Tips for Searching Baby Names

Published October 10, 2026

Scrolling through a giant list of baby names can feel like reading a spreadsheet, and that's not much fun. Seek Baby Names is built to feel more like flipping through ideas. Here are some friendly tips for finding names you love, starting with the button we think is the most fun of all.

Start with Shuffle

The big yellow Shuffle button is one of the best ways to discover names, and it isn't just for when you feel stuck. Each tap deals out a fresh, mixed-up set of names, so you get to see names you might never have thought to search for.

Why Shuffle is great for inspiration

• It shows you names you didn't know to look for. When you search, you only find names you already have in mind. Shuffle brings in surprises, and some of the best finds are the unexpected ones.
• It keeps things light. There are no endless rows to read through. You tap, take a look, and tap again.
• It draws from the whole list. Shuffle pulls from all of the 117,000+ names, so you can bump into classics, rarities and everything between.
• It's quick to keep going. Ten taps is a lot of new ideas in a minute or two.

Get more out of it

• Shuffle first, narrow later. Tap a few times with no filters to see what catches your eye. Once you notice what you like, such as shorter names, softer sounds or a certain letter, add a filter and keep shuffling.
• Shuffle within your filters. Pick girl, boy or gender neutral, a first letter, or Has Meaning, and Shuffle only mixes up the names that match.
• Save as you go. Tap the heart on any name you like before you move on. It's easy to lose a good one in the shuffle.
• Make it a game with your partner. Each of you shuffle for a few minutes, save your favorites, then compare. It's a fun, low-pressure way to get talking about names.

Then use search when you have a hunch

Shuffle is great for discovering, and search is great for checking. Type any part of a name. The search finds names that contain what you typed, and it shows exact matches first, then names that start with your letters, then names that contain them anywhere.

• Try a short piece of a name you like. Searching "ell" turns up names such as Ella, Bella and Ellis.
• Try different spellings. A name you love might come in a form you hadn't thought of.
• Not sure how a name is spelled? Type the part you're sure about and look around.

Pick a first letter

If you have a hunch (or a family tradition, or matching initials), use the letter bar under the search box to see only names starting with that letter. Combine it with Shuffle to explore one letter at a time.

Choose girl, boy or any

Use the Any, Girl, Boy and Gender Neutral buttons to narrow the list. Many names are used for more than one sex, and "Gender Neutral" shows names that have a real number of both girls and boys. Leave it on Any if you're keeping an open mind.

Switch between A to Z and Popular

The sort buttons change how the names are lined up. A–Z is handy for browsing the alphabet. Popular puts the most popular names first, which is great if you want to see what's common. If you'd like something a little less common, scroll past the first few screens.

Use the extra filters

• Has Meaning shows only names with a meaning listed, which is helpful if meaning matters to you.
• Top 10,000 keeps the list to names that have been widely used over the years, so you can set aside the very rare ones. It's based on total births across all years, not just this year.

On a phone, you can find these under the filter button next to Shuffle.

Save and share the ones you like

Tap the heart on any name to save it. Your saved names are kept on the device you're using, and you can open them any time from the Saved button. When you're ready to share, the Share button in your saved names turns them into a page you can send to a partner, family member or friend. For more ideas on comparing lists, see our guide to choosing a baby name.

Peek at the trend chart

Before you commit to a name, open its details and tap View Popularity Trend. A quick look at the chart shows whether a name has been around for a long time, whether it's having a moment right now or whether it's always been rare. If you'd like a refresher on how to read it, see how baby name popularity works.