Comeback baby names of 2025
Names that were uncommon in 1980–2000 but are back in the top 200 today.
Comeback names were out of favour a few decades ago but are popular again. We flag names now in the top 200 (2025) whose best rank across 1980, 1990 and 2000 was outside the top 200 - so today's popularity is a genuine revival. Notable returning girl names include Charlotte, Eliana, Eleanor, Violet; returning boy names include Oliver, Theodore, Mateo, Elias. The full lists, with then-and-now ranks, are below. This is a data-driven heuristic from SSA rank history, not an official SSA category.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Comeback girl names
| # | Name | Then (1980-2000) | Now (2025) | Babies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte | #287 best (1980-2000) | #2 | 13,400 |
| 2 | Eliana | #537 best (1980-2000) | #10 | 8,191 |
| 3 | Eleanor | #375 best (1980-2000) | #12 | 7,649 |
| 4 | Violet | #734 best (1980-2000) | #13 | 7,546 |
| 5 | Ailany | #15086 best (1980-2000) | #14 | 7,136 |
| 6 | Aurora | #488 best (1980-2000) | #15 | 7,065 |
| 7 | Harper | #1370 best (1980-2000) | #16 | 6,792 |
| 8 | Camila | #660 best (1980-2000) | #19 | 6,591 |
| 9 | Nora | #400 best (1980-2000) | #20 | 6,380 |
| 10 | Hazel | #893 best (1980-2000) | #21 | 6,318 |
| 11 | Penelope | #1419 best (1980-2000) | #22 | 6,225 |
| 12 | Ellie | #360 best (1980-2000) | #24 | 6,176 |
| 13 | Lucy | #324 best (1980-2000) | #25 | 6,176 |
| 14 | Aria | #957 best (1980-2000) | #26 | 6,130 |
| 15 | Luna | #1324 best (1980-2000) | #27 | 6,076 |
| 16 | Isla | #3550 best (1980-2000) | #28 | 6,012 |
| 17 | Ella | #264 best (1980-2000) | #29 | 5,831 |
| 18 | Lainey | #1223 best (1980-2000) | #30 | 5,738 |
| 19 | Scarlett | #942 best (1980-2000) | #32 | 5,644 |
| 20 | Gianna | #240 best (1980-2000) | #33 | 5,634 |
| 21 | Valentina | #710 best (1980-2000) | #35 | 5,354 |
| 22 | Layla | #407 best (1980-2000) | #36 | 5,338 |
| 23 | Ivy | #352 best (1980-2000) | #39 | 5,117 |
| 24 | Elena | #234 best (1980-2000) | #42 | 4,836 |
| 25 | Mila | #2098 best (1980-2000) | #43 | 4,796 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Comeback boy names
| # | Name | Then (1980-2000) | Now (2025) | Babies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oliver | #305 best (1980-2000) | #3 | 14,939 |
| 2 | Theodore | #206 best (1980-2000) | #4 | 13,355 |
| 3 | Mateo | #428 best (1980-2000) | #8 | 11,045 |
| 4 | Elias | #242 best (1980-2000) | #13 | 8,837 |
| 5 | Luca | #626 best (1980-2000) | #14 | 8,759 |
| 6 | Hudson | #588 best (1980-2000) | #17 | 8,583 |
| 7 | Leo | #367 best (1980-2000) | #19 | 8,173 |
| 8 | Ezra | #430 best (1980-2000) | #20 | 8,126 |
| 9 | Santiago | #359 best (1980-2000) | #26 | 7,554 |
| 10 | Cooper | #241 best (1980-2000) | #27 | 7,472 |
| 11 | Asher | #578 best (1980-2000) | #28 | 7,456 |
| 12 | Bennett | #441 best (1980-2000) | #40 | 6,268 |
| 13 | Roman | #317 best (1980-2000) | #42 | 6,162 |
| 14 | Miles | #257 best (1980-2000) | #44 | 6,072 |
| 15 | Maverick | #864 best (1980-2000) | #49 | 5,894 |
| 16 | Thiago | #4052 best (1980-2000) | #50 | 5,835 |
| 17 | Grayson | #313 best (1980-2000) | #51 | 5,805 |
| 18 | Weston | #397 best (1980-2000) | #55 | 5,482 |
| 19 | Waylon | #419 best (1980-2000) | #56 | 5,408 |
| 20 | Rowan | #972 best (1980-2000) | #59 | 5,212 |
| 21 | Beau | #203 best (1980-2000) | #60 | 5,165 |
| 22 | Ezekiel | #357 best (1980-2000) | #61 | 5,091 |
| 23 | Aiden | #324 best (1980-2000) | #62 | 5,046 |
| 24 | Brooks | #497 best (1980-2000) | #64 | 4,877 |
| 25 | Lincoln | #711 best (1980-2000) | #69 | 4,703 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
See also fastest-rising names and the all-time rankings.
Frequently asked questions
What are comeback baby names?
Comeback names were uncommon a few decades ago but are popular again today. We flag names now in the top 200 (2025) whose best rank across 1980, 1990 and 2000 was outside the top 200 - so the current popularity is a genuine revival, not a long-running trend. Examples include Charlotte, Eliana, Eleanor, Violet, Oliver, Theodore.
How is a comeback identified?
We compare each name's latest rank with its best rank at the 1980, 1990 and 2000 anchor years. If a name is in today's top 200 but ranked below 200 (or was absent) at all three of those points, we treat it as a comeback. It is a data-driven heuristic, not an official SSA category.
Source
U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026. Public domain. See our methodology.
Last updated: 2026-06-22