane
- Namesakes: Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur), an American actress who featured in her daughter’s biography Mommie Dearest. Joan Shakespeare, the British sister of William Shakespeare.
- Popularity: Joan ranked 1,087th in the U.S. in 2025 with 222 girls named, per Social Security Administration records. More than 481,000 American girls have been given the name since 1880.
Jolenta
Jolenta is the Hungarian and Polish form of Yolanda, a name usually traced to the Greek ion, meaning violet, and anthos, meaning flower. Blessed Jolenta of Poland was a Hungarian princess, sister to Kunigunde and niece to Elizabeth of Hungary, who founded a Poor Clare monastery at Gniezno and entered it after her husband died. Yolanda and Jolanta are the forms an American will actually recognize.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Violet flower
- Pronunciation: Yow-LENT-aa
- Variations: Jolanta
- Namesakes: Jolenta Greenberg, an American comedian, and a Moth StorySLAM winner.
- Popularity: Jolenta is too rare for the U.S. federal data to record: it has never reached the five births in a year a name needs to appear in the Social Security Administration file. The related Jolanta is the standard Polish form.
Joseph
Joseph comes from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning he will add. The carpenter of Nazareth gets almost no dialogue in the Gospels and is nonetheless patron of fathers, workers, house sales and a peaceful death. Pius IX named him patron of the universal Church in 1870. Joe, Joey and the Spanish José all sit under one roof.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Jehovah shall add
- Pronunciation: JHOW-Sahf
- Variations: Josephe, Joeseph
- Namesakes: Joseph Smith, the American founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Safra, a Swiss-based Lebanese Brazilian billionaire businessman and head of the Safra Group.
- Popularity: Joseph ranked 29th in the U.S. in 2025 with 7,303 boys named. It is down about a third on the previous decade from a 1914 high of nearly 19,000 births, yet more than 2.6 million American boys have carried it since 1880.
Josephine
Josephine is the French feminine of Joseph, from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning he will add. St. Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped in Darfur as a child, sold repeatedly, brought to Italy, and won her freedom in an Italian court before becoming a Canossian sister; she is patron of Sudan and of survivors of human trafficking. Jo, Josie and Fifi all come out of it, and the full name has quietly become one of the most-used girls’ names on this list.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God shall grow
- Pronunciation: JHOW-Sah-Fiyn
- Variations: Josephina, Josefine
- Namesakes: Josephine Lucchese, an American operatic soprano best known for The Barber of Seville. Josephine Skriver-Karlsen, a Danish model for Victoria’s Secret.
- Popularity: Josephine ranked 53rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 4,126 girls named, back inside the top 100 after decades away, with use up about nine tenths on the previous decade.
Jude
Jude is the English form of Judas, from the Hebrew Yehudah, meaning praised. The apostle Jude Thaddaeus is a different man from Judas Iscariot, and the shortened spelling exists precisely to keep the two apart; he is the saint people turn to for desperate cases, which is why his shrines are covered in thank-you plaques. It is short, unisex and does not sound like a Bible name unless you know.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Praised
- Pronunciation: JHUWD
- Variations: Judah
- Namesakes: Jude Law, an English actor named a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. Jude Acers, a chess master, and chess author/writer.
- Popularity: Jude ranked 155th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,384 boys named, up about a quarter on the previous decade and close to its 2021 high. It is given to girls as well.
Lawrence
Lawrence is the English form of the Latin Laurentius, meaning from Laurentum, a town whose name is tied to the laurel. St. Lawrence was a Roman deacon told to hand over the Church’s treasure and who arrived with the poor of the city instead. He was roasted on a gridiron, and the joke attributed to him about being done on one side is why cooks claim him. Larry and Lars both work, and Laurence is the softer spelling.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Crowned with laurel
- Pronunciation: LAOR-ehnts
- Variations: Laurance, Laurence, Lawrance
- Namesakes: Lawrence Page, the American co-founder of Google. Lawrence Ng Kai-wah, a Hong Kong actor, known for the series Healing Hands.
- Popularity: Lawrence ranked 520th in the U.S. in 2025 with 578 boys named, holding roughly level over the last decade after peaking at 30th in 1942.
Louis
Louis comes from the Frankish Hlodowig, from hlud, meaning famous, and wig, meaning battle, the same root that gives German Ludwig. St. Louis IX is the only French king ever canonized: he led two crusades, bought what he believed was the Crown of Thorns, and built the Sainte-Chapelle to house it. Say it LOO-ee or LOO-iss depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on, and Lou covers both.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Famed warrior
- Pronunciation: LUW-ihs
- Variations: Lewis, Louie
- Namesakes: Louis Koyagialo, the Congolese Prime Minister from March 6th to April 18th 2012. Louis Daguerre, a French photographer who invented daguerreotype photography.
- Popularity: Louis ranked 249th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,391 boys named, up about half on the previous decade in a clear revival from its mid-century slump.
