Tested for 21 days · September 2026

Nameberry Review (2026): 100,000 Names, a 1.1-Star App

We tested Nameberry's site, Advanced Search, and new swipe app against real numbers, not just impressions.

Chiara Montanari · September 24, 2026 · Baby Names

Summary

Nameberry is a 100,000+ name editorial site with 2,000+ curated lists and active forums, the strongest free baby-name research tool we tested. Its new swipe app is the weak link: 2.6/5 on iOS, 1.1/5 on Android, with a database roughly a tenth the size of the website's. Its popularity rankings track page views, not real births, so cross-check anything important against SSA.gov.

7.1 /10

Nameberry is the largest independent baby-name editorial site, with a claimed 100,000+ name database and six million monthly visitors. After three weeks testing the site, the advanced search, and the new companion app, our verdict: the website earns its reputation, the app does not. Nameberry's iOS app sits at 2.6/5 across 37 ratings; the Android version sits at 1.1/5 across 17 reviews.

Name database & search: 8.5/10
Editorial lists: 8.8/10
Community forums: 7.5/10
Popularity data accuracy: 5.5/10
Companion app: 3.5/10

100,000+ name database with 2,000+ expert-curated lists covering styles, origins, and trends
Active forums where real parents give live feedback on a shortlist before you commit
Core site and Advanced Search filters (origin, syllables, meaning) stay free, no login wall

Popularity rankings are based on Nameberry's own page views, not real birth data, and multiple Reddit threads call them unreliable
The companion app holds roughly 10,000 names, about a tenth of the website's database, with no search bar to fall back on
iOS app rated 2.6/5 on 37 ratings and Android 1.1/5 on 17 reviews, with loading loops and oddly obscure swipe suggestions

Free to browse. App unlock is a one-time $4.99, no subscription.

Methodology

How we tested

Tested for: 21 days
Plan paid: Free site access + $4.99 one-time app unlock (iOS and Android)
Version tested: Nameberry app v0.2.0 (Sept 2026); website as of September 2026
Prompts run: 40
Test period: 2026-08-24 → 2026-09-14

Test categories: Advanced Search filters • Curated lists • Popularity data • Community forums • iOS/Android app • Pricing & unlocks

We treated Nameberry the way we treat any tool our readers ask about: with our own accounts, our own searches, and a plain log of what worked. Over 21 days between August 24 and September 14, 2026, we ran 40 standardized name searches across six categories: origin-based searches (Italian, Japanese, Scandinavian), style searches (vintage revival, nature names, short two-syllable names), the Advanced Search filter tool, the curated list hub, the community forums, and both the iOS and Android apps.

For the app, we paid the one-time $4.99 unlock on both an iOS and an Android account so we could test the full swipe-and-match feature, not just the free starter swipes. We cross-checked Nameberry's popularity rankings against the U.S. Social Security Administration's public birth-name data for the same names, since Nameberry's own popularity stats are based on page views rather than birth registries.

We have no business relationship with Nameberry. Screenshots in this review are our own captures from nameberry.com and the app, taken during testing in September 2026.

Should you use Nameberry?

YES if you...

You want expert-written lists with real context, not just a raw name database
You like browsing by style or trend and reading why a name is rising
You want a community forum to sanity-check a shortlist with actual parents

NO if you...

You want population-accurate popularity rankings (pull SSA.gov data instead)
You and a partner want a smooth swipe-and-match app today (2.6/5 on iOS, 1.1/5 on Android)
You want one tool that covers baby names, brand names, and character names in one place

Pricing

Free (website)

Full site: names, meanings, lists, forums

100,000+ name entries
2,000+ curated lists
Advanced Search filters
Community forums
No account required to browse

Per person

App (iOS/Android)

$4.99 one-time

Unlocks the swipe-and-match app fully

Unlimited swipes (starts with 1,000 free)
Unlimited Naming Partners
Swipe-style analysis
No subscription

Subscriber tier

Not published

Ad-free reading + extras

Ad-free browsing
Popularity-prediction tools
Exclusive newsletters
Forum perks

ROI breakdown: At a one-time $4.99, the app is cheap even if it disappoints. The real cost is time: our test account burned through 100+ swipes before the algorithm surfaced a name we'd actually consider, something the free website search does in seconds.

Hidden costs & gotchas

Each Naming Partner needs a separate $4.99 unlock, so a couple pays $9.98 total for the app
Subscriber-tier pricing isn't published on the site; it only appears once you start checkout

Testing

What we measured

Name database (site): 100,000+ Stated on the nameberry.com homepage, Sept 2026
Curated name lists: 2,000+ nameberry.com homepage stat
Monthly site visitors: 6 million unique/mo nameberry.com/about, self-reported
iOS app rating: 2.6 /5 (37 ratings) Apple App Store, Sept 2026
Android app rating: 1.1 /5 (17 reviews) Google Play, Sept 2026
App name database: ~10,000 names Per a Google Play reviewer's count, vs the site's 100,000+
App unlock price: $4.99 one-time, per person Confirmed on both App Store and Google Play listings

Nameberry Advanced Search filter results screen — Returned a filtered list in under 2 seconds, including Lucie, Claire, and Elodie, each with a sourced meaning and popularity note. No login required.

