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NameBattle
My names
Name tournament

Play the shortlist down to one

A long list never shrinks by staring at it. Seed the names you’re torn between, pick one pair at a time, and let the winners play on until a single name is left standing.

8 · 16 · 32 namesabout a minute for an 8Real US numbers on every pick
OliviaHazelWrenNoraAdaClaraIrisMaeve

Seed your bracket

Add 8 girls' names — search, tap a row below, or pull in your shortlist.

Free with an account: one 8-name bracket. The link is free for everyone you send it to.

Ready with sensible defaults
Fair drawNames shuffled into the bracketOur baby name tournamentThe title on the page and the share cardYou tap, anyone can watchSend the link — the board updates as you pick
How the names are seeded
One pair at a timeNo ranking, no spreadsheet. Two names, one tap, the winner moves on.
The numbers after every pickWhat parents actually did with those two names — measured, never guessed.
The winner has somewhere to goSave it, read its full story, or put the final four to a family vote.
Need names first?
Nature & botanicalCelestialVintage charmLiteraryCeltic liltCottagecoreTop 100 todayRising names

Every guide on the site ends with a “Run the top 8 as a bracket” button, and every name page has a heart that drops the name onto your shortlist — the board pulls from it in one tap.

Good to know

Questions people ask

How does a name tournament work?

You seed 8, 16 or 32 names into a bracket. Two names come up at a time; you tap the one you'd keep, and the winner moves on to the next round. The rounds narrow — quarterfinals, semifinals, final — until one name is left. An 8-name bracket is seven picks and takes about a minute.

Which names can I put in?

Any name in the official US birth records — 146 years of them, so the list runs far beyond the top 1,000. A bracket is girls with girls or boys with boys, so every matchup is a fair one. Type a name, tap one from the quick-fill rows, or pull in your shortlist in one go.

Can we play it together?

Yes — the simplest way is one phone, two people, and a rule about who taps. Anyone you send the link to can watch the board fill in as you pick, and every name on it links to its full story. When you want the whole family's opinion counted, the winner and the finalists go straight into a family vote.

What if I regret a pick?

Tap Undo. It takes back the latest pick — as many times as you like, including the final. Nothing is locked until you say so.

Is it free?

Free with an account: one 8-name bracket. Unlimited opens the 16- and 32-name boards and removes the cap. Following a link is free for everyone — the people you share a bracket with never need an account.

Does the winner decide anything?

Only what you already knew. A bracket surfaces the instinct you have under a little pressure — the tap you make in two seconds is an honest one. Every pick also shows what real parents did with those two names, so the feeling and the facts sit side by side. The decision stays yours.