Baby Name Trends

What baby names are coming into style and what name trends do we predict for the months and years ahead? Baby name trends and predictions are Nameberry's specialty, and here's where you'll find all our news on the subject. For more research on name trends and data on name popularity, visit our Unique Names page or browse Nameberry's up-to-the-minute lists of popular girl names and popular boy names.

Vanishing Names: So long, Susan; Bye bye, Barbara
Tue Dec 13 2011

Vanishing Names: So long, Susan; Bye bye, Barbara

A collection of once-popular girls’ names are falling from favor fast. Are they headed for obscurity, or just a very long nap?
Celebrity Baby Names: The Best, The Worst, The Weirdest and The Wildest of 2011
Fri Dec 09 2011

Celebrity Baby Names: The Best, The Worst, The Weirdest and The Wildest of 2011

Some stars this year mined new old-fashioned sources of inspiration, while others went wild with inventions of their own. Here, the Nameberry Awards for the best, the worst, the weirdest, and the wildest of them all.
Cowboy Names: Back in the saddle again
Thu Dec 08 2011

Cowboy Names: Back in the saddle again

A retro look at the names galloping back from some of the old TV western shows–from Jeb and Jed to Reese and Reno to Cash and Cooper.
Too trendy?  Or just right….
Tue Dec 06 2011

Too trendy? Or just right….

What if you want to take an already-stylish and distinctive name and scooch it toward being….more distinctive? Here, some ideas for doing just that.
Baby Names Trends: Cassia, Caspian and Cash
Thu Dec 01 2011

Baby Names Trends: Cassia, Caspian and Cash

New trendlet in town: Names beginning with the syllable Cas–from Caspian to Cassiopeia to Cash.
Nameberry Nine: Trendy with a twist
Mon Nov 28 2011

Nameberry Nine: Trendy with a twist

This week’s newsiest names have one thing in common–they’re all trend benders. Plus: One day ebook special! Details ahead.
Bird Names: Avian options beyond Robin and Raven
Wed Nov 09 2011

Bird Names: Avian options beyond Robin and Raven

Lark and Wren are picking up speed, but today’s guest blogger looks beyond the more common avian names to point out some rarer birds.
Happy 3rd Birthday to Nameberry!
Thu Oct 27 2011

Happy 3rd Birthday to Nameberry!

A look at how far we’ve come in the past three years, what brings you all here, and who all those other berries are, anyway.
W-Names: Where’s Waldo?
Wed Oct 19 2011

W-Names: Where’s Waldo?

A windfall of W-names seems to be wafting though the air–both oldies like Weston and Winifred, and nouveaus like West and Wren.
Baby Name Spike: People vs pet names
Tue Oct 04 2011

Baby Name Spike: People vs pet names

Spike, the new arrival at Mike Myers’ house, is a bouncing baby boy. But what about other celebrity darlings–like Buster and Bear, Ella, Harley and Holden? Which ones say woof and which ones say mama? It’s getting harder and harder to tell.
Celebrity Baby Names: The hottest and the nottest
Wed Sep 28 2011

Celebrity Baby Names: The hottest and the nottest

Celebrity babies can have even more influence on name trends and popularity than their famous parents. Here, why Harlow’s hot, Huckleberry’s not, and which celebrity baby names are catching on with the rest of us.
French Names: What’s chic now?
Fri Sep 23 2011

French Names: What’s chic now?

Au revoir, Danielle and Pierre, and bonjour to a new group of French names chic in Paris and ready for their debut here. How many do you know?
BOYS’ NAMES 2011: The Underground Popularity List
Tue Sep 13 2011

BOYS’ NAMES 2011: The Underground Popularity List

Which boys’ names are attracting a quiet but dramatic rise in interest right now? These sleepers could be the most popular boys’ names of the future.
GIRLS’ NAMES 2011: The Secret Popularity List
Thu Sep 08 2011

GIRLS’ NAMES 2011: The Secret Popularity List

There’s the official popularity list: ho-hum. Then there’s the Nameberry popularity list. And now there’s the secret Nameberry popularity list.
Baby Name Trends: Ha Ha names are nothing to laugh at!
Fri Aug 26 2011

Baby Name Trends: Ha Ha names are nothing to laugh at!

Trend alert: Boyish girls’ names starting with the syllable ‘Ha’ have been popping up all over the place, as in Harper, Harley and Harlow.
Stylish Names: What’s Their Secret?
Mon Aug 15 2011

Stylish Names: What’s Their Secret?

All these names share a special secret sauce, an elusive quality that draws millions of parents to them each year. Don’t worry, we’re going to tell you what it is. But it’s anything but obvious.
TOP NAMES 2011: Nameberry’s Most Popular
Fri Aug 05 2011

TOP NAMES 2011: Nameberry’s Most Popular

Want to know which baby names are going to be popular in the years ahead? For an accurate predictor of future trends, survey this list of the 200+ names attracting the most searches on Nameberry in the first half of 2011.
Hottest Baby Name Trends: a century ago
Fri Jul 29 2011

Hottest Baby Name Trends: a century ago

Jackson and Jasper, Mason and Milo all sound like the latest thing in boys’ names…well it turns out that they were also hot a hundred years ago. But so were Liddie and Ludie. Here’s the full report.
The Hottest Baby Names of 2011
Tue Jul 26 2011

The Hottest Baby Names of 2011

Here’s our surprising list of the hottest names of 2011 (so far), driven by unexpected celebrities, rediscovered classics, and the year’s most compelling events.
Baby Name News: This week’s most notable names, from Ami to Zia
Mon Jul 25 2011

Baby Name News: This week’s most notable names, from Ami to Zia

Which names were most noteworthy this past week? Abby Sandel scours the headlines and invades the celebrisphere to find the Top 9.
Baby Name Trends: Top Names of 2030?
Mon Jul 11 2011

Baby Name Trends: Top Names of 2030?

Many of today’s top names were at the bottom of the list in 1990. So using that principle, we scour the bottom of the current popularity list to predict the most popular names of tomorrow. Yes, your grandchildren will be named Leona and Lennox.
Baby Name Trends: Gender Benders
Thu Jun 23 2011

Baby Name Trends: Gender Benders

Gender bending is a hot topic in the media, among parents, and with baby names. Names that push conventional gender boundaries are among the fastest-rising for both sexes.
Name Trends: Say yes to ‘S’
Tue Jun 07 2011

Name Trends: Say yes to ‘S’

For the first time in a century, names ending in the letter S are back in style. No, not the return of Lois or Phyllis or Doris, but how about Lillias and Damaris and Anais?
Popular Names 2010: Interesting or ho-hum?
Wed May 11 2011

Popular Names 2010: Interesting or ho-hum?

We’ve had almost a week to absorb and process the new popularity standings…so what are your conclusions?
Modern Hero Names: Monroe Is Just The Beginning
Tue May 10 2011

Modern Hero Names: Monroe Is Just The Beginning

When Mariah Carey named her newborn daughter Monroe, after Marilyn, she jumped on a trend that’s been building over the past few years, with outrageous choices from Jeter to Landry, Winslet to Palin.