Nameberry Baby Names by List hub page — 23 list categories, each maintained by a named editor with an update date. Genuinely useful for browsing by mood rather than by database query.

Nameberry iOS app swipe screen showing the name Clementine — The first 40+ swipes surfaced names like Pond and Friday before any common name appeared, matching the same complaint in multiple App Store reviews. The suggestion pool felt disconnected from the site's own popularity data.

Pros & cons

Pros

100,000+ names organized into 2,000+ expert-written, style-based lists Unlike a raw database, lists come with context: why a name is trending, its literary or celebrity ties, and near-neighbor suggestions. Each list carries a named editor and an update date.
Advanced Search filters actually narrow results Combining origin, syllable count, starting letter, and popularity band returned a workable shortlist in seconds during our tests, with no account required.
Active, moderated forums for real feedback The Nameberry Forums get daily posts where parents critique shortlists. It's slower than an app swipe, but the feedback comes from real people, not an algorithm.

Cons

Popularity rankings are based on page views, not birth registries Nameberry's own explanation is that its stats reflect what visitors search for, not actual births. Multiple threads on r/namenerds flag names as ranked far higher on Nameberry than in SSA birth data for the same year.
The companion app ships with roughly a tenth of the site's database A Google Play reviewer counted about 10,000 names in the app against the site's claimed 100,000+, with no search bar to compensate and no way to add a name from outside the swipe deck.
App store ratings are currently poor: 2.6/5 iOS, 1.1/5 Android Common complaints in both stores: loading loops on first launch, an unfiltered mix of obscure and duplicate-spelling names (Eliot, Elliot, Eliott), and disappointing stats even after the $4.99 unlock.

Verdict

Final verdict

7.1 /10

Nameberry earns its reputation on the strength of its website, not its app. Nearly two decades of editorial work show in the 2,000+ curated lists, the Advanced Search filters, and forums where real parents weigh in on a shortlist. If you want a name search tool with actual writing behind it, not just a database dump, the free site delivers.

Two things kept this from a higher score. First, Nameberry's own popularity data is built from page views, not birth records, and several threads of experienced users on Reddit call it unreliable for that exact reason; cross-check anything you care about against SSA.gov. Second, the new iOS and Android app undercuts the brand: a stripped-down name pool, a rocky first-launch experience, and ratings that sit at 2.6/5 and 1.1/5 as of September 2026.

Recommended for: parents who want expert-curated lists and forum feedback layered on top of a name search.

Not recommended for: anyone who wants population-accurate popularity stats, or a polished swipe-and-match app today.

Name database & search 8.5/10 Deep, fast, free
Editorial lists 8.8/10 2,000+ maintained lists
Community forums 7.5/10 Active, real feedback
Popularity data accuracy 5.5/10 Page-view based, not birth data
Companion app 3.5/10 2.6/5 iOS, 1.1/5 Android

See alternatives

Common questions

Is Nameberry free?

The website is fully free: names, meanings, lists, and forums. The companion app charges a one-time $4.99 unlock per person for the full swipe-and-match feature.

Is Nameberry's popularity data accurate?

Treat it as a search trend, not a birth rate. Nameberry's own rankings reflect page views on its site. For actual U.S. birth-name frequency, cross-check the Social Security Administration's public data.

Is the Nameberry app worth the $4.99?

Based on our testing and the current store ratings (2.6/5 iOS, 1.1/5 Android), not yet. The free website search does most of what the app promises, without the bugs.

How big is Nameberry's name database?

The homepage states 100,000+ names; the About page states 70,000+. Either way it's large, though the two figures on Nameberry's own site don't match.

Does Nameberry work for parents choosing a name together?

The website has no built-in partner-matching tool, that's what the app's swipe-and-match mode is for. Reviewers report it currently favors quantity over relevance.

What's an alternative to Nameberry for a fast, filtered name search?

If you want a generator built around specific categories, brand, character, gaming, or baby names, rather than editorial browsing, that's the gap a tool like NameGeneratorPlus fills. For population-accurate popularity stats, go straight to SSA.gov.

Who runs Nameberry?

Nameberry LLC, founded by baby-name authors Pamela Redmond and Linda Rosenkrantz. The site launched in 2008, built on naming books the pair had published since 1988.

Update log

2026-09-24 Initial publication after 21 days testing the site, Advanced Search, and the iOS/Android app.

✅ YES if you...

❌ NO if you...