Lucy
Lucy is the English form of the Latin Lucia, from lux, meaning light. St. Lucy of Syracuse is honored on December 13, close to the shortest day, and in Sweden and Norway the eldest daughter still wears a crown of candles for the Lucia processions. The blind call on her, and Italian and Scandinavian families still keep December 13 as a name day rather than a birthday. Three letters into the name and everyone can spell it, which is worth more than it sounds.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Light
- Pronunciation: LUW-Siy
- Variations: Luci, Lucie
- Namesakes: Lucy Alexander, an English TV presenter appearing on the BBC One show Homes Under the Hammer. Lucy Hayes, the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes and the first lady of the U.S. from 1877 to 1881.
- Popularity: Lucy hit its best rank and highest count in 2025: 25th in the U.S., with 6,176 girls named, up about half on the previous decade.
Luke
Luke comes through the Latin Lucas from the Greek Loukas, meaning from Lucania in southern Italy. St. Luke wrote the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul calls him the beloved physician, which is why doctors, surgeons and artists all claim him. One syllable, no nickname needed, and nobody has to ask how it is spelled.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Light-giving
- Pronunciation: LUWK
- Namesakes: Luke Curtin, an American ice hockey player for the Colorado Avalanche. Luke Hines, a British auto racing driver who competed in the 2018 Super 1 National Kart Championships.
- Popularity: Luke ranked 33rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,948 boys named, steady over the last decade and close to its 2014 peak of 28th.
Malachy
Malachy is the anglicized Máel Máedóc, and it doubles as the English form of the prophet Malachi, from the Hebrew for my messenger. St. Malachy was the twelfth-century archbishop of Armagh who brought Irish practice into line with Rome and was a close friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote his life; the prophecies of the popes later attached to his name were a forgery. Mal is the short form.
- Origin: Gaelic
- Meaning: Messenger of God
- Pronunciation: MAA-Laa-KIY
- Variations: Malachi, Malakhi
- Namesakes: Malachy McCourt, the American-Irish 2006 Green Party candidate for governor in New York State.
- Popularity: Malachy is rare in the United States, given to nine boys in 2025 for a rank of 8,665th, and level over the past decade. The biblical spelling Malachi is far more common here.
Margaret
Margaret comes through the Latin Margarita from the Greek margarites, meaning pearl. St. Margaret of Scotland was an English princess who married Malcolm III, reformed the Scottish church and fed the poor at her own table; St. Margaret of Cortona ran a hospital for the destitute after a hard early life and is invoked by midwives. A third, St. Margaret of Antioch, is one of the voices Joan of Arc said she heard. Few names hand over as many nicknames: Maggie, Margot, Peggy, Greta, Daisy and Rita all trace back here.
- Origin: French, Greek
- Meaning: Pearl
- Pronunciation: MAAR-gaa-Reht
- Variations: Margarett, Margarit, Margeret
- Namesakes: Margaret Lockwood, an English actress nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best British Actress. Margaret Atwood, a Canadian poet, and winner of two Booker Prizes.
- Popularity: Margaret ranked 112th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,436 girls named, up about a third on the previous decade. It held 4th place in 1913 and more than 1.2 million American girls have carried it since 1880.
Maria
Maria is the Latin and Greek form of the Hebrew Miryam, a name whose meaning is genuinely uncertain; bitter, beloved and of the sea have all been proposed and none is settled. It is the Virgin Mary’s name in most of the world’s languages. It works as a first name, a middle name and a second element in Ana Maria or José Maria.
- Origin: Latin, Hebrew
- Meaning: Bitter, beloved
- Pronunciation: MAER-iy
- Variations: Marie, Mariya, Mariam
- Namesakes: Maria Montessori, the Italian physician who opened her first Casa dei Bambini in Rome in 1907 and gave her name to the Montessori method. Maria Callas, the American-born Greek soprano whose recordings of Norma and Tosca are still the reference versions.
- Popularity: Maria ranked 87th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,887 girls named, down about a fifth on the previous decade but still inside the top 100 and used more than 566,000 times since 1880.
Mark
Mark comes from the Latin Marcus, most likely formed from Mars, the Roman god of war. St. Mark wrote the shortest and earliest of the four Gospels and, tradition says, founded the church in Alexandria; his winged lion is the symbol of Venice, where his relics were taken in the ninth century. Notaries, lawyers and glaziers all claim him. It is one syllable that has never needed a nickname.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: War-like
- Pronunciation: MAARK
- Variations: Marc
- Namesakes: Mark Solonin, a Russian author of books on the Second World War. Mark Cuban, an American billionaire entrepreneur and TV personality worth $4.7 billion.
- Popularity: Mark ranked 245th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,416 boys named, down about three tenths on the previous decade after an enormous run in the 1960s, when nearly 59,000 boys received it in a single year.
Martha
Martha comes from the Aramaic marta, meaning lady or mistress of the house. She is the sister who does the cooking while Mary sits and listens, and also the one who makes the clearest statement of faith in John’s Gospel, which is a better balance than the busy-hostess shorthand suggests. Cooks, servants and dietitians all call on her. Mattie and Marty are the informal forms.
