Baby name possibilities are endless, but now even experts have been left shocked by what has been dubbed the biggest name trend of 2023.
So many newborn names come in and out of fashion, with choices impacted by culture, music, films and celebrities. But according to one expert, this year's most popular inspiration comes from the wild west.
Sarah Redshaw, UK Managing Editor for BabyCentre admitted that it's a trend that baby name experts never saw coming, but their site's search data indicates that more parents are looking up cowboy and cowgirl titles.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "Who could have predicted that wild west names would be a new trend? As such, BabyCentre believes we can expect to see more babies named Billy, Butch, Wyatt, Pearl, Daisy and Clementine being welcomed into the world over the coming months."
While western names are set to be the most popular, Sarah added that Disney themed titles could also be seen more, as more famous people are taking inspiration from fairy tales.
The prediction comes thanks to Love Islander Molly-Mae Hague, who announced with partner Tommy Fury they'd named their newborn daughter "Bambi". While some fans were all for the Disney themed title, others were quick to blast the couple for their decision.
Despite criticism, Disney names could become very popular with new parents this year if they're already catching on with celebrities. "It's a possibility that parents may take the lead from celebrities and their recent Disney-inspired names," she said.
"Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury named their newborn daughter Bambi, and Stacey Dooley called hers Minnie so we could see an increase in searches for Disney names."
The expert went on to claim that outer space names will also dazzle parents, with Apollo, Cosmo, Ariel and Luna all being good options. Other trends you may see cropping up in 2023 include gemstone names like Ruby and Jet as well as old-fashioned and classy-sounding names such as Tybalt, Tamara and Barnaby.
Gender-neutral names continue to be popular with BabyCentre users as well, with the number of names in their registrations that are shared by both boys and girls doubling over the last 10 years. The most popular gender-neutral registrations are currently Riley, Frankie, Harley, Blake, Rowan, River, Robin and Morgan.
While you may not expect it, certain older and biblical names are still going strong. Sarah highlighted: "And one thing's for sure, old-fashioned names are still in fashion while parents are still loving Bible names."
"Meanwhile names from ancient mythology and the planets could become a new classical trend though as mums and dads look for something more unusual but familiar."
BabyCentre top search queries related to names (excluding similar search terms and general name search terms) include:
- Wild west names
- Gender-neutral names
- Names inspired by the solar system
- Names from mythology
- Posh and old-fashioned names
- Gemstone-inspired names
- Biblical names
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