Charlotte tops, Aurora second on list of America’s favorite city-inspired baby names, Lingoda analysis finds

Over 59,000 U.S. babies received city names in 2025, according to SSA data analyzed by Lingoda

Aurora ranks No. 2 on a new list of America’s most popular city-inspired baby names, trailing only Charlotte, according to an analysis of 2025 Social Security Administration data by Lingoda. The ranking compares national baby-name counts with the 300 most populous U.S. cities.

Lingoda’s review found that more than 59,000 babies born in 2025 were given names that match U.S. cities. Nearly 7,000 of them were named Aurora, sharing the name of the Chicago suburb as well as Aurora, Colorado.

“Place names carry stories and identity. Parents are choosing names that connect their children to meaningful locations across the country”, said Felix Wunderlich, co-founder of Lingoda. “It’s also notable to see regional pride, with multiple Southern and Midwestern cities placing high on the list.”

Madison, after the Wisconsin capital, also made the top 10, underscoring the Midwest presence alongside names rooted in the South and Mountain West.

Methodology

Lingoda matched the SSA’s 2025 national baby-name dataset with the 300 most populous U.S. cities to identify exact city-name overlaps and combined counts across genders where applicable.

About Lingoda

Lingoda is an online language-learning school offering live classes taught by native-level teachers and a CEFR-aligned curriculum. The company serves learners worldwide across English, Business English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian.

Nadav Harari
Lingoda