- Origin: Greek, Hebrew
- Meaning: Lady
- Pronunciation: MAAR-thah
- Variations: Marhta, Marta
- Namesakes: Martha Stewart, an American businesswoman and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Martha Graham, an American modern dancer, and choreographer who created the Graham technique.
- Popularity: Martha ranked 713th in the U.S. in 2025 with 393 girls named, holding level over the last decade. It sat at 21st in 1921 and more than 550,000 American girls have carried it since 1880.
Matthew
Matthew comes from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning gift of Yahweh. The apostle was a tax collector for Rome, which made him about the least respectable person at the table, and he wrote the Gospel that opens the New Testament. Accountants, bankers and tax officials keep him. Matt is so automatic that the full name almost reads as formal.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Gift of God
- Pronunciation: MAETH-Yuw
- Variations: Matthiew, Mattieu, Mathew
- Namesakes: Matthew Muhammad (born Maxwell Loach), an American boxer and the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World for two-and-a-half years. Matthew Vasgersian, an American sportscaster and announcer for the Los Angeles Angels.
- Popularity: Matthew ranked 32nd in the U.S. in 2025 with 7,003 boys named. It is down about two fifths on the previous decade from a 1983 peak above 50,000 births, and more than 1.6 million American boys have carried it since 1880.
Maximilian
Maximilian comes from the Latin Maximilianus, a form of Maximus, meaning greatest. St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan who ran a printing operation, sheltered thousands of refugees including Jews, and volunteered to take a stranger’s place in the starvation bunker at Auschwitz. The man he saved lived to attend his canonization. Max is the nickname, and this is one of the more serious names a family can hand a child.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Greatest
- Pronunciation: Maek-Sih-MIHL-yahn
- Variations: Maximillian, Maximiliaan
- Namesakes: Maximilian Levy, a German track cyclist and bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games. Maximilian Schell, an Austrian-Swiss actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1961.
- Popularity: Maximilian ranked 590th in the U.S. in 2025 with 497 boys named, steady over the last decade and close to its 2016 high.
Michael
Michael renders the Hebrew Mi-ka-el, a rhetorical question meaning who is like God. Michael is an archangel rather than a human saint, the one who throws Satan out of heaven in Revelation, and he is patron of soldiers, police officers and paramedics. Mike, Mick and Micah all live inside it, and it has been a common American choice ever since the 1950s.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Who is like God
- Pronunciation: MY-Kahl
- Variations: Maikal, Micheal, Mykal
- Namesakes: Michael Eisner, an American businessman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 to 2005. Michael Moore, an American documentary filmmaker, dealing with topics of globalization and capitalism.
- Popularity: Michael ranked 21st in the U.S. in 2025 with 8,094 boys named. It was the number one boys’ name in America in 1954 and more than 4.4 million American boys have received it since 1880.
Nicholas
Nicholas comes from the Greek nike, meaning victory, and laos, meaning people. St. Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey, and the stories of him leaving gold for a poor family’s dowries turned into the Dutch Sinterklaas and then into Santa Claus. Children, sailors and pawnbrokers all claim him. Sailors from Bari carried his relics out of Myra in 1087 and they have been in the basilica there ever since. Nick, Cole and Nico are the ways out of the full four syllables.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Victory of the people
- Pronunciation: NIHK-ah-Lahs
- Variations: Nikolas, Nichalas, Niccolas
- Namesakes: Nicholas Cannon, an American TV host of The Nick Cannon Show. Nicholas Bett, a Kenyan track and field athlete and bronze medallist at the African Championships in Athletics.
- Popularity: Nicholas ranked 112th in the U.S. in 2025 with 3,115 boys named, down about half on the previous decade from a 1990s run that put it 5th in 1999.
Patrick
Patrick comes from the Latin Patricius, meaning nobleman. St. Patrick was a Romano-British teenager taken to Ireland as a slave, escaped, trained as a cleric and went back, and his own Confessio survives in his own words, which is rare for a fifth-century saint. The snakes and the shamrock are later additions. The prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate, with its line about Christ before me and Christ behind me, is the piece of him most families actually meet. Paddy and Rick both work.
- Origin: Irish, Latin
- Meaning: Nobleman
- Pronunciation: PAET-Rihk
- Variations: Padraigh, Padric, Patric
- Namesakes: Patrick Dempsey, an American actor most known for the series Grey’s Anatomy. Patrick Pearse, an Irish writer and one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916.
- Popularity: Patrick ranked 235th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,495 boys named, down about a third on the previous decade after peaking at 30th in 1964.
Paul
Paul comes from the Roman family name Paulus, meaning small. St. Paul the Apostle was knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus, wrote roughly half the books of the New Testament, and argued the early Church into admitting gentiles without requiring the whole Mosaic law. Writers and public relations people both claim him, which he would probably enjoy. One syllable, no ambiguity, no nickname.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Humble
- Pronunciation: PAOL
- Variations: Paull, Paulie
- Namesakes: Paul Costello, an American triple Olympic Gold Medal winner in rowing. Paul Krugman, an American economist and the 2008 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences winner.
