It Turns Out Eliana Is A Pretty Popular Baby Name In 2026

Olivia’s been knocked off the top spot as the most popular baby name for girls in 2026, according to BabyCentre, with Eliana claiming the top spot.

Considered a modern alternative to the name Eleanor, Eliana has two meanings. In Hebrew, it translates to “my God has answered” while the name is also thought to derive from the Greek word for “sun” (ílios).

According to The Bump, Eliana ranks 29th in popularity in the US (according to birth data). Common nicknames derived from it include: Ellie, Elle, Liana and Ana.

BabyCentre’s naming expert SJ Strum said: “It’s no surprise to see Eliana reach the top of the charts. Parents are increasingly looking for names that feel special and memorable, that will also grow effortlessly with their child.”

She added that Eliana is “elegant, meaningful and timeless”.

The name made a big jump in popularity, up four places this year. Isabella also climbed into the top 10, rising eight places to rank fifth.

Muhammad is the most popular boy’s name on BabyCentre, closely followed by Noah.

Muhammad is derived from Arabic and means “the praised one” or “worthy of praise” – some Muslim families will give their boys this name as a way to honor the Prophet Muhammad.

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on popular baby names in England and Wales (from 2024) suggested Olivia, Amelia and Lily were the most popular girls’ names, and Muhammad, Noah and Oliver were the most popular boy’s names.

Interestingly, Eliana didn’t feature in the top 100 names at all.

When asked how they determined Eliana was now the most popular girls’ name, BabyCentre told me the rankings are compiled using data provided directly by users when they join the site – as part of this process, parents share what they called their baby.

Without further ado, here are their top girls’ and boys’ names for this year so far (as per BabyCentre’s user data)…