It’s March and the world is caught up in basketball excitement. Here, though, we’re holding our own tournament: Appellation Mountain’s most popular names from last year face off in a bracket-style contest until one winner is crowned for girls and one for boys.
Each name in this competition was among the most-viewed on Appellation Mountain during the previous calendar year, from January 1 through December 31, 2024. Read on to see past champions, the names competing in 2025, and the opening-round matchups.
PAST MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES CHAMPIONS
Curious which names have won this March Madness-style contest in previous years? Here are the past champions:
- Nathaniel and Louisa (2011)
- Arthur and Genevieve (2012)
- Archer and Isla (2013)
- Everett and Cora (2014)
- Finn and Cora (2015)*
- Theodore and Sylvie (2016)
- Leo and Wren (2017)
- Rowan and Eliza (2018)
- Arlo and Margot (2019)
- Caspian and Tess (2020)
- Raphael and Magnolia (2021)
- August and Marigold (2022)
- James and Gemma (2023)
- Callum and Maisie (2024)
*After Cora won in both 2014 and 2015, a rule was introduced to prevent past winners from competing again.
2025 NAMES COMPETING
The 2025 field is made up of the names that drew the most interest on Appellation Mountain during 2024. Below are the entrants for this year’s tournament.
TALLULAH
JAMES
VALANCY
KELSEY
DULCIE
AZURA
NORI
ALICE
ALIFAIR
SASKIA
PARALEE
CALISTA
NOA
POPPY
FLORA
ZONA
The bracket seeding follows the names’ rank, but as with any crowd-based contest, a higher seed doesn’t guarantee victory. Below are the opening-round matchups and embedded polls for voting.
TALLULAH versus ZONA
JAMES versus FLORA
VALANCY versus POPPY
KELSEY versus NOA
DULCIE versus CALISTA
AZURA versus PARALEE
NORI versus SASKIA
ALICE versus ALIFAIR
THANKS FOR VOTING!
Polls are open through Wednesday, March 12. Check back on March 15 to see which names advance and to cast your vote in the next round. Thanks for participating and helping decide this year’s champions!