- Popularity: Paul ranked 262nd in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,316 boys named, down about three tenths on the previous decade. Nearly 1.4 million American boys have carried it since 1880.
Perpetua
Perpetua comes from the Latin perpetuus, meaning continuous. St. Perpetua was a young noblewoman killed in the arena at Carthage in 203, and part of the account of her imprisonment is written in her own voice, which makes it one of the earliest surviving texts by a Christian woman. She is named in the Roman canon of the Mass alongside Felicity. Mothers and expectant mothers call on her. Pia and Petra are the practical shortenings.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Perpetual
- Pronunciation: Pehr-PEY-tuw-Ah
- Namesakes: Perpetua Nkwocha, a Nigerian female footballer and former captain of the Nigeria women’s national football team. Perpetua (Pip) Pope, a Scottish landscape painter, associated with the Edinburgh School of Art.
- Popularity: Perpetua reached its highest count on record in 2025 with 22 girls named, a rank of 5,668th. It has only appeared in the U.S. data since 2007.
Peter
Peter comes from the Greek Petros, meaning stone, a translation of the Aramaic Kepha that Jesus gave Simon as a new name. St. Peter was a fisherman who denied Christ three times, led the apostles anyway, and is counted the first pope; the basilica in Rome is built over what is held to be his grave. Fishermen, shipbuilders and locksmiths all claim him, the locksmiths because of the keys he is always shown holding. Pete and Petey come free.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Rock
- Pronunciation: PIY-Tahr
- Variations: Peater, Peder, Pete
- Namesakes: Peter Falk, an American actor known for playing Lieutenant Columbo in the TV series Columbo. Peter Gabriel, an English musician and original lead singer of the band Genesis.
- Popularity: Peter ranked 187th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,954 boys named, level over the last decade after peaking at 35th in 1955.
Phillip
Phillip comes from the Greek Philippos, from philein, meaning to love, and hippos, meaning horse. The apostle Philip is the one who brings Nathanael to Jesus and asks the awkward questions at the Last Supper; the separate Philip the Deacon baptizes the Ethiopian official in Acts. Hatters and, fittingly, horse riders claim the apostle. Phil and Pip are both in use, and the double-l spelling is worth deciding on before the birth certificate.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Lover of horses
- Pronunciation: FIY-Lihp
- Variations: Philip, Philippe, Filip
- Namesakes: Phillip Lindsay, an American football player for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Phillip Dodd, an American architect and a contributing editor at Venü magazine.
- Popularity: Phillip ranked 651st in the U.S. in 2025 with 425 boys named, down about a third on the previous decade. The single-l Philip is the more common American spelling.
Philomena
Philomena comes from the Greek philoumene, meaning beloved, often read as friend of strength from philos and menos. St. Philomena is one of the odder cases in the calendar: a young woman’s remains were found in a Roman catacomb in 1802, a large devotion grew around her, and the Church later removed her feast from the universal calendar while leaving the devotion in place. The Cure of Ars pushed the devotion hard in the nineteenth century, and the 2013 film brought the name back into conversation. Phil, Mena and Nina all fit.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Powerful love
- Pronunciation: Fihl-ah-MIYN-ah
- Variations: Philomeena, Philomina
- Namesakes: Philomena McDonagh, an English actress known for the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Philomena Begley, a Northern Irish country music singer, known as “The Queen of Country.”
- Popularity: Philomena ranked 1,920th in the U.S. in 2025 with 101 girls named, and it is the biggest revival on this list: use fell from 284 births in 1915 to a handful in the late 1980s and has since recovered more than twentyfold.
Phoebe
Phoebe comes from the Greek phoibos, meaning bright, a title of Apollo and of his sister in the moon. In the last chapter of Romans, Paul calls Phoebe a deacon of the church at Cenchreae and commends her to the Romans, which makes her the only woman given that title in the New Testament and probably the person who carried the letter. Two syllables, and the silent P catches people out exactly once.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Pure, radiant
- Pronunciation: FIY-Biy
- Variations: Phebe, Febe, Phoibe
- Namesakes: Phoebe Wahl, an American children’s book writer known for Sonya’s Chickens, which won the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. Phoebe Di Tommaso, an Australian figure skater and winner of the senior national title in 2010 to 2011.
- Popularity: Phoebe hit its best rank and highest count in 2025: 157th in the U.S., with 1,885 girls named, up about two fifths on the previous decade.
Pius
Pius is the Latin pius, meaning dutiful or devout. Twelve popes have taken it, and St. Pius X lowered the age for first communion to about seven, which changed how a century of Catholic children grew up. Pio is the Italian form, and it is the easier one to carry.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Pious, devout
- Pronunciation: PIE-ahs
- Variations: Pio
- Namesakes: Pius Bazighe, a Nigerian javelin thrower who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
- Popularity: Pius is rare in the United States, given to ten boys in 2025 for a rank of 8,081st, though use is up about two fifths on the previous decade.
