The shortest names in US Social Security records have two letters. Amy was the #2 name for girls in 1973, the highest any three-letter name has reached, and Mia was #6 in 2025. The records hold 155 two-letter names and 1,049 three-letter names from 1880 to 2025. This guide lists the 50 most popular short girl names and short boy names of 2025, with four letters or fewer, then looks at which short names are most common, which were most popular, and how short names are coming back.
What Are the Most Popular Short Girl Names?
These are the 50 most popular girl names of four letters or fewer in 2025, ranked among all girl names. Emma is the most popular, at #3, and 23 of them are in the top 100. The meanings are from Behind the Name; a name that is a spelling or short form of another shows that name’s meaning or the name it comes from.
| Name | Meaning | Rank in 2025 | Babies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma | whole or universal | #3 | 12,754 |
| Mia | form of Maria | #6 | 11,078 |
| Ava | – | #11 | 7,732 |
| Lily | flower | #18 | 6,673 |
| Nora | honor | #20 | 6,380 |
| Lucy | form of Lucia | #25 | 6,176 |
| Aria | song | #26 | 6,130 |
| Luna | the moon | #27 | 6,076 |
| Isla | island of Islay | #28 | 6,012 |
| Ella | – | #29 | 5,831 |
| Zoe | life | #31 | 5,646 |
| Ivy | climbing plant | #39 | 5,117 |
| Mila | gracious, dear | #43 | 4,796 |
| Nova | new | #46 | 4,657 |
| Leah | weary | #58 | 3,880 |
| Iris | rainbow | #61 | 3,729 |
| Maya | – | #62 | 3,712 |
| Ruby | red | #64 | 3,554 |
| Zoey | life | #69 | 3,427 |
| Eden | place of pleasure | #70 | 3,362 |
| Ayla | – | #77 | 3,149 |
| Lyla | night | #80 | 3,089 |
| Jade | precious stone | #95 | 2,658 |
| Anna | form of Hannah | #107 | 2,521 |
| Cora | form of Kore | #113 | 2,428 |
| Rose | – | #114 | 2,386 |
| Mary | form of Maria | #125 | 2,230 |
| Eva | form of Eve | #134 | 2,154 |
| Remi | – | #145 | 2,023 |
| June | – | #150 | 1,978 |
| Arya | Aryan, noble | #158 | 1,858 |
| Sage | sage | #160 | 1,853 |
| Ruth | friend | #173 | 1,781 |
| Lila | – | #187 | 1,670 |
| Kaia | form of Katarina | #193 | 1,618 |
| Sara | form of Sarah | #198 | 1,568 |
| Lia | – | #200 | 1,526 |
| Vera | – | #205 | 1,482 |
| Myla | – | #210 | 1,436 |
| Zara | – | #212 | 1,432 |
| Ada | form of Adelaide | #219 | 1,401 |
| Jane | form of John | #221 | 1,380 |
| Noa | – | #226 | 1,348 |
| Rory | form of Ruaidhrí | #230 | 1,332 |
| Wren | small songbird | #231 | 1,331 |
| Nyla | – | #236 | 1,315 |
| Ana | form of Anna | #245 | 1,276 |
| Amy | beloved | #257 | 1,200 |
| Evie | form of Eve | #270 | 1,151 |
| Lola | sorrows | #275 | 1,132 |
What Are the Most Popular Short Boy Names?
