Expecting a new bundle a joy to arrive in 2024? We've got you set with predictions for the year's biggest baby name trends - and there's really something for everyone!
After all the ups and downs of pregnancy, the first and perhaps most important decision a new parent can make is picking out their baby's name. And the decision can be overwhelming. There are so many names to choose from whether you want a unique baby name or a cool baby name.
As 2023 draws to a close, we can look back at all the trending baby names the year has brought us. With some parents opting for a baby name inspired by the hit HBO show Succession, while others were inspired by Netflix's Bridgerton and named their babies after the show's characters, it seems that popular culture was one of our biggest inspirations for baby names. But what trends with 2024 bring with it?
Luckily for parents expecting in the New Year, baby name experts Nameberry have rounded up their top ten predictions for 2024's baby name trends. Speaking about their predictions, Nameberry founder Pamela Redmond said, "Today's parents are fixated on sending the right messages with the names they choose. The perfect baby name for 2024 is one that is ahead of the style curve, personally significant, and identity-defining."
1. Girl baby names for boys
After many years of traditionally masculine names being given to daughters as a symbol of empowerment, 2024 may finally be the year that this idea experiences a gender switch.
Nameberry predicts that next year will be the time when traditionally feminine, though still traditionally unisex, names begin to be given to baby boys. Names such as Jade, Blair, Carmen, Harlow, Raven, and Willow will start to take centre stage, influenced not only by society's changing views on gender identity but also by the more soft and sensitive image the names invoke.
We're already seeing inklings of the trend begin to make waves in celebrity circles, most notably with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's son, Riot Rose. Get inspired with our list of 100 popular gender-neutral and unisex baby names.
2. Feminist baby names
2023's hit movie Barbie is set to continue its influence on us all well into 2024, though not in the way you'd perhaps first think. Nameberry believes that while the movie will not inspire us in a direct sense, with Barbie not set to be a popular baby name within itself, the film has made femininity cool and feminist again. Ergo, we're set to see extremely feminine names start to take hold.
Get ready to see names like Lavender, Eleanora, Colette, Dorothea, Theodora, Vienna, and Matilda sky rocket in popularity. The feminine trend seems to lend itself well to nature-inspired baby names, with florals sending a highly feminine message.
3. Adult names for babies
With a focus on who a baby is going to grow up to be in adulthood, Nameberry believes parents will start to take a new, more mature approach to baby names. They credit names including Olive, Felix, Gus, Constance, Alfred and Arthur as some of those set to gain popularity in 2024. They point out that this is a rather old fashioned trend, so why not use our round up of more than 180 old fashioned baby names to gain some inspiration?
4. Sky-inspired baby names
With the influence of the Kardashian clan never too far from our minds, Kylie Jenner's sky-inspired baby name Aire has set the atmospheric tone for at least one of 2024's baby name trends. Think names like Aura, Cielo, Lumi, Storm and Ice to play into this atmospheric and ephemeral trend.
5. Natural glamour
With home interior and fashion trends like cottagecore and rustic farmhouse still influencing the aesthetic of our homes and wardrobes, Nameberry believes the natural, unpretentious glamour of these aesthetics will come to influence baby names trends in the coming year.
Names such as Sloane, Holden, Rose, Wesley, and Graham, all of which are unfussy yet subtly classy, are set to climb in popularity over the coming year to play into this practical yet perfectly put-together trend.
The natural and rustic names of the trend can be perfectly emulated with a country style baby name, with names like Annelle and Hadley featuring on our roundup.
6. Main character baby names
A baby's arrival tends to make a splash, changing a family's life forever as they command all their time and attention. They're the main character in the film fixture that is life, so why not give them a fitting name? Nameberry predicts that we're set to see movie character names roll over into real life with characters from films like Naruto, One Piece, and Disney's upcoming film Elio influencing parents.
Elio, Marigold, Azriel, Primrose and Maximo are just some of the names they believe will take centre stage, quite literally, in 2024. Use our round up of movie-inspired baby names and Disney baby names for boys and girls to help land on the perfect name.
7. Soft-sounding names
Inspired by 2023's biggest parenting trend, gentle parenting, 2024 is set to welcome a myriad of babies with gentle and soft-sounding names to reflect this parenting approach. The trend promotes names with calm and mellow sounds, and often favours names that start with soft vowels like baby names that begin with an A.
Names like Alba, Alfie, Ellis, Ines, Oona, and Ione are set to be some favourites for the upcoming year.
8. STEM-inspired baby names
Standing for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM is set to influence baby name trends in 2024. This trend incorporates so many different names from the scientific Darwin, Cosmo and Mars, to the engineering Edison, and the maths-inspired Tau, a Greek letter used as a variable stand-in.
9. Ai baby names (But not how you think)
Names ending in 'ai' are set to take off as the ever-popular baby name Kai entered the list of top popular baby names in 2019 and continues to hold down a spot there. Nothing to do with AI technology, names like Jakai, Zakai, Mordecai, Sai, and Shai are ones to keep an eye on over the year.
10. Musical-inspired baby names
Rock N Roll is back in the mainstream. Largely thanks to the musical biopic films we're seeing more and more of in the cinema, names like Elvis, Priscilla, Cobain, Joplin, and Bowie are on the rise, each giving an edgy feel and a nice, historical story behind the choice.
Whether it's names inspired by musicians themselves, like Iggy, Jonis, or Morrison, or you're inspired by the songs and bands you used to love, like Nirvana, Rhiannon, or Zeppelin, if you're hoping to bring up a future rockstar, this is the trend for you.