Raphael
Raphael joins the Hebrew rapha, meaning he has healed, to el, meaning God. Raphael is one of the three archangels named in scripture, and in the Book of Tobit he travels in disguise as a young man’s companion, cures his father’s blindness and only says who he is at the end. Travelers, doctors and matchmakers all claim him. Rafa and Rafe are the short forms.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God has healed
- Pronunciation: RAEF-iy-Ehl
- Variations: Rafael, Raffaele, Rapheal
- Namesakes: Raphael Davis, an American mixed martial artist for M-1 Global. Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Holocaust survivor, known for initiating the Genocide Convention.
- Popularity: Raphael reached its best rank and highest count in 2025: 394th in the U.S., with 807 boys named, up about seven tenths on the previous decade.
Regina
Regina is simply the Latin for queen, and it doubles as a Marian title in the phrases Regina Caeli and Salve Regina. St. Regina, called Reine in France, was an early martyr venerated at Alise-Sainte-Reine in Burgundy, where a pilgrimage to her well ran for centuries. Say it reh-JEE-nah or reh-JYE-nah; both are heard, and Gina is the escape hatch either way.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Queen
- Pronunciation: Rah-GIYN-ah
- Variations: Ragina, Regena
- Namesakes: Regina (born Irena Jalšovec), a Slovenian singer who participated in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. Regina King, an American actress with the most Primetime Emmy wins for an African-American performer.
- Popularity: Regina ranked 395th in the U.S. in 2025 with 786 girls named, up about seven tenths on the previous decade after a long slide from its 1967 peak of 80th.
Rita
Rita began as a short form of Margherita, the Italian Margaret, from the Greek for pearl. St. Rita of Cascia endured an abusive marriage, lost her husband and both sons to a feud, and only then was admitted to an Augustinian convent, which is why she is the saint of impossible causes and difficult marriages. The name is short, warm and unmistakably mid-century, which is exactly when a name starts coming back.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Pearl
- Pronunciation: RIY-Tah
- Variations: Reeta
- Namesakes: Rita Rudner, an American comedian known for her many appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Rita Sebastian, the first Sri Lankan woman to be appointed newspaper editor.
- Popularity: Rita ranked 1,287th in the U.S. in 2025 with 174 girls named, level over the last decade. It sat at 42nd in 1930 and more than 284,000 American girls have carried it since 1880.
Rosalia
Rosalia takes its name from the Rosalia, the Roman festival of roses held in May. St. Rosalia was a twelfth-century Sicilian noblewoman who lived alone in a cave on Monte Pellegrino; when her bones were carried through Palermo during a plague in 1624 the outbreak stopped, and the city has kept her as patron since. The July festino still fills the streets. Rosie and Lia both come out of it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Rose
- Pronunciation: Row-saa-LIY-aa
- Variations: Rosalla, Roselea, Roselia
- Namesakes: Rosalía Goyenechea, a Spanish businesswoman who co-founded the Zara retail chain. Rosalía Serrano, an Ecuadorian politician and the first female head of state in 1997.
- Popularity: Rosalia ranked 609th in the U.S. in 2025 with 481 girls named, and it is one of the fastest climbers here, with roughly four times as many births in the last decade as in the ten years before.
Rose
Rose comes from the Latin rosa, the flower, though the Germanic hros, meaning horse, feeds some medieval forms. St. Rose of Lima was the first person born in the Americas to be canonized: she worked in her family’s garden to support them, refused every marriage offer, and is patron of Peru and of gardeners. One syllable that fits in front of or behind almost any other name.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Rose (flower)
- Pronunciation: ROWZ
- Variations: Rosie, Rosa, Rosy
- Namesakes: Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, the American matriarch of the Kennedy family. Rose Combe (born Marie-Rosalie Bugne), a French writer and best example of Proletarian literature.
- Popularity: Rose ranked 114th in the U.S. in 2025 with 2,386 girls named, and use has roughly doubled on the previous decade. Half a million American girls have carried it since 1880.
Rupert
Rupert is a German form of Robert, from hrod, meaning fame, and beraht, meaning bright. St. Rupert of Salzburg was the eighth-century bishop who founded the abbey of St. Peter, restarted the local salt trade, and effectively founded Salzburg itself; the city’s cathedral and its September fair still carry his name. In Britain the name reads as gently posh, and in America it is wide open.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Bright fame
- Pronunciation: RUW-Pahrt
- Variations: Ruppert
- Namesakes: Rupert Hallowes, a British recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War I. Rupert Richardson, an African-American civil rights activist and president of the NAACP from 1992 to 1995.
- Popularity: Rupert ranked 3,831st in the U.S. in 2025 with 29 boys named, though use has roughly doubled on the previous decade from a very small base.
Sabina
Sabina is the Latin for a Sabine woman, the people who lived in the hills northeast of Rome before the city absorbed them. St. Sabina was a Roman matron martyred in the second century, and the basilica on the Aventine that carries her name is where the pope distributes ashes on Ash Wednesday. It has the sound of Sabrina without the eighties association, and Bina is the natural nickname.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Woman of the Sabine people
- Pronunciation: Saa-BIY-naa
- Variations: Sabinah, Sabeena, Sabena
- Namesakes: Sabina Cojocar, a Romanian gymnast and gold medalist at the 2001 Summer Olympics. Sabina gizi Khasayeva, the youngest MP elected at the 2020 Azerbaijani parliamentary election.
