Watch baby name style evolve, one letter at a time.
The ABCs of baby names have changed. Once upon a time, it was Ann, Barbara and Carol. Today it’s Ava, Brooklyn and Charlotte. And tomorrow? Don’t bet against Alora, Briar and Collins.
We’ve rounded up a full alphabet of “Then,” “Now,” and “Next” names for girls. Read across to follow a single initial through time: first the familiar names of prior generations, then the typical names of today, and finally a selection of fast-rising names that could point to the times ahead. Or read down within a column to immerse yourself in an era, name-style.
| A girls THEN | A girls NOW | A girls NEXT |
| Ann | Ava | Alora |
| Alice | Amelia | Aspen |
| Amy | Abigail | Azalea |
| B girls THEN | B girls NOW | B girls NEXT |
| Barbara | Brooklyn | Briar |
| Betty | Bella | Bonnie |
| Beatrice | Brianna | Bexley |
| C girls THEN | C girls NOW | C girls NEXT |
| Catherine | Charlotte | Collins |
| Carol | Chloe | Clover |
| Christine | Camila | Celeste |
| D girls THEN | D girls NOW | D girls NEXT |
| Dorothy | Delilah | Dream |
| Diane | Dakota | Dahlia |
| Deborah | Daniela | Dorothy |
| E girls THEN | E girls NOW | E girls NEXT |
| Elizabeth | Emma | Ember |
| Ethel | Evelyn | Elianna |
| Ellen | Eleanor | Estella |
| F girls THEN | F girls NOW | F girls NEXT |
| Frances | Finley | Flora |
| Florence | Faith | Fallon |
| Freda | Freya | Faye |
| G girls THEN | G girls NOW | G girls NEXT |
| Gloria | Grace | Gia |
| Gertrude | Gianna | Goldie |
| Gladys | Genesis | Guinevere |
| H girls THEN | H girls NOW | H girls NEXT |
| Helen | Harper | Harlow |
| Hazel | Hannah | Hallie |
| Harriet | Hailey | Holland |
| I girls THEN | I girls NOW | I girls NEXT |
| Irene | Isabella | Indie |
| Ida | Isla | Ivory |
| Inez | Ivy | Indigo |
| J girls THEN | J girls NOW | J girls NEXT |
| Joan | Jade | Jovie |
| Jennifer | Josie | Jalani |
| Josephine | Juniper | Jupiter |
| K girls THEN | K girls NOW | K girls NEXT |
| Karen | Kaylee | Kaylani |
| Katherine | Kennedy | Kaia |
| Kimberly | Kinsley | Kit |
| L girls THEN | L girls NOW | L girls NEXT |
| Linda | Lily | Lilith |
| Laura | Layla | Lainey |
| Louise | Luna | Lyra |
| M girls THEN | M girls NOW | M girls NEXT |
| Mary | Mia | Myla |
| Margaret | Madison | Murphy |
| Martha | Mila | Mabel |
| N girls THEN | N girls NOW | N girls NEXT |
| Nancy | Nora | Noa |
| Norma | Naomi | Navy |
| Nicole | Nova | Nellie |
| O girls THEN | O girls NOW | O girls NEXT |
| Olive | Olivia | Octavia |
| Opal | Olive | Ocean |
| Olga | Oakley | Opal |
| P girls THEN | P girls NOW | P girls NEXT |
| Patricia | Penelope | Poppy |
| Pearl | Paisley | Promise |
| Pamela | Piper | Persephone |
| Q girls THEN | Q girls NOW | Q girls NEXT |
| Queen | Quinn | Quinley |
| Queenie | Quincy | |
| R girls THEN | R girls NOW | R girls NEXT |
| Rose | Riley | Raya |
| Rebecca | Ruby | Rosemary |
| Ruth | Raelynn | Riverlyn |
| S girls THEN | S girls NOW | S girls NEXT |
| Susan | Sophia | Sutton |
| Sarah | Scarlett | Stevie |
| Sandra | Stella | Sylvie |
| T girls THEN | T girls NOW | T girls NEXT |
| Theresa | Taylor | Tatum |
| Tammy | Trinity | Theodora |
| Tina | Teagan | Tru |
| U girls THEN | U girls NOW | U girls NEXT |
| Ursula | Unique | Ulani |
| Una | ||
| V girls THEN | V girls NOW | V girls NEXT |
| Virginia | Violet | Vida |
| Viola | Victoria | Vianna |
| Vivian | Valentina | Vayda |
| W girls THEN | W girls NOW | W girls NEXT |
| Wanda | Willow | Wren |
| Wendy | Winter | Winnie |
| Winifred | Wren | Wrenley |
| X girls THEN | X girls NOW | X girls NEXT |
| n/a | Ximena | Xyla |
| Xiomara | Xolani | |
| Xochitl | ||
| Y girls THEN | Y girls NOW | Y girls NEXT |
| Yvonne | Yaretzi | Yuna |
| Yolanda | Yareli | Yara |
| Yvette | ||
| Z girls THEN | Z girls NOW | Z girls NEXT |
| Zelma | Zoey | Zuri |
| Zora | Zara | Zora |
| Zella | Zuri | Zyla |
MORE: Go on to the Boys’ “Then, Now, Next” Alphabet, or use our NameGrapher to explore more names by letter and time period.
3 Comments
…Wow! I mean I have several references of acquaintances located in these listings, but just last week I saw from a former schoolmate who had a baby girl. Collins. How did you do that!?
Wow amazing list!
My favorite trio is Elizabeth/Emma/Ember. It really reflects the transition from traditional to vowel heavy (still a favorite today) to new word names (trending right now).
I guess the parents who are choosing Collins have never read or watched *Pride and Prejudice*? I mean, if I met a poor child saddled with the name Collins, I would almost literally need to stuff a sock in it to keep from asking the parents about Lady De Bourgh. It’d be worse than when my child’s classmate Jacob acquired a little brother named James.
Bonnie, Goldie, and Nellie are surprising to me, as all of the bearers of these names that I’ve known are (or would be) over 80 now. (Nellie was Cornelia.)