Surprising baby name trends we'll be seeing in 2024
By Merryn Porter |
If you are trying to find that perfect name for your baby and like to stay ahead of trends, the people over at Nameberry have come up with a list of Baby Name Trends for 2024.
The world's largest baby name website was created by experts and is a leader when it comes to predicting baby name trends. Each year, it releases a list of the hottest baby boy and baby girl names for the year ahead, divided into different areas.
According to Nameberry, baby name trends for 2024 are less about the names themselves and more about the parents, who are using their child's moniker to express their values, aesthetics, and of course, identity.
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Nameberry's creator Pamela Redmond said that because they grew up with the internet, new parents were aware of the power of a name to create a brand that defines both their children and themselves.
"Today's parents are fixated on sending the right messages with the names they choose," Redmond said.
"The perfect baby name for 2024 is one that is ahead of the style curve, personally significant and identity-defining."
With this in mind, Nameberry has uncovered a number of trends for 2024, including girl names for boys, feminine feminist names, baby men and women, atmospheric names, natural glamour names, main character energy, gentle parenting names, STEM names, 'ai' names and musical icon names.
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Girl names for boys
For generations, names have moved in a single direction: from boy to girl. But this year, boy names are undergoing a seismic shift, according to Nameberry.
"Parents are reclaiming primarily feminine unisex names for their sons, as Chrissy Teigen and John Legend did for their son Wren," Nameberry said.
"And they are going a step further, embracing traditional female names for boys, as with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's son, Riot Rose."
With this in mind, the following names will be big for boys next year:
- Artemis
- Cleo
- Eden
- Fern
- Harlow
- Hazel
- Jade
- June
- Rose
- Willow
Feminine feminist names
The return of Barbie has made feminism feminine, and femininity feminist. Nameberry said the new feminist baby names are equally feminine in unexpected ways.
Androgynous surnames such as Conley and Malone remain feminist choices, while girly and elaborate names such as Lavender and Dorothea now feel empowering, as do once-slighted diminutives such as Honey and Lulu.
Feminine feminist names to be hot in 2024 are:?
- Billie
- Clover
- Conley
- Guinevere
- Kiara
- Lavender
- Prescott
- Mavis
- Melrose
- Theodora
Baby men and women
A popular refrain sprung up on social media in 2023: "You're naming an adult, not a baby."
And there's been an undeniable shift recently towards more serious, or 'adult' names for babies recently.
'Baby men and women' names are buttoned-up, formal and easy to picture on an adult กช think Arthur, Betty and Cedric.
Parents are looking forward to their children growing into their names rather than growing out of their baby names. Trending names include:
- Arthur
- Betty
- Cedric
- Dolores
- Duncan
- Georgina
- Marjorie
- Ray
- Stanley
- Sylvia
Atmospheric names
Airy, sky-bound names are set to fly high in 2024, according to Nameberry.
The most evocative choices in this category are designed for the here and now. Intentionally transient, names such Lumi, Storm and Zephyr represent the fleeting nature of the falling snow or a gust of wind.
Atmospheric names are designed to soar with the people who bear them, and perhaps evaporate in 15 or 20 years when little Aire decides to change her name, a possibility today's parents accept.
Atmospheric names set to trend in 2024 are:
- Aero
- Aire
- Cielo
- Ice
- Lumi
- Sky
- Soleil
- Snow
- Storm
- Zephyr
Natural glamour
Popularised by influencers such as Ballerina Farm, the natural glamour aesthetic promotes an unpretentious life, but edged with low-key subtle style, according to Nameberry.
"The natural glamour names coming into fashion are earthy, clunky choices with patina," Nameberry said.
"These names are classy but in a subtle way กช they feel at home on the homestead or at a five-star hotel."
Trending examples include:
- Archie
- Conrad
- Estelle
- Gaia
- Harris
- Mabel
- Magnus
- Talia
- Thea
- Torin
Main character energy
Parents are on the hunt for eye-catching names that pack a punch กช the kind of names that set their children (and themselves) apart from the crowd.
This 'main character energy' is found in names of characters or takes inspiration from movies, mythology, or anime series', and also includes bold and dramatic names that draw attention through strong sounds and ambitious imagery.
Examples of main character energy names set to shine in 2024 are: ?
- Avalon
- Catalina
- Elio
- Everest
- Jetson
- Jiraiya
- Namari
- Neo
- Ophelia
- Winry
Gentle parenting names
Each generation has a dominant parenting philosophy and today's emerging favourite amongst parents is 'gentle parenting'.
"We are seeing a direct correlation with gentle, soft-sounding names," said Nameberry. "Parents are favouring names with calm auras and mellow sounds."
Emerging names in this category are:?
- Alba
- Casper
- Clement
- Ellis
- Faye
- Koa
- Liana
- Luan
- Oona
- Willa
STEM names
Parents who have an interest in STEM fields are turning their passion into baby names. As botanical names such as Rowan and Hazel begin to plateau, fresh nature names with scientific connections are coming in hot.
Among the STEM names predicted to rise astronomical in 2024 are:
- Astra
- Darwin
- Hutton
- Kepler
- Linnea
- Lumen
- Mars
- Nova
- Seven
- Zenith
'Ai' names
Names that end in the letters 'ai' come from diverse backgrounds and are easily translated across languages and cultures, making them particularly attractive to parents raising multicultural or multilingual children.
And when none of the traditional 'ai'-ending names appeal, parents of 2024 will invent their own.
Nouveau creations such as Jakai and Zakai have already taken off and are among those set to trend in 2024:
- Adlai
- Azakai
- Jakai
- Kai
- Kenai
- Lorelai
- Masai
- Sai
- Shai
- Zai
Musical icon names
Elvis is back in the building! Until recently, such a distinctive name was considered too singular for anyone else to use. But the passage of time กช and recent celebrity musings กช has put Elvis and other musical names back on popular names lists.
Other rock 'n' roll icons such as Cobain, Joplin and Bowie are also trending and are an edgy way to get in on the 'last names as first names' trend.
Inspiration from song titles and band names are helping modern parents come up with the badass baby names they covet. Examples include:
- Cobain
- Collins
- Elvis
- Graceland
- Joni
- Joplin
- Maybellene
- Nirvana
- Ozzy
- Zeppelin
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