Modern Baby Names

Reminiscent of Puritan and Pilgrim name choices, Sincere is a relatively modern virtue name that has been in the US Top 1000 since the 2000s.

Rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz put a new baby name on the map when they chose this downscale New York borough name for their son. The Bronx, the place, was named for early Dutch settler Jonas Bronck. Might Bronx become the next Brooklyn? We'd be surprised if it did.

Tied to the bluesy southern city and to the world heritage cite in Egypt after which it was named, Memphis is a modern choice with ancient history. Currently significantly more popular for boys in the US, as a place name with sounds reminiscent of Paris, Meredith and Emma, it has plenty of potential as a unisex choice.

Damari is thought to be a variation of the popular trans-cultural name Amari with the Da- prefix. Amari means "eternal" in Hebrew and may mean "strength" in Yoruba, though other sources list the African meaning as unknown.

Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?

Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no boys recorded with either spelling of the name.

Jalen variations are all over the Top 1000 of 2015 for both genders, and this oddly-spelling version earned spot Number 933. This trend is clearly on the decline, however.

Baby girl names ending in lyn seem to become more numerous all the time, and this choice combining the pretty nature suffix Lake with lyn is destined for more widespread use. Lakelyn and her sister spelling Lakelynn both entered the US charts for the first time in 2022, and are sure to continue to rise.

With Grace mega popular and Gracie on the rise, this modern compound name provides a trendy alternative. With the vibes of Brooklyn and Evelyn and the contemporary feel of Oaklynn and and Emberlynn, Gracelynn is currently in the US Top 400.

Lobbing off the final E makes Melanie more modern.

Wylie is one Celtic surname with as much appeal for girls as for boys. Wylie is ripe for spelling variations: Wiley is as appropriate as Wylie but when you spell it Wylei, as Corey Parker did for his son, you're getting into yooneek naming territory.

Nonbiblical Hebrew name used as an affectionate nickname since the Middle Ages.

This variation of Marley is gaining momentum due to the popular -leigh suffix, which is all over the US popularity lists. This name in particular reentered the US Top 1000 in 2013.

Is Kaison really a variation of Kason or Kayson or Kaysen, or are they all equal inventions? Think of it as Jason or Mason, Kardashianized. Cason is the more traditional spelling, one that has the better chance of standing the test of time.

About 40 baby boys were named Artist -- not Picasso, not Art -- in the US in one recent year. But not so odd, when you consider all the occupational names, from Sawyer to Sergeant, stylish today. The name Artist is also starting to register on the girls' side of the ledger, making Artist a name as gender-neutral as the occupation.

Queen has seen a revival in recent times, reaching its record high in 2018 with 280 births — it has remained steady since then. Previously, Queen saw a peak in the 1920s, but its origins go back even further than that. Queen was a noted name among enslaved people in America, along with other royal choices such as Duke, Squire, and Prince.

Colson was made familiar by author Colson Whitehead, who helped popularize the K variation as well. Both Colson and Kolson rapidly ascended the charts in 2017, the year following the release of Whitehead's celebrated book The Underground Railroad.

There are ordinary folk named Prince, Earl, and Duke, so why not this rank of nobility as well? Many spellings compete, the most common being Marquis, Marquise, and Marquez. Rapper 50 Cent chose the Marquise version for his son; David Caruso chose Marquez.

Londyn is now a more popular name than the original London for girls. Some parents feel that varying the spelling nudges the name away from over-identification with the British capitol. Substituting a y for another vowel is also seen by some as more feminine. For boys, London is five times as popular as Londyn -- though both variations are far more popular for girls.

Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. The name comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cold water." Nairobi is popularly known as the Green City.