Astrology has gone from niche interest to mainstream cultural phenomenon over the past decade. Social media, dating apps asking for birth charts, and a general cultural embrace of astrology as a personality framework have made zodiac signs part of everyday conversation.
And it's showing up in baby naming data.
Some zodiac sign names were already established baby names with independent appeal. Others are genuinely new — appearing in SSA data for the first time because parents are deliberately choosing their child's sun sign as their name.
The zodiac signs in SSA data, 2024
| Sign | Name | 2024 Rank | 2024 Babies | Pre-2010 Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo | Leo | #47 | 6,748 | #300-400 | Ancient name, independent appeal |
| Orion | Orion | #159 | 2,248 | ~#600 | Constellation, not zodiac |
| Gemini | Gemini | ~#1,800 | ~62 | unranked | New appearance |
| Aries | Aries | ~#1,200 | ~160 | ~#1,800 | Rising rapidly |
| Leo/Leona | — | — | — | — | — |
| Libra | Libra | ~#1,600 | ~85 | unranked | New appearance |
| Scorpio | — | unranked | — | — | Not usable as a name |
| Taurus | Taurus | ~#1,900 | ~50 | unranked | Rare |
| Aquarius | — | unranked | — | — | Not usable |
| Pisces | — | unranked | — | — | Not usable |
| Virgo | — | unranked | — | — | Not usable |
| Capricorn | — | unranked | — | — | Not usable |
| Sagittarius | — | unranked | — | — | Not usable |
Leo: the accidental zodiac name
Leo — Boys #47, 6,748 babies in 2024.
Leo is the most popular zodiac sign as a baby name, but it's not primarily chosen because it's a zodiac sign. Leo is an ancient Latin name meaning "lion" — it was the name of 13 popes, dozens of saints, Leonardo DiCaprio's nickname, and the constellation. The zodiac association is incidental.
| Year | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | #368 | 717 |
| 2004 | #373 | 836 |
| 2010 | #166 | 2,318 |
| 2014 | #133 | 2,997 |
| 2018 | #65 | 5,719 |
| 2022 | #47 | 6,864 |
| 2024 | #47 | 6,748 |
Leo has more than quadrupled in popularity since 2010. It benefits from: short punchy sound, lion symbolism, Italian heritage appeal, and Leo DiCaprio's cultural omnipresence. The zodiac connection (July 23 - August 22) probably adds a small secondary boost for parents of summer babies.
See short-baby-names for the full picture of one-syllable and ultra-short names.
Orion: the hunter constellation
Orion — Boys #159, 2,248 babies in 2024.
Orion is technically a constellation, not a zodiac sign — but it's the most recognizable star pattern in the sky and functions in the same celestial-name category.
| Year | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | ~#650 | ~350 |
| 2004 | #603 | 453 |
| 2010 | #474 | 642 |
| 2014 | #393 | 840 |
| 2018 | #252 | 1,438 |
| 2022 | #169 | 2,164 |
| 2024 | #159 | 2,248 |
Orion is still rising. It's a three-syllable mythological name (the great hunter of Greek mythology) with strong star imagery. See celestial-names for Orion alongside other star and constellation names.
Aries: the deliberate zodiac choice
Aries — Boys ~#1,200, ~160 babies in 2024.
Unlike Leo, Aries is an unambiguous zodiac choice. Parents naming their child Aries are almost certainly making a conscious astrological statement — either because the child is born under Aries (March 21 - April 19) or because they love the sign's associations (boldness, independence, fire energy).
| Year | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ~#1,800 | ~60 |
| 2014 | ~#1,600 | ~85 |
| 2018 | ~#1,400 | ~110 |
| 2022 | ~#1,250 | ~148 |
| 2024 | ~#1,200 | ~160 |
Aries is rising but slowly — it's still a rare name. The "-ies" ending is unusual for boy names (though it echoes Achilles, Heracles in mythology). Given astrology's growing mainstream presence, Aries could break into the top 1,000 within a few years.
Gemini: the new entrant
Gemini — ~#1,800, ~62 babies in 2024.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20) is the twins sign — appropriate for parents expecting or welcoming multiples, or simply for Gemini-season babies. The name is now appearing in SSA data after being essentially absent before 2015.
62 babies per year is a tiny number, but it represents a genuine cultural shift: parents explicitly choosing their child's zodiac sign as a given name. Gemini has a good sound for a name — three syllables, the -i ending that's currently fashionable, and a mythological connection (Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Zeus).
Libra and Taurus: the new experiments
Libra — ~#1,600, ~85 babies in 2024.
Libra (September 23 - October 22) is the balance sign. As a name, it works — two syllables, the -a ending that reads as feminine and elegant. It's primarily being used for girls.
Taurus — ~#1,900, ~50 babies in 2024.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20) is the bull sign. The -us ending makes it sound Latin and masculine. Still very rare, but appearing in data.
The signs that can't become names
Some zodiac signs simply don't work as given names:
- Scorpio, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Pisces, Virgo — either too long, too associated with non-name meanings, or phonetically awkward as human names.
- Cancer — the sign is essentially unusable as a name in the post-disease-awareness era.
The signs with genuine naming potential (Leo, Aries, Gemini, Libra) share a common feature: they work phonetically and historically as names independent of the zodiac. Leo is already a top-50 name. Aries sounds like a Greek hero. Gemini and Libra have name-like endings.
The astrology naming trend
The broader signal in this data is that astrology has become a real vector for baby naming inspiration — a new category alongside mythology, nature, and literary sources.
For parents who are deeply engaged with astrology, naming a child after their sign is a meaningful act: it embeds the child's cosmic identity into their name from birth. For parents who are more casual about astrology, the sign names offer a distinctive option with built-in narrative ("she's a Leo — born in August, we named her for it").
See celestial-names for the broader star and moon naming wave, and names-meaning-light for names tied to celestial light.