Baby Names by First Letter

The first letter sets a name’s whole tone — the soaring vowel of Aria, the crisp snap of Knox, the buzzing flair of Zoe. It is also one of the most practical ways to choose: matching a sibling’s initial, honouring a relative, or building a monogram. This guide sorts names into 26 buckets, one for every letter A to Z, and lists for each the real names that charted in the latest US Social Security figures.

Pick a letter to see every charting name that starts with it, ranked by US popularity, with each name’s gender and a link to its full meaning, origin, and popularity history. Every list is read straight from the 2024 birth data — want another angle? Try names by length, by syllable count, or by ending.

A

197 names · Bright and vowel-led

Soaring favourites like Aria, Amelia, Asher, and Aurora — A opens more American names than any other letter.

B

67 names · Sturdy and surname-strong

Solid picks like Benjamin, Bella, Brooks, and Brooklyn — the firm B anchors classics and surname names alike.

C

100 names · Soft, classic, and clean

Timeless names such as Charlotte, Caleb, Clara, and Cooper — C turns soft or crisp depending on what follows.

D

67 names · Strong and dependable

Dependable names like Daniel, Delilah, David, and Dylan — the steady D has carried favourites for generations.

E

88 names · Elegant and vintage-warm

Graceful picks like Emma, Eleanor, Elijah, and Evelyn — E runs through a whole wave of revived classics.

F

28 names · Spirited and a little rare

Charming names such as Felix, Faith, Finn, and Frances — F is uncommon enough to feel distinctive.

G

42 names · Graceful and grand

Stately picks like Grace, Gabriel, Grayson, and Genevieve — G can sound gentle or grand.

H

47 names · Heritage and homey

Warm favourites such as Henry, Hazel, Harper, and Hudson — the breathy H feels both old and current.

I

27 names · Romantic and vowel-bright

Lovely picks like Isabella, Isaiah, Ivy, and Iris — I opens names with a soft, romantic lift.

J

107 names · Familiar and friendly

Easy favourites such as James, Jack, Josephine, and Jude — J is one of the most popular first letters of all.

K

85 names · Crisp and modern

Sharp picks like Katherine, Kai, Kennedy, and Kingston — the hard K reads bold and contemporary.

L

99 names · Flowing and luminous

Liquid favourites such as Liam, Luna, Lily, and Levi — the soft L carries some of the most-loved names today.

M

141 names · Warm and well-loved

Beloved picks like Mia, Mason, Margaret, and Mateo — M hums through generations of family names.

N

41 names · Smooth and current

Smooth favourites such as Noah, Nora, Nova, and Nathan — N feels modern and effortless.

O

17 names · Open and on-trend

Open-vowel picks like Olivia, Oliver, Owen, and Oscar — the round O is having a real moment.

P

30 names · Playful and posh

Bright picks such as Penelope, Parker, Piper, and Phoenix — P ranges from playful to polished.

Q

4 names · Rare and striking

Distinctive picks like Quinn, Quincy, and Quentin — Q is one of the rarest first letters, so it stands out.

R

83 names · Rich and rolling

Resonant favourites such as Ruby, Rowan, Riley, and Rose — the rolling R sounds warm and grounded.

S

80 names · Sleek and abundant

Stylish picks like Sophia, Sebastian, Scarlett, and Samuel — S opens a huge field of popular names.

T

40 names · Timeless and tailored

Classic picks such as Theodore, Thomas, Tessa, and Tatum — T blends old-school and new.

U

3 names · Unusual and distinctive

Uncommon picks like Uriah, Uma, and Ulysses — U is genuinely rare, so these names turn heads.

V

19 names · Vivid and vintage

Velvety favourites such as Violet, Victoria, Vincent, and Vivian — V feels rich and a little dramatic.

W

26 names · Wholesome and weighty

Grounded picks like William, Willow, Wyatt, and Wren — W carries sturdy classics and airy nature names both.

X

2 names · Bold and rare

Striking picks such as Xavier and Ximena — X is one of the rarest openings in American naming, so it feels daring.

Y

8 names · Soft and worldly

Gentle picks like Yara, Yusuf, and Yael — Y opens a small but globally rich set of names.

Z

21 names · Zippy and zesty

Energetic favourites such as Zoe, Zara, Zion, and Zachary — the buzzing Z closes the alphabet with real flair.

How these lists are built

Rather than guess which names start with a letter, we read it from the data. For each letter we pull every name that charted on the 2024 US Social Security list and begins with it, count each name once under the gender it is given to more often, and rank the results by national popularity. That keeps the lists honest and current: a name only appears here if real families used it that year, and the gender shown reflects how it is actually given. Spelling variants are treated as the different names they are, so Sophia and Zofia sit under different letters.

Browse names another way: by length, by syllable count, by ending, with double letters, or unisex & gender-neutral names.

Frequently asked questions

How does browsing baby names by first letter work?

Pick any letter from A to Z and you get every real name that begins with it and charted in the latest US Social Security data, ranked by popularity, with each name’s gender and a link to its full meaning and origin. It is a quick way to find names that match a sibling’s initial, an honoured family member, or a monogram you have in mind.

Where do these name lists come from?

Each letter page is built live from the 2024 US Social Security Administration birth data. We list the real names that charted that year and begin with the chosen letter, show each name’s national rank, and link to its full meaning and origin. Nothing is invented — a name only appears if real families used it.

Which letters start the most baby names?

A, J, M, and S open some of the largest fields of popular names, while Q, X, and U are the rarest first letters — so a name starting with one of those instantly feels more distinctive. Every letter A to Z has its own page here, so you can see exactly how many charting names each one carries.