Wild Names You'll Hear a Lot More Of

Wild and wacky baby names used to be the preserve of the rich and famous. Naming your child Fifi Trixibelle or Kal-El or Pilot Inspektor made a very public statement that the normal rules of the game did not apply.

But fast forward a couple of decades, and wild baby names have gone mainstream! Scroll through the Top Names in the US and you'll find eccentric and unconventional monikers like Sevyn, Jagger, Halo, Legacy, and Chozen.

So what are the eyebrow-raising choices of today that have the potential to become the Atlas or Maverick, Nova or Wren of tomorrow? Those names were almost unheard of until the nineties or noughties, but are now wildly popular choices.

We analyzed our site statistics from the past six months to identify 15 outlandish baby names currently trending upwards in a big way. All of these names saw at least a 100% increase in pageviews on Nameberry across the second half of 2024.

Boosted by cool sounds and pop culture connections, these are the wild baby names we predict you just may hear a lot more of in the not-so-distant future.

Pipit (f) — +1711%

You've probably seen Wren, Lark, and Sparrow. But have you ever seen Pipit?

Pipits are a type of small songbird, similar to a lark. Like many other bird names, Pipit feels intuitively gender neutral, but nicknames Pippa or Pippi might sway this avian name towards feminine.

While punchy double P names ride their wave of fame (see Penelope, Poppy, and Piper as proof) Pipit would be a brave but plausible choice.

Ariarne (f) — +1268%

The phonetic spelling of Ariane.

Well, at least it is if you live in Australia, as does Australian Olympian swimmer Ariarne Titmus who currently holds the world record for three different freestyle events.

While Titmus did not compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the summer games did in fact attract a crowd of sports fans around the world to our Olympic Baby Names list, which peaked in views in July.

If your accent allows, then by all means explore wacky phonetic alternatives like this one. But for the rest of the English-speaking world, this is probably a recipe for a lifetime of confusion.

I do have to give a shoutout to Ariarne Titmus's adorable, 'grandpa-chic' everyday nickname, Arnie.

Tag (m) — +1010%

Jaunty word name with potential, or destined to a lifetime of 'tag-you're-it' jokes?

The reality show Sweet Home Sextuplets introduced the name Tag to the world when they named their sextuplet boy Tag Bricker in 2018, but it didn't quite catch on then.

Who might be drawn to the name Tag? Well, the other siblings in the reality TV family are named Blu, Rawlings, Bridge, Layke, Rivers, Wales, and Rayne, if that gives some context. We can definitely see Tag finding its footing in the right parenting circles.

Boise (m) — +964%

Here is one place name that has yet to make the map.

The Idaho city was given its name when it was nicknamed "Les Bois", meaning "woods" by French trappers in the 1800s, due to the impressionable lush forests of cottonwood trees.

The majority of Americans pronounce the city (and therefore, the baby name) "BOY-zee", while some Idaho natives say "BOY-see".

Morfydd (f) — +381%

Maybe the most intimidating at first glance on this list, but we think Morfydd deserves a fighting chance.

Morfydd, pronounced "MOR-vith", is a Welsh name meaning "great wealth", worn by a princess in Welsh Arthurian legend. In modern-day, Morfydd Clark is a Welsh actress known for her role in the 2022 television series "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power".

As Emrys, Guinevere, and Arwen gain attention outside of Wales, maybe the mystical, slightly lispy Morfydd will make more baby name lists.

Squire (m) — +342%

Is this the newest addition to the kingdoms of Knights, Royals, Kings, and Reigns that seem to be popping up on playgrounds recently? Well, maybe.

But did you know that Squire actually made the US charts for over a decade back in the late 1800s, at one point even cracking the Top 500?

Historical namesakes with the given name Squire include American frontiersman Squire Maugridge Boone born 1744, civil engineer Squire Whipple born 1804, and actor Squire Bancroft born 1841.

Covey (f) — +253%

After a brief bump in the road during the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hip landscape name Cove is back on the rise. And with it seems to be the slightly quirkier, noveau nature name: Covey.

Covey is a word name itself, referring to a small flock of birds. The word is pronounced "KUH-vee", as in rhyming with lovey-dovey. While suave surfer name Cove feels like the next sibling to Kai, Covey feels a bit more down-to-earth.

