New Baby Names

Arcadia was a region of Ancient Greece that is now associated with a simple rustic life (way before Cottagecore was a thing). That means this name is not just long and lyrical, but also has a warm pastoral charm.

This variation draws more from Eva than from Eve, which might lead to pause as to whether it should be said EHV-eh-lin or EEV-eh-lin. While the former is more popular in the US, both pronunciations are in use, so an Evalyn might need to explain.

Rivers is an indisputably unisex surname with is strong nature connotation and its connection to the character Diana Rivers from Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. Rivers is also the first name of one of the girl Sweet Home sextuplets.

Variation of Cataleya, both of which are popular among Hispanic families in the US. Zoe Saldana played a character named Cataleya in Colombiana.

Also found as Brason, this is one of an army of Jason sound-alikes, which include Cason, Mason, Kaysen, and so on. Stylish, yes; recommended, no.

Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another well-known city with the name. Short form Lex is user friendly.

Blending the sounds of Bryce, Brian, Riley and Kylie, Bryleigh is a modern invention that ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2010 to 2017, alongside its more popular counterpart, Brylee. Peaking in 2015 when it was given to 320 girls, Bryleigh has since been in decline, pushed out by Brynleigh and Everleigh.

Khalani debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2020 thanks to the influence of Khalani Simon — known as Lani Love — a child model and budding star.

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.

Tyler, with zest.

Honesty is one of the modern virtue names, which along with Justice and Destiny are picking up where Faith, Hope, and Charity left off. Is Honesty the most appealing name ever? No, and it's also sure to spark lots of tiresome jokes. Still, Honesty is a positive quality and a lot more appealing than negative word names such as Pistol and Rehab (which both, yes, were given to five baby girls in the US last year).

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.

Enough parents have appreciated this combinations of the sounds from Brayden and Jaylen to make it a widely used name. Its most noted bearer is former football player Braylon Edwards.

A surname-style name with a contemporary spelling, Karsyn is a unisex name that has been on and off the charts for boys since 2018. As of 2023, it's back in the US Top 1000 and given to more than 200 boys every year.

The unique O-ending makes this name memorable, especially for someone with ties to Texas.

Lobbing off the final E makes Melanie more modern.

The American appetite for new names ending in the letters "yn" knows no bounds. This one, a close relative of popular Jaxson, was among the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017.

Strong meaning, sweet but strong sound, fresh and earthy: a winner.

A variation of Riley with an added -lynn suffix, this girl name is bubbling right underneath the Top 1000.

An elaboration on popular Ava which was chosen by YouTubers the Banks family in 2019, and subsequently became the fastest rising girl name of the following year.