A merican parents often play it safe when it comes to choosing the moniker that their child will endure for the rest of their life , according to the just-released list of the 1,000 most popular baby names in 2025 from the U.S. Social Security Administration. The top 10 girls’ and boys’ names have barely shifted in the past decade: Olivia has been the number one choice for girls since 2019, while Liam has reigned champion on the boys’ list since 2017. But there is one perhaps surprising contender that just quietly crept into the top 10 ranking last year: Eliana. The pretty name — if this author called Ellie may say so herself — means “my God has answered” in Hebrew and is sometimes used in the Jewish community to represent gratitude for a long-awaited child. The name outpaced Ava, thought to be derived from the Old Germanic name Avo or Avia, which featured in the SSA’s top 10 as a staple name for more than two decades, before being kicked back into 11th spot last year.…