Fashion Runways Set Hottest New Name Trends

High fashion baby names: they’re the naming equivalent of crochet crop tops or big, bushy brows. Exciting, edgy… and appealing enough to hit the mainstream sooner than you might think.

And since it’s Fashion Week season, we’re bringing you our twist on the very hottest trends to watch out for in 2020 and beyond.

We’ve looked to the top trends from the “Big Four” Fashion Weeks (that’s New York, London, Milan and Paris, for the uninitiated) and picked out six key styles that are set to go from catwalk to kindergarten class lists everywhere before the decade is out.

Choose one of these stylish names now, and you’re sure to be a trendsetter — but don’t say we didn’t warn you!

1. Sustainability

If there’s one word that defines the past few years, it’s sustainability. Greta Thunberg has shot to international fame, and climate activism has well and truly entered the cultural and political mainstream.

Fashionable baby names that reflect this concern with the natural world include uncommon nature names, bohemian baby names, and even some little-known names that literally mean “green”.

Here’s a selection of the coolest:

Acacia

Banyan

Celadon

Coco

Delta

Fern

Forest

Indigo

Larkspur

Linden

Maple

Ocean

Pax

Roscoe

Saffron

Sequoia

Tigerlily

Wilder

Zephyr

Zinnia

2. Feminism

Yes, feminism is no longer just for girls! (And neither are these fabulous feminist names for boys).

#MeToo was something of a turning point for popular feminism — and now even Dior is flashing giant neon signs reading “Patriarchy Kills Love” and “When Women Strike The World Stops” over their latest catwalk show.

Feminist baby names include heroine names belonging to great female pioneers and activists, as well as girls’ names with strong meanings.

Here are some of the most iconic:

Angelou

Astor

Austen

Cady

Douglass

Earhart

Eliot

Emmeline

Garrett

Justice

Kahlo

Malala

Ngozi

Parks

Simone

Sojourner

Thaddeus

Valentina

Wilding

Woolf

3. Post-Gender

Gender is a hot topic at the moment: remember when dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster declared “they” its Word of the Year for 2019?

And the move towards gender-neutrality isn’t just evident in the pronouns we’re using and the clothes we’re wearing, but in our baby names, too. The number of babies given truly unisex names (those with no more than a 35/65 gender split) is up well over 50% compared to a decade ago.

Check out our unisex names homepage for the best popular, unique and truly gender-neutral choices. Here are some of our favorites:

Aquila

Bellamy

Bodhi

Campbell

Emory

Ezri

Hollis

Indy

Kit

Mika

Milan

Monroe

Palmer

River

Rumi

Sage

Sailor

Valentine

Yael

Ziggy

4. Punk and Rebellion

But who says the prevailing spirit of anti-establishmentarianism needs a specific label? (Well, people who don’t want to have to spell that, for a start!)

Punk has been one of the major trends of the season — and there’s a punk-inspired baby name style to suit everyone. From badass names with rebellious meanings, to steampunk baby names, to punky princess names, here are some of the best:

Agatha

Andromeda

Artemus

Blaise

Byron

Domino

Fausto

Fox

Harlow

Mallory

Maud

Moxie

Minerva

Neo

Ransom

Tempest

Verne

Vesper

Zenobia

5. Glitz and Glamour

It’s a given with haute couture really, isn’t it? Old-school glitz and glamour never goes out of style — and the same goes for baby names, too.

Vintage names have long been big, but today’s most stylish choices hark back to the Roaring Twenties — the Jazz Age — and to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

These choices feel gloriously glamorous, but not gaudy:

Amaryllis

Bardot

Calloway

Celeste

Christabel

Delphine

Ellington

Evangeline

Fitzgerald

Gable

Garland

Gatsby

Honor

Lucille

Marilyn

Mirabelle

Seraphina

Temple

Valentino

Zelda

6. Storybook

Another twist on the vintage trend — but storybook style is softer, sweeter, more nostalgic. Think puff sleeves, Peter Pan collars, and plenty of ruffles and frills.

And when it comes to storybook baby names, where better to look for inspiration than to actual storybooks? The best thing about baby names from children’s books is that they come with so much character and personal meaning already built in. There’s no going wrong with a name you’ve loved since you were six years old!

Here’s a selection of our favorites:

Alice

Arrietty

Avonlea

Beatrix

Benjamin

Charlie

Clover

Dorothy

Edmund

Eloise

Fern

Finn

George

Huckleberry

Hugo

Matilda

Milo

Nancy

Peter

Sawyer

Stanley

Velvet

Wendy

Wilbur