We predict that Covey might be catching the eyes of fans of the Hunger Games spinoff, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", in which Covey refers to a group of nomadic, free-spirited musicians that includes protagonist Lucy Gray Baird.

While the name Cove was given to over 200 babies in 2023, only 19 boys and 11 girls were named Covey.

Kick (f) — +229%

Kick does have some history as a nickname for girl names beginning with K, such as socialite Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy. It has also been used as a playful nickname for classics like Christopher or Nicholas.

However, when actor Jeremy Sisto and his wife Addie Lane named their son Bastian Kick, they likely intended it to be a wacky word name (like their daughter's name: Charlie-Ballerina).

We can see the potential of Kick as a quirky cute nickname name along the lines of Cricket, Scout, and Flick, or as a bold, boisterous boy name along the lines of Rowdy, Blaze, Rebel, and Jett.

Hux (m) — +220%

One of the coolest one-syllable boy names yet to be discovered, given to only 26 boys in 2023. If Huck is a bit too Huckleberry Finn, and Huxley a smidge too buttoned-up, streamlined Hux has never felt cooler.

Hux certainly has potential as the new hip alternative to cool-guy names like Pax, Knox, and Lux.

Beauty (f) — +197%

A universally popular meaning for girl names across the globe, from French Belle to Scandinavian Astrid to East African Zuri. But what about the English word itself?

Given to a handful of baby girls in the US every year before the 1950s and every year from the early 90s on. This resurgence may be related to the debut of the Disney film Beauty and the Beast (1991) in which the princess protagonist Belle was frequently called the English Beauty throughout the film.

If Honey, Whimsy, and Love are officially on the road to acceptance as legitimate baby names, is Beauty still just a touch too on the nose?

What if we threw in the built-in nickname (in spelling and in meaning) — Beau?

Jacaerys (m) — +159%

Game of Thrones gave us Daenerys, Tyrion, and Khaleesi, and now its prequel series "House of the Dragon" brings us a new batch of fantastical inventions, including Jacaerys.

Jacaerys Valeryon, the teenage prince in the 2022 drama series has now inspired the parents of 12 young Jacaerys's born in the US in 2023, and likely more to come.

We wonder if these parents are also using the television character's much more approachable nickname, Jace?

Helix (m) — +157%

Felix in a postmodern world.

Only 7 baby boys were named Helix in 2023, but with the rising page views our data analysis revealed, we are predicting that parents who are losing interest in the once (but no longer) obscure badass boy names like Onyx, Axel, and Phoenix are giving this sci-fi tinted word name another glance.

Helix refers to a 'curve in three-dimensional space' — think of a spiral staircase — and is strongly associated with the structure of DNA in molecular biology.

Akatsuki (m) — +122%

Does the rise in views of this Japanese name indicate that anime fans will be adding Akatsuki to the baby name lexicon?

In the popular manga and anime series Naruto, Akatsuki is the name of a criminal organization — a group of prominent villains.

Akatsuki, meaning "dawn" in Japanese, is not commonly used as a baby name in Japan. We predict that this spike in views on this name indicates that it is anime fans who may be driving interest in the name. Anime lovers have already brought several names to the Western world, including the Naruto name Jiraiya which was given to 357 American baby boys last year.

Capucine — +118%

One of the hottest names of the last decade. That is, in native France, where it currently ranks at #61. In the United States, on the other hand, there were fewer than 5 babies named Capucine in 2023.

Capucine, pronounced "cap-oo-SEEN", is the French name for an ornamental climbing plant with bright orange, red, and yellow flowers.

In France and around the world, the name Capucine is still strongly associated today with French actress and model Capucine, for whom it was her stage name beginning in the 50s when she moved to Hollywood.

We can't say that we endorse the English name for the capucine plant, Nasturtium.

Ocie (f) — +100%

You might be surprised to learn that Ocie ranked in the US Top 1000 girl names up until 1938.

It seems that Ocie originated as a nickname name, possibly for Oceana and Octavia.

Perhaps we might see more of Ocie as a nickname for red-hot nature name Ocean, which currently ranks #609 for boys and #826 for girls. Or maybe Ocie will get its bearings as a stand-alone name once again. In 2023, 16 baby girls were given the name Ocie in the US.