2019 Baby Girl Names - Rising Stars

November 14, 2020

What were the fastest-growing baby girl names of 2019?

To make this list, we looked through the entire history of U.S. baby names going back to 1880. We calculated how likely it was for a baby name to grow from year to year. These were the names whose growth from 2018 to 2019 was the most remarkable based on historical precedent.

#1: Alaia

2018 births: 524

2019 births: 1597

Why did the name Alaia explode in popularity? Possibly it's because of the Tunisian-born fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa who died in 2017, but it's hard to say for sure. Alaya, Alaiya, Alayah, Aleia, Alaiyah, and Ayah are also growing in popularity. And is it Alaia or Alaïa? Answer: we don't know. The Social Security Administration data doesn't tell us if the name is usually spelled with the umlaut or without.

Azzedine Alaïa designed dresses and shoes for many celebrities including Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

#2: Amoura

2018 births: 93

2019 births: 262

#3: Layne

2018 births: 83

2019 births: 239

#4: Nuri

2018 births: 82

2019 births: 215

Nuri is a place in modern-day Sudan where many pyramids were built to house the remains of ancient Nubian royalty.

#5: Yalitza

2018 births: 10

2019 births: 159

Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 2018 film "Roma", directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

#6: Everleigh

2018 births: 1,546

2019 births: 2,607

Piggy-backing off the Everly explosion of the 2010s.

#7: Theodora

2018 births: 159

2019 births: 311

Theodora is one of the most well-known characters in Byzantine history. Born into lowly origins, she was a concubine, prostitute, and actress. But she somehow charmed and married the future emperor Justinian. Once Justinian ascended to the throne, Theodora became one of his most important advisors. Today, she is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox church.

This mosaic depicting the Empress Theodora was constructed in 547 A.D. in a church in Ravenna, Italy.

#8: Wrenley

2018 births: 71

2019 births: 192

#9: Alita

2018 births: 71

2019 births: 192

#10: Mazikeen

2018 births: 42

2019 births: 176

This unusual name was invented in 1990 by authors Neil Gaiman and Kelley Jones for a comic book character that appeared in D.C. comics. The recent popularity stems from this character's appearance in the television show "Lucifer". Mazikeen takes her name from the Mazzikin, invisible demons which create annoyances in Jewish mythology.

#11: Navy

2018 births: 180

2019 births: 335

#12: Maleni

2018 births: 63

2019 births: 174

#13: Yaritza

2018 births: 193

2019 births: 336

#14: Chevelle

2018 births: 131

2019 births: 231

The Chevelle was a model of car made by Chevrolet from 1964–1978. My guess is that people like the way that this feminine and vaguely French-sounding name rolls off the tongue.