- Popularity: Sabina ranked 2,579th in the U.S. in 2025 with 68 girls named, down about a fifth on the previous decade.
Samson
Samson comes from the Hebrew Shimshon, built on shemesh, meaning sun. The judge with the uncut hair is the figure everyone knows, but the name is also carried by St. Samson of Dol, a sixth-century Welsh bishop who took Christianity into Brittany, and by St. Samson the Hospitable, who ran a hospital in Constantinople. Sam is right there, and the full name has real weight behind it.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Like the sun
- Pronunciation: SAEM-Sahn
- Variations: Sampson
- Namesakes: Samson Lee, a Welsh rugby player for the Scarlets. Samson Rausuk, a Lithuanian-British librarian known as the “poet laureate” of the London Jewish community.
- Popularity: Samson reached its best rank and highest count in 2025: 477th in the U.S., with 639 boys named, and use has nearly doubled on the previous decade.
Samuel
Samuel comes from the Hebrew Shemu’el, usually read as God has heard. The biblical Samuel is the last of the judges, the boy who answers a voice in the night and later anoints both Saul and David; the Church honors him as a prophet. The Puritans made the name an English staple and it has never really left. Sam and Sammy have been doing the work for four centuries.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God has heard
- Pronunciation: SAEM-Yahl
- Variations: Samual
- Namesakes: Samuel Beckett, an Irish playwright, and member of the French Resistance group Gloria SMH. Samuel van der Putte, a Dutch explorer, known for his journeys to Tibet.
- Popularity: Samuel ranked 18th in the U.S. in 2025 with 8,334 boys named, one of the highest-placed names on this list. It is down about a sixth on the previous decade and has been given to more than 820,000 American boys since 1880.
Sebastian
Sebastian comes from the Greek sebastos, meaning venerable, the word used to render the imperial title Augustus. St. Sebastian was an officer of the Praetorian Guard shot with arrows for his faith, survived, confronted the emperor again and was killed the second time; archers, athletes and soldiers all claim him, and medieval cities invoked him against plague because the arrows read as the sickness itself. Renaissance painters could not leave him alone. Seb and Baz are the everyday forms.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Venerable
- Pronunciation: Sah-BAES-chahn
- Variations: Sebastion, Sebastyn, Sabastian
- Namesakes: Sebastian Faulks, a British novelist known for historical novels like Charlotte Gray. Sebastian Roché, a French-Scottish actor known for The Man in the High Castle.
- Popularity: Sebastian ranked 16th in the U.S. in 2025 with 8,605 boys named, close to its 2022 best of 13th and up about half on the previous decade.
Seraphina
Seraphina comes from the Hebrew seraphim, the six-winged angels of Isaiah’s vision, from a root meaning to burn. St. Fina of San Gimignano, called Serafina, spent her last years paralyzed on a wooden board and asked for nothing; the white violets that legend says bloomed on her plank still flower on the town’s towers each March. The full name is a mouthful, and Sera, Fina and Phina all cut it down.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Ardent, fiery
- Pronunciation: Sey-rah-FIY-Naa
- Variations: Serafina, Seraphine
- Namesakes: Seraphina Affleck, the daughter of actor Ben Affleck and pop star Jennifer Lopez.
- Popularity: Seraphina reached its best rank and highest count in 2025: 600th in the U.S., with 489 girls named. Use has more than doubled on the previous decade.
Silas
Silas is most likely a Greek shortening of the Aramaic form of Saul, later associated with the Latin silva, meaning wood, through Silvanus. St. Silas travelled with Paul on the second missionary journey, was flogged and jailed with him at Philippi, and is the one singing hymns at midnight when the earthquake opens the cell. It is short, biblical and does not sound it, which is much of why it has climbed so fast.
- Origin: Hebrew, Latin
- Meaning: Of the forest, wood
- Pronunciation: SIGH-Lahs
- Variations: Silus, Sylas, Sylus
- Namesakes: Silas Porter, an associate justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from 1905 to 1923. Silas De Souza, a Brazilian footballer who plays for São Bernardo.
- Popularity: Silas reached its best rank and highest count in 2025: 71st in the U.S., with 4,639 boys named. Use has more than doubled on the previous decade.
Simeon
Simeon comes from the Hebrew Shim’on, from shama, meaning he has heard, and it is the older form of Simon. The Simeon of Luke’s Gospel is the old man who holds the infant Christ in the temple and says he can go in peace, while St. Simeon Stylites took a different route and spent thirty-seven years on top of a pillar in Syria. Sim is the short form.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Obedient
- Pronunciation: SIHM-iy-Ahn
- Variations: Symeon
- Namesakes: Simeon Tienpont, a Dutch sailor competing in the Volvo Ocean Races and America’s Cup. Simeon Jocelyn, an American pastor with a major role in the Amistad affair.
