This page uses US data. State lists come from the US Social Security Administration. You are browsing UK names, so see top girls or top boys for England & Wales.
Most popular baby names in California, 2025
The names given most often to babies born in California in 2025, with how each one moved since 2024. 161,724 girls and 175,474 boys are in the California list.
Top 25 girls · California 2025
- #1Olivia“olive; olive branch”*1,796▲ 1
- #2MiaEditor’s note Steady in the US: #6 in 2015 and #6 in 2025. About 1 in 150 US girls in the 2025 records1,788▼ 1
- #3Sophia“wisdom”*1,685▲ 2
- #4CamilaEditor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #19 vs #1,051 in 20251,682▼ 1
- #5Emma“entire”*1,641▼ 1
- #6IsabellaForm of Isabel, meaning “my God is an oath”*1,506same
- #7Amelia“vigor, bravery”*1,370same
- #8Sofia“wisdom, especially divine wisdom”*1,339same
- #9ElianaEditor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #102 in 2015, #10 in 2025. 6 letters, starting with a vowel1,323▲ 3
- #10ValentinaSame root as Valentine, meaning “strong, healthy”*1,146▲ 7
- #11AilanyEditor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #3,842 in 2015, #14 in 2025. 6 letters, starting with a vowel1,058▲ 60
- #12CharlotteForm of Charles, meaning “free man”*1,037▼ 1
- #13Luna“the moon”*998▼ 4
- #14GiannaSame root as Jane, meaning “God is gracious”*990▼ 4
- #15Aria“a musical aria”*977▼ 1
- #16Emily“rival, emulator”*910▼ 3
- #17EvelynSame root as Eileen, possibly meaning “radiance, beauty”*892▼ 2
- #18VioletFrom the word “violet”*883▲ 6
- #19AuroraItalian, from Latin Aurōra, meaning “dawn, sunrise”*853▲ 1
- #20Penelopepossibly “duck”*827▲ 1
- #21ElenaEditor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #106 in 2015, #42 in 2025. 5 letters, starting with a vowel809same
- #22MilaEditor’s note Up from #53 in 2015 to #43 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 340 US girls in the 2025 records786▼ 4
- #23ZoeVariant of Zoë, meaning “life”*770same
- #24Chloe“young green shoot”*750▼ 5
- #25LilyDiminutive of Lilian, possibly meaning “lily”*748▲ 3
Top 25 boys · California 2025
- #1LiamForm of William, meaning “will + helmet”*2,624same
- #2NoahEditor’s note Steady in the US: #1 in 2015 and #2 in 2025. About 1 in 84 US boys in the 2025 records2,607same
- #3MateoSame root as Matthew, meaning “gift of the Lord”*2,239same
- #4SantiagoSpanish form of James, meaning “May He Heel”*1,991same
- #5Sebastian“august, venerable, exalted”*1,954same
- #6Julian“Roman personal name”*1,680same
- #7OliverEditor’s note Up from #19 in 2015 to #3 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 110 US boys in the 2025 records1,456same
- #8EliasForm of Elijah, meaning “Yahweh is my god”*1,342▲ 10
- #9Benjamin“son of the right/south or son of days”*1,257▲ 3
- #9Elijah“Yahweh is my god”*1,257▲ 1
- #9LucaForm of Lucy, meaning “light”*1,257▲ 5
- #12Ethan“firmness, strong, or long-lived”*1,236▼ 1
- #13TheodoreEditor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #99 in 2015, #4 in 20251,211▲ 7
- #14EzraEditor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #93 in 2015, #20 in 2025. Short and simple: 4 letters1,190▼ 6
- #15Leo“lion”*1,173▲ 6
- #16Alexander“to defend + man”*1,169▼ 1
- #17LucasEditor’s note Up from #16 in 2015 to #10 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 170 US boys in the 2025 records1,154▼ 8
- #18Daniel“God is my judge”*1,145▼ 1
- #19LeviEditor’s note Up from #42 in 2015 to #12 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 180 US boys in the 2025 records1,142▼ 3
- #20Ezekiel“God strengthens”*1,089▼ 7
- #21EmilianoEditor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #94 vs #1,359 in 20251,075▲ 10
- #22James“May He Heel”*1,005▲ 2
- #23Matthew“gift of the Lord”*996same
- #24Adriel“flock of God”*959▲ 22
- #25AngelEditor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #67 vs #1,307 in 2025942▼ 3
Names that stand out in California
Names in the California top 100 that make up a bigger share of babies here than in the US overall. “2.0×” means the name’s share of California births is twice its share of all US births.
Counts: US Social Security Administration, state data for 2024 and 2025 (names given to 5 or more babies in California). Ranks are worked out from the counts, with ties sharing a rank, so a list can run past 25 names. Shares divide by all listed babies of the same sex. Meanings, where shown, are from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).