29 Fall Baby Names

Learn the meaning and origins of popular fall baby names

Fall baby names

Photo Illustration by Michela Buttignol / Getty Images

There's a lot to love about fall, like the changing leaves, the cooler temperatures, and fall holidays. For people who truly enjoy fall, it is also a great source of inspiration for naming your brand new bundle of joy. Taking inspiration from the fall months can provide some beautiful names for little ones—both incredibly popular current names and vintage names from years gone by.

Many popular fall baby names are derived from the autumnal colors of the season, like Amber or Scarlett or even Sienna. But others can be traced back to nature, because fall feels like a season that is all about the Earth. If you have a baby on the way or just want to get some ideas for the future, here are 29 fall baby names you will surely love.

Popular Fall Baby Names

Amber

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Fossilized tree resign or red/orange color
  • Famous Namesakes: Actresses Amber Tamblyn and Amber Valletta
  • Peak Popularity: Amber was a popular name in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but it was the most popular name in 1986.

Amelia

  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: Work
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Emilia, Aemilia, Amilia, Mia, Amy, Millie
  • Famous Namesakes: Pilot Amelia Earhart, actress Emilia Clarke
  • Peak Popularity: Amelia was a popular name in the early 1900s before dropping off. It became popular again recently, with 2020 being its most popular year yet. For that year, it was the sixth most popular name for baby girls in the U.S.

Fun Fact: One of the most famous Amelias is actually Mia Thermopolis from "Princess Diaries." Anne Hathaway's character's full name is Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Grimaldi Renaldi, the same name used in the book by author Meg Cabot.

Asher

  • Origin: Hebrew
  • Meaning: Blessed, happy
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ash
  • Peak Popularity: Asher didn't gain popularity until the 1980s and has steadily risen since then. It hit its popularity peak in 2020 and seems poised to continue to gain traction.

Aspen

  • Origin: American
  • Meaning: Quaking tree
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Aspyn
  • Peak Popularity: Aspen started becoming popular in the 1990s and has steadily risen since then. However, it is still a fairly uncommon name, as it was only ranked No. 224 in popularity among U.S. babies in 2020. That was its highest year to date.

Autumn

  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: Fall season
  • Famous Namesakes: Actress Autumn Reeser
  • Peak Popularity: Autumn was most popular in the early 2000s but has slightly dipped since then.

Brandy

  • Origin: American
  • Meaning: Brandy
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Brandi, Brandie
  • Famous Namesakes: Singer Brandy Norwood
  • Peak Popularity: Brandy was very popular in the 1970s and 1980s but has fallen since then.

Fun Fact: Singer and actress Brandy Norwood was born in 1979, which was the second most popular year for the name Brandy, after 1978. It was the No. 37 name in 1978 and No. 39 in 1979.

Casper

  • Origin: German
  • Meaning: Treasurer
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Caspar
  • Famous Namesakes: Casper the friendly ghost
  • Peak Popularity: Casper is an old-fashioned name that was most popular in the early 1900s. It hasn't been commonly used since the 1930s.

Felix

  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: Happy and prosperous
  • Famous Namesakes: Composer Felix Mendelssohn
  • Peak Popularity: Felix was most popular in the early 1900s but has remained steady in the 200s and 300s on the list of baby names in the U.S.

Flynn

  • Origin: Irish
  • Meaning: Descendant of the red-haired man
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Flinn
  • Famous Namesakes: "Tangled" character Flynn Rider
  • Peak Popularity: Flynn entered the popularity charts in the 2010s and it was most popular in 2014.

Fun Fact: "Tangled" was released by Disney in 2010 and the next year was the first time the name Flynn made the top baby names list in the U.S., thanks to Flynn Rider. The name has stayed in the top 1000 ever since.

Forrest

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Of the woods
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Forest
  • Famous Namesakes: Actor Forest Whitaker, "Forrest Gump" character Forrest Gump
  • Peak Popularity: Forrest was popular in the early 1900s and has seen a steady decline since then. However, it has still remained on the top 1000 names list in the U.S. over the years.

Ginger

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Reddish orange color
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jinger
  • Famous Namesakes: Spice Girl Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell, actress Ginger Rogers
  • Peak Popularity: Ginger was a popular name in the 1960s and 1970s.

Griffin

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: A fabled monster
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Gryffin, Griff
  • Peak Popularity: Griffin has been moderately popular since the 1990s, with its biggest year being in 1998.

Hazel

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: The hazel tree
  • Famous Namesakes: Hazel Grace Lancaster in John Green's book "The Fault in Our Stars"
  • Peak Popularity: Hazel has had an interesting trajectory when it comes to popularity. It was popular in the early 1900s, with its most popular year being 1907. It faded off from the 1950s to the 1990s before becoming popular again. As of 2020, it is nearly as popular as it was in 1907.