Liam and Noah, the top two boy names of 2025, both have four letters. These are the 50 most popular boy names of four letters or fewer, with 20 of them in the top 100:
| Name | Meaning | Rank in 2025 | Babies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liam | form of William | #1 | 20,818 |
| Noah | rest, comfort | #2 | 20,358 |
| Levi | joined, attached | #12 | 9,642 |
| Luca | form of Luke | #14 | 8,759 |
| Jack | Yahweh is gracious | #15 | 8,748 |
| Leo | lion | #19 | 8,173 |
| Ezra | help | #20 | 8,126 |
| John | Yahweh is gracious | #23 | 8,027 |
| Owen | – | #31 | 7,190 |
| Luke | from Lucania | #33 | 6,948 |
| Beau | beautiful | #60 | 5,165 |
| Enzo | – | #72 | 4,556 |
| Axel | form of Absalom | #79 | 4,140 |
| Theo | form of Theodore | #82 | 3,945 |
| Ian | form of John | #83 | 3,924 |
| Luka | form of Luke | #85 | 3,873 |
| Gael | – | #86 | 3,860 |
| Kai | – | #93 | 3,768 |
| Jose | – | #95 | 3,678 |
| Ryan | descendant of Rían | #99 | 3,532 |
| Adam | man | #101 | 3,501 |
| Eli | – | #104 | 3,418 |
| Amir | – | #105 | 3,297 |
| Jace | to heal | #114 | 3,083 |
| Milo | form of Miles | #119 | 2,974 |
| Dean | from a surname | #125 | 2,876 |
| Leon | lion | #138 | 2,583 |
| Zion | citadel | #142 | 2,496 |
| Luis | form of Louis | #144 | 2,475 |
| Arlo | – | #148 | 2,443 |
| Evan | form of John | #153 | 2,412 |
| Jude | form of Judas | #155 | 2,384 |
| Juan | form of John | #159 | 2,318 |
| Ivan | – | #163 | 2,240 |
| Ace | – | #164 | 2,239 |
| Jett | jet | #169 | 2,167 |
| Nico | form of Nicholas | #174 | 2,066 |
| Max | form of Maximilian | #180 | 2,025 |
| Cole | from a surname | #182 | 2,003 |
| Alan | – | #191 | 1,915 |
| Tate | from a surname | #194 | 1,862 |
| Knox | round hill | #196 | 1,836 |
| Rory | form of Ruaidhrí | #199 | 1,768 |
| Finn | – | #206 | 1,702 |
| Joel | Yahweh is God | #219 | 1,633 |
| Abel | breath | #231 | 1,525 |
| Alex | form of Alexander | #232 | 1,515 |
| Mark | form of Marcus | #245 | 1,416 |
| Cade | round | #248 | 1,392 |
| Lane | lane, path | #250 | 1,383 |
What Are the Most Common Three-Letter Names?
These three-letter names have the most people alive in the US today:
| Name | People alive | Peak year | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy | 640,514 | 1975 | #2 (1973) |
| Ava | 335,063 | 2007 | #3 (2016) |
| Mia | 307,381 | 2015 | #5 (2024) |
| Ann | 257,434 | 1957 | #28 (1936) |
| Ian | 248,948 | 2005 | #65 (2003) |
| Joe | 197,582 | 1936 | #20 (1880) |
| Kim | 180,958 | 1960 | #34 (1960) |
| Roy | 168,221 | 1947 | #18 (1889) |
| Lee | 162,981 | 1956 | #39 (1900) |
| Zoe | 159,301 | 2012 | #29 (2024) |
Best rank is the highest place the name reached among names for one sex, with the year it got there.
What Are the Shortest Names?
The shortest names in the records have two letters. These have the most people alive today:
| Name | People alive | Peak year | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jo | 115,065 | 1954 | #51 (1947) |
| Ty | 46,151 | 2005 | #169 (2005) |
| Bo | 15,306 | 2025 | #449 (2025) |
| Al | 9,098 | 1959 | #285 (1910) |
| Ed | 8,166 | 1959 | #54 (1882) |
Only two two-letter names have ever made the top 100: Jo, #51 for girls in 1947, and Ed, #54 for boys in 1882. Bo is the one growing now: 728 babies were named Bo in 2025, its biggest year.
Short Names That Reached the Top 10
- Amy: #2 for girls in 1973
- Ava: #3 for girls in 2016
- Mia: #5 for girls in 2024
- Ida: #7 for girls in 1880
All four are girls’ names. The best any short boys’ name has done is #18, reached by Roy in 1889 and Leo in 2023.
Are Short Names Coming Back?
Yes. Counting every baby born each year, this is the share given a name of three letters or fewer (the chart at the top shows every year):
| Year | Babies with a name of 2 or 3 letters |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 5.1% |
| 1920 | 3.2% |
| 1960 | 3.4% |
| 1980 | 1.8% |
| 2000 | 1.5% |
| 2010 | 2.6% |
| 2025 | 3.1% |
The share fell to its lowest point in 1994, at 1.2%. In 2025 it was 2.6 times as high, with names like Mia, Leo and Kai. For the other end of the scale, see the longest first names ever recorded.
Short Names That Have Faded
Some short names that were common for decades are rarely given to babies now:
| Name | Peak year | Babies in the peak year | Babies in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe | 1936 | 8,266 | 230 |
| Ann | 1957 | 9,068 | 225 |
| Tom | 1959 | 5,080 | 65 |
| Kim | 1960 | 13,635 | 40 |
Many people still have these names: about 197,582 people alive are named Joe and 180,958 are named Kim.
Check a Short Name
- Type the name in the search box on the home page to see how many people alive in the US have it.
- Its chart shows how many babies got the name in every year since 1880.
- Remember that a short form and a full name are counted separately: Joe and Joseph each have their own page.