- Popularity: Simeon ranked 1,094th in the U.S. in 2025 with 197 boys named, roughly level over the past decade.
Stephen
Stephen comes from the Greek stephanos, meaning crown or wreath. St. Stephen was one of the first seven deacons and the first Christian killed for the faith, stoned outside Jerusalem with the young Saul of Tarsus holding the coats. His feast falls on December 26, which is why the Good King Wenceslas carol opens on the feast of Stephen. Steve is automatic; Stephen keeps the dignity.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Wreath, crown
- Pronunciation: STIYV-ahn
- Variations: Stephan, Steven
- Namesakes: Stephen Dixon, a Canadian hockey player for Glasgow Clan of the EIHL. Stephen Peters, a Canadian politician in the Manitoba legislature from 1958 to 1966.
- Popularity: Stephen ranked 383rd in the U.S. in 2025 with 829 boys named, down about a third on the previous decade after peaking at 19th in 1949. The Steven spelling has long been the more common of the two here.
Sylvester
Sylvester comes from the Latin silvestris, meaning of the woods. St. Sylvester I was pope through Constantine’s reign, when the Church went from persecution to imperial favor and the first basilicas rose in Rome, and his feast on December 31 is why New Year’s Eve is still called Silvester across much of Europe. Sly and Vester are the nicknames, for better or worse.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Wooded
- Pronunciation: Sihl-VAHS-ter
- Variations: Silvester
- Namesakes: Sylvester McCoy, a Scottish actor best known for playing the seventh version of the Doctor in the TV series Doctor Who from 1987 to 1989. Sylvester Terkay, an American wrestler and Ultimate Pro Wrestling’s first Heavyweight Champion.
- Popularity: Sylvester ranked 2,224th in the U.S. in 2025 with 64 boys named, level over the past decade and well down from the 157th place it held in 1913.
Theodore
Theodore comes from the Greek Theodoros, from theos, meaning God, and doron, meaning gift. St. Theodore of Amasea was a Roman soldier who, tradition says, burned down a temple of the mother goddess and was executed for it; he is one of the warrior saints of the Eastern churches and a patron of soldiers. Teddy did most of the work in getting the name back, and Theo finished the job.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Gift of God
- Pronunciation: THIY-ow-Daoer
- Variations: Teodor, Teodore
- Namesakes: Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the U.S. from 1901 to 1909. Theodore Romzha, the bishop of the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy from 1944 to 1947.
- Popularity: Theodore is the highest-ranked and fastest-rising name on this whole list: 4th in the U.S. in 2025 with 13,355 boys named, its highest count ever, and up more than fourfold on the previous decade.
Theresa
Theresa is of uncertain origin, possibly from the Greek theros, meaning summer, or from the island of Thera. The name carries three of the strongest women in the calendar: Teresa of Ávila, who reformed the Carmelites and was the first woman named a doctor of the Church; Thérèse of Lisieux, who died at twenty-four and whose Story of a Soul became one of the most-read spiritual books ever written; and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Terri, Tess and Tracy all come out of it.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: To harvest
- Pronunciation: Tah-REY-zah
- Variations: Teresa, Therese, Tereza
- Namesakes: Theresa Villiers, a British Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005. Theresa Lucas, a Spanish sailor and gold medalist in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Theresa ranked 1,559th in the U.S. in 2025 with 136 girls named, down about a third on the previous decade after a huge run in the 1950s and 1960s.
Thomas
Thomas comes from the Aramaic ta’oma, meaning twin. The apostle who wanted to see the wounds before he believed has been unfairly reduced to a byword for doubt; the tradition that he carried the Gospel as far as India is still the founding story of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala. Architects and builders claim him, and so, separately, do theologians through Thomas Aquinas. Tom and Tommy have never gone anywhere.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Twins
- Pronunciation: TAAM-ahs
- Variations: Tomas, Tommie, Tommy
- Namesakes: Thomas Gottschalk, a German entertainer known for hosting the TV show Wetten, dass..? Thomas Cooray, a Sri Lankan cardinal and the Archbishop of Colombo from 1947 to 1976.
- Popularity: Thomas ranked 34th in the U.S. in 2025 with 6,917 boys named, steady over the last decade rather than falling. Nearly 2.4 million American boys have carried it since 1880.
Titus
Titus is an old Roman first name of uncertain meaning, sometimes linked to the Latin titulus, meaning title of honor. St. Titus was a Greek convert who travelled with Paul, was left in charge of the church on Crete, and has one of the New Testament letters addressed to him. Crete keeps him as patron. Two syllables, hard consonants, and it sounds nothing like the century it comes from.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Title of honor
- Pronunciation: TIE-Tahs
- Variations: Titas, Titos, Tytus
- Namesakes: Titus Kaphar, an African-American painter with work in the Museum of Modern Art. Titus Davis, an American football player for the San Diego Chargers.
- Popularity: Titus ranked 358th in the U.S. in 2025 with 910 boys named, up about three tenths on the previous decade and close to its 2015 high.
