Most Searched Things on Google in December 2025

Now that 2025 is behind us, we can see how December’s searches shifted back toward everyday needs. In the last month of the year, people went to Google for directions, weather updates, and sports scores just as much as they looked up AI tools and pop‑culture news. Similarweb’s data for December 2025 shows that practical queries, live sports, and holiday‑season entertainment defined what people were searching for and where those searches led.

Using Similarweb’s latest keyword data, I’ve compiled updated lists of the most searched Google queries in December 2025.

Let’s break down what dominated Google search in December.

What are the most popular Google searches worldwide?

Here’s a sneak peek into the full list of the top 1,000 Google searches, which you can download below.

Worldwide key stats

• Top searched keyword: maps
• Search volume: ~54.1M
• Top traffic leader: google.com
• Total volume (Top 100): ~2.8B searches
• Most common traffic leader: en.wikipedia.org
• Unique traffic leaders (Top 100): 444

Takeaway:

• In December 2025, “maps” overtook AI-related terms to become the most searched keyword globally, highlighting the continued dominance of utility-driven search behavior. Navigation, location, and real-world intent surged as travel, commuting, and holiday movement peaked worldwide.
• Weather followed closely with more than 163M searches, reinforcing Google’s role as a daily-use utility for recurring needs. These practical searches consistently generate massive volume, even as trending topics fluctuate month to month.
• Entertainment demand also rose sharply. “Stranger Things” ranks among the top global searches, reflecting sustained interest tied to new content cycles, cast news, and ongoing fan engagement. Video-first platforms, particularly YouTube, continue to capture a significant share of this demand.
• While AI-related queries remain present, December shows a relative shift away from AI dominance toward utilities and entertainment, suggesting a stabilization phase after the intense AI-driven spikes seen earlier in the year.
• Despite extremely high overall volume, traffic remains widely distributed across hundreds of destinations, underlining the fragmented nature of global search behavior and the importance of intent-driven optimization.

What are the most popular Google searches in the US?

US key stats

• Top searched keyword: gemini
• Search volume: ~17.0M
• Top traffic leader: gemini.google.com
• Total volume (Top 100): ~1.3B searches
• Most common traffic leader: youtube.com
• Unique traffic leaders (Top 100): ~130

Takeaway:

• In contrast to November, “gemini” became the most searched keyword in the U.S. in December, signaling renewed attention around Google’s AI ecosystem, product updates, and AI-assisted search experiences.
• That said, sports demand remains deeply embedded in U.S. search behavior. NFL-related terms (scores, standings, games) continue to appear prominently, even as the season matures, reinforcing how live sports consistently drive high-intent, repeat searches.
• Utility terms like weather and maps maintain strong positions, reflecting habitual search behavior that persists regardless of seasonality.
• YouTube remains the dominant traffic destination, particularly for sports, entertainment, and real-time updates. This confirms U.S. users’ preference for video-based consumption, especially around highlights, reactions, and explainers.
• Overall, December’s U.S. search landscape shows a blend of AI curiosity, sports loyalty, and everyday utility, rather than reliance on a single dominant theme.

What are the most trending Google searches?

Trending terms key stats

• Top trending keyword: weather
• Search volume: ~163.0M
  Top traffic leader: weather.com
• Total volume (Top 100): ~1.4B searches
• Most common traffic leader: youtube.com
• Unique traffic leaders (Top 100): ~120
  

Takeaway:

• Trending searches in December 2025 are driven less by sustained demand and more by immediate context and short-term spikes. Unlike the global list, which reflects stable, recurring search behavior, trending terms highlight what spiked quickly as users reacted to real-world events, seasonal shifts, and breaking moments.
• Weather leads trending demand, underscoring how quickly search behavior responds to changing conditions and real-time planning needs. These spikes are highly time-sensitive, often peaking rapidly before dropping just as fast once the moment passes.
• Sports-related searches continue to dominate trending lists, but in a more event-specific way than in global rankings. Individual games, matchups, and breaking news drive sharp increases in interest, rather than the steady, season-long demand seen in evergreen sports queries.
• Entertainment and pop-culture terms surface prominently as well, reflecting how announcements, releases, and viral moments can trigger sudden bursts of search activity. These trends tend to cluster tightly around specific news cycles, reinforcing the reactive nature of trending demand.
• Overall, December’s trending keywords highlight where attention is moving right now, making this dataset especially valuable for identifying short-term content opportunities, fast-turn campaigns, and moments that require immediate action rather than long-term planning.

Where can you find data on the top Google searches?

To create these lists, I used Similarweb’s Demand Trends feature and Keyword Research Tool, here’s a quick breakdown of how I did it:

1. In the Market Analysis suite, go to ‘Demand Trends’
2. Select ‘All Industries’ as shown below, or – to get a more targeted list – choose a specific industry
3. Select either ‘Worldwide’ data or a specific country in the country filter on the top right
4. For the trending terms I filtered the data based on ‘Trending Terms’

Then, to sort by traffic (like I did) or for other further analysis, download the full list and filter from there.

Methodology

I updated this page in January 2026 using data from December 2025. This provides you with an accurate and reliable view of the search landscape and top searches during that period.

The lists are for worldwide, US and trending terms.

I have included: average monthly search volume, traffic (how many of the searches end up going to a website), traffic share, and the traffic leader.

Similarweb Search Intelligence allows you to view things people search for by country and industry. Our data covers billions of keywords worldwide (we’re constantly growing our keyword list each and every day, with real searches as they happen), and we analyze over 2 terabytes of data each day.

FAQs

What is the most searched keyword globally in December 2025?

The most searched keyword worldwide in December 2025 is “maps”, with approximately 54.1M searches, highlighting strong utility-driven demand tied to navigation and real-world intent.

What is the most searched keyword in the U.S. in December 2025?

The top U.S. keyword is “gemini”, with around 17M searches, reflecting sustained interest in Google’s AI tools and ecosystem.

What is the top trending Google search in December 2025?

The top trending keyword is “weather”, driven by seasonal conditions and short-term spikes in real-time information needs.

What types of keywords dominated search trends in December 2025?

December’s data is led by utility searches (maps, weather), alongside entertainment, sports, AI-related terms, and commerce-driven queries tied to end-of-year behavior.

Why is YouTube such a common traffic leader?

YouTube consistently captures traffic from searches tied to sports highlights, entertainment content, reactions, and real-time updates, making it a dominant destination across Global, U.S., and Trending datasets.

What’s the difference between “Top Searches” and “Trending Terms”?

Top Searches reflect consistently high-demand queries, while Trending Terms surface short-term spikes driven by news cycles, events, or seasonal moments, ideal for identifying immediate opportunities.

How can marketers use these insights?

Marketers can use these insights to: identify high-intent content opportunities, prioritize SEO and acquisition strategies, react quickly to emerging trends and plan 2026 content and campaign roadmaps based on real demand.

by Maayan Zohar Basteker

Senior SEO Specialist at Similarweb

Maayan is a senior SEO specialist with 7+ years of experience in SEO. She loves complex research projects, creating SEO strategies and performing technical audits.