What else could be on the horizon? While we know we don't talk about Bruno, and Mirabel/ Mirabelle and Dolores have not yet made the SSA's list of top 1,000 baby girl names, Louisa/ Luisa seems to be gaining steam. Also, Wrenlee basically made the list twice, so say hello to all the baby Wrens out there. It looks like the letter 'A' is having a moment, and especially the - Ar combo, as seen in Arlet and Arleth. Where things start to get interesting, though, is the SSA's list of fastest-rising names, which are the names that took the biggest jumps in popularity since the list before. These names are becoming trendiest, fastest. Evelyn and Ava are down a little, and Luna overtook Harper for that last spot, but the top 10 is basically stable. These are almost the exact same 10 names as the year before, only rearranged slightly. When the SSA released the most recent list of the most popular names, there weren't any shockers on the list. The most popular baby girl names don't come as a surprise. No matter which one you choose, rare or popular, your baby will make the name uniquely hers. Looking for more baby girl name inspiration? Check out our list of top Indian/Hindu girl names, Irish girl names and Hispanic girl names, long girl names and short girl names along with baby boy names and unisex names for good measure. But consulting the SSA and other baby-naming databases, we can see what the trends are for this year, and even start to make predictions for the most popular baby names of next year.

Just a few names - Olivia, Emma, Ava, Charlotte, Sophia and Isabella - have pretty much held rank as the top baby girl names for a decade, if not more. When it comes to the most popular baby girl names, the top spots have been pretty steady for a while now.

The SSA publishes a list each year of the latest 1,000 top popular baby girl names, along with names that are rising through the ranks. The good news is the Social Security Administration (SSA) makes it easy to keep track of which baby names are trendy and which ones are timeless. After all, choosing a name that's too popular is a No. You might want to go with a trendy girl name, or try to find a name that’s rare and unique. Popularity may not be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing your baby girl's name, but it probably ranks somewhere in there. You want to find something that represents you as a family, something that sounds good from the baby years all the way up through your child's adulthood and something that has meaning to you. There are so many factors that go into choosing a baby name.

Great Maria by Cecelia Holland