Veronica
Veronica is usually read as the Latin vera icon, meaning true image, though it is probably a Latin reshaping of the Greek Berenike, meaning bringer of victory. St. Veronica is the woman who wipes Christ’s face on the way to Calvary and finds the image left on the cloth, which is the sixth Station of the Cross. Photographers and laundry workers both claim her. Vera, Ronnie and Nica are the ways to shorten it.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: She who brings victory
- Pronunciation: Vah-RAAN-ih-Kah
- Variations: Veronika, Varonica
- Namesakes: Veronica Carlson (born Veronica Glazier), a British actress known for Hammer horror films. Veronica Pyke, an Australian cricketer for Tasmanian Roar.
- Popularity: Veronica ranked 427th in the U.S. in 2025 with 730 girls named, down about a quarter on the previous decade after peaking at 68th in 1976.
Victoria
Victoria is the Latin for victory and the name of the Roman goddess who answered to the Greek Nike. St. Victoria was an early Roman martyr who, tradition says, refused a marriage and was killed with her sister Anatolia. A queen gave her name to an age, a state and a waterfall, and the name still carries that without feeling heavy. Vicky, Tori and Vita are the shortenings.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Victory
- Pronunciation: Vihk-TOWR-iy-Ah
- Variations: Viktoria, Victoriah, Vyctoria
- Namesakes: Victoria Tolbert, the First Lady of Liberia from 1971 to 1980. Victoria Brittain, a British journalist at The Guardian.
- Popularity: Victoria ranked 54th in the U.S. in 2025 with 4,027 girls named, easing off about a seventh on the previous decade but still comfortably inside the top 100.
Vincent
Vincent comes from the Latin vincens, meaning conquering. St. Vincent de Paul spent his life organizing relief for galley slaves, foundlings and the rural poor, and founded the Vincentians and, with Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity; the society that carries his name still runs thrift shops in most American towns. The earlier St. Vincent of Saragossa is patron of winemakers. Vince and Vinnie both work.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Winner
- Pronunciation: VIHN-Sahnt
- Variations: Vincint, Vinsent, Vynsent
- Namesakes: Vincent McMahon, an American wrestling promoter and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Vincent Gallo, an American actor and director, best known for his independent film Buffalo ’66.
- Popularity: Vincent ranked 107th in the U.S. in 2025 with 3,267 boys named, level over the last decade and hovering just outside the top 100.
Xavier
Xavier is a place name before it is a first name: the Basque etxeberri, meaning new house, the castle where Francis Xavier was born. He was one of the first Jesuits, sailed to India and Japan, and died on an island within sight of China; he is patron of missionaries and of the whole of Asia. Say it ZAY-vee-er or ex-AY-vee-er, and Xavi is the nickname that most families land on.
- Origin: Spanish, Arabic
- Meaning: Bright
- Pronunciation: Ehg-ZEY-viy-Ahr
- Variations: Xavior, Xaviar, Xayver
- Namesakes: Xavier Cugat, a Spanish bandleader of the orchestra at the Waldorf-Astoria. Xavier Zamora, the current prime minister of Andorra.
- Popularity: Xavier ranked 108th in the U.S. in 2025 with 3,232 boys named, down about a quarter on the previous decade after peaking at 68th in 2007.
Zachary
Zachary is the English form of the Hebrew Zekharyah, meaning the Lord has remembered. Zechariah in Luke’s Gospel is the priest struck silent until his son John the Baptist is born and named. Pope St. Zachary, an eighth-century Greek, kept the peace between Rome and the Lombards and is the last pope of Greek origin. Zach and Zac carry almost all the everyday load.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: God remembers
- Pronunciation: ZAEK-eh-Riy
- Variations: Zacary, Zachery, Zachory, Zackary
- Namesakes: Zachary Clay, a Canadian gymnast and bronze medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Zachary Wohlman (known as Kid Yamaka), an American boxer and the 2010 winner of the Los Angeles Golden Gloves Tournament.
- Popularity: Zachary ranked 216th in the U.S. in 2025 with 1,646 boys named, down about three fifths on the previous decade from a 1990s run that put it 12th in 1994.
Zélie
Zélie began as a French pet form of Azélie, itself usually traced to the Latin Azalais. St. Zélie Martin was a professional lacemaker in Alençon who ran her own business, raised five daughters who all entered religious life, and died of breast cancer at forty-five; the youngest of those daughters was Thérèse of Lisieux. She and her husband Louis were canonized together in 2015, the first married couple canonized as a couple. Alencon lace was the family trade, which makes the name quietly appropriate for a girl. Say it zay-LEE.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Noble
- Pronunciation: Zey-LIY
- Variations: Zelia
- Namesakes: Zélie de Lussan, a French-American opera singer known for playing the title role in Bizet’s Carmen. Zelie Rixhon, a French actress, known for the film All the Gods in the Sky (2018).
- Popularity: Zélie is too rare for the U.S. federal data to record: it has never reached the five births in a year a name needs to appear in the Social Security Administration file.