Jack

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: God is gracious
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jackson
  • Famous Namesakes: Actor Jack Nicholson, author Jack Kerouac
  • Peak Popularity: Jack has long been a popular name. It was most popular in 1930 but remains popular through the 2020s.

Fun Fact: Jack is one of the most versatile nicknames. It can be short for Jackson or Jacqueline, but some men even use it as a shortened version of Jacob or John.

Lennox

  • Origin: Scottish
  • Meaning: From Levenach, Scotland
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lenox
  • Peak Popularity: Lennox is more popular internationally than it is in the U.S., but it cracked the top 1000 baby names in America in 2010 and has stayed since.

Leo

  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: Lion
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Leonard, Leonardo, Leon
  • Famous Namesakes: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, author Leo Tolstoy
  • Peak Popularity: Leo has long had mid-range-level popularity but it has grown significantly in the 2010s. It saw its highest popularity in 2020 when it was ranked as No. 36 for babies born in the U.S.

Maisie

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Pearl
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Maisy, Maizy
  • Famous Namesakes: Singer Maisie Peters, actress Maisie Williams
  • Peak Popularity: Maisie recently became popular and saw its biggest year in 2019.

Paisley

  • Origin: Scottish
  • Meaning: Church
  • Famous Namesakes: Singer Brad Paisley
  • Peak Popularity: Paisley has become quite popular in the 2010s. Its most popular year was 2017 when it ranked at No. 45 for girls born in the U.S.

Perry

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Dweller by the pear tree
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Perri, Perrie
  • Famous Namesakes: Singer Perrie Edwards, fashion designer Perry Ellis, fictional character Perry Mason
  • Peak Popularity: Perry was quite a popular name in the 1940s and 1960s, but the 1950s was its biggest decade.

Phoenix

  • Origin: Greek
  • Meaning: Blood red
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Fenix
  • Famous Namesakes: Actor Joaquin Phoenix
  • Peak Popularity: Phoenix entered the popularity chart in 1995 and has grown ever since. Its biggest year was 2020.

Rain

  • Origin: American
  • Meaning: Abundant blessings from above
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Rainn, Raine
  • Famous Namesakes: Actor Rainn Wilson
  • Peak Popularity: Rain has been on the fringes of popularity but hasn't yet cracked the top 1000.

Raven

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Blackbird
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ravenn, Ravyn
  • Famous Namesakes: Actress Raven-Symone
  • Peak Popularity: Raven was most popular in the 1990s.

Rowan

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: From the rowan tree
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Rohan
  • Famous Namesakes: Actress Rowan Blanchard, actor Rowan Atkinson
  • Peak Popularity: Rowan has been growing in popularity since the 1990s. It saw its peak as a boys' name in 2020 at No. 113 but peaked in 2018 at No. 211 for girls.

Sabrina

  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: From the river Severn
  • Famous Namesakes: Fictional character Sabrina the Teenage Witch, singer Sabrina Carpenter, fictional character Sabrina Fairchild in the movie "Sabrina," played by Audrey Hepburn
  • Peak Popularity: Sabrina has jumped around on the popularity chart over the years, usually following pop culture trends. Its biggest year was 1997.

Fun Fact: The movie "Sabrina," starring Audrey Hepburn, was released in 1954. In 1955, the name Sabrina saw a huge spike in popularity—in 1954, it ranked at No. 804, but in 1955, it was ranked No. 245.

Sage

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Herb or prophet
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Saige
  • Peak Popularity: Sage has been steadily gaining steam. Its peak was in 2020.

Scarlett

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: Red
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Scarlet
  • Famous Namesakes: "Gone With the Wind" character Scarlett O'Hara, actress Scarlett Johansson
  • Peak Popularity: Scarlett is a popular name for the 2010s. Its biggest year was 2017, when it was No. 18 on the popularity list for baby girls.

Sienna

  • Origin: Italian
  • Meaning: Reddish brown
  • Famous Namesakes: Actress Sienna Miller
  • Peak Popularity: Sienna is at its most popular currently, with its peak at No. 166 in 2020.

Viola

  • Origin: Italian
  • Meaning: Violet
  • Alternative Spellings & Variations: Violet, Vi
  • Famous Namesakes: Actress Viola Davis
  • Peak Popularity: Viola is a vintage name that was popular in the early 1900s. It was at its peak in 1908.

Willow

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: From the willow grove
  • Famous Namesakes: Singer Willow Smith, fictional character Willow from the movie "Willow"
  • Peak Popularity: Willow has become a very popular name in the 2010s. Its biggest year so far was in 2019.
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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Hanks P, Hardcastle K, Hodges F. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press; 2016.

  2. Social Security Administration. Popularity of name.

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