US first names, 1940–2025
Random female name generator
First names on this page come from Social Security Administration records of U.S. births from 1940 to 2025. That period holds 148,301,602 girls across 69,008 distinct names. The three most common names were for girls: Mary, Jennifer, Linda. Names are picked in proportion to how often they were given, and last names come from the 2000 U.S. Census, so the mix looks like real American full names.
More options — middle names, no repeats, realism, seed
1 gives real frequencies. 0 makes every name equally likely.
What the data says
- About 1 in 12 girls born from 1940 to 2025 got one of just 10 names. Those 10 names hold 8.4% of all recorded girls.
- Names for girls behave like 1,583 equally common names out of 69,008 in use (effective number of names).
- The average girl's name has 6.1 letters.
- Fastest riser for girls: Kehlani, from 50 births in 2006 to 2015 to 14,431 in 2016 to 2025.
- Biggest fall for girls: Bethzy, from 349 births in 2006 to 2015 to 0 in 2016 to 2025.
Girls: Top 20 names
| # | Name | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 2,003,780 | 1.35% |
| 2 | Jennifer | 1,471,243 | 0.99% |
| 3 | Linda | 1,416,574 | 0.96% |
| 4 | Patricia | 1,266,878 | 0.85% |
| 5 | Elizabeth | 1,235,201 | 0.83% |
| 6 | Susan | 1,076,941 | 0.73% |
| 7 | Jessica | 1,049,021 | 0.71% |
| 8 | Barbara | 1,010,759 | 0.68% |
| 9 | Karen | 970,203 | 0.65% |
| 10 | Lisa | 966,452 | 0.65% |
| 11 | Sarah | 927,885 | 0.63% |
| 12 | Ashley | 859,845 | 0.58% |
| 13 | Kimberly | 846,341 | 0.57% |
| 14 | Emily | 833,481 | 0.56% |
| 15 | Sandra | 828,024 | 0.56% |
| 16 | Michelle | 816,103 | 0.55% |
| 17 | Nancy | 784,999 | 0.53% |
| 18 | Amanda | 771,830 | 0.52% |
| 19 | Melissa | 757,271 | 0.51% |
| 20 | Stephanie | 738,421 | 0.50% |
Girls: 2006 to 2015 → 2016 to 2025
Rising fastest
- Kehlani 50 → 14,431
- Wrenley 39 → 7,909
- Oaklynn 144 → 11,622
- Scottie 134 → 5,201
- Kahlani 57 → 2,150
Falling fastest
- Bethzy 349 → 0
- Katlin 309 → 0
- Rhiana 313 → 0
- Greidys 339 → 5
- Neida 303 → 5
Questions and answers
What was the most common girl's name from 1940 to 2025?
Mary. 2,003,780 girls received it, 1.35% of all recorded girls born from 1940 to 2025.
How concentrated are girl's names from 1940 to 2025?
The 10 most common names cover 8.4% of recorded girls, about 1 in 12 births.
Which names grew fastest compared with 2006 to 2015?
Among names with at least 300 births in 2016 to 2025, the biggest gains were for girls, Kehlani (50 births in 2006 to 2015, 14,431 in 2016 to 2025).
How long is the average first name from 1940 to 2025?
Weighted by how often each name was given: 6.1 letters for girls.