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New Baby Names

Pamela Redmond
By Pamela Redmond
Updated Mon Apr 01 2024
New Baby Names

These new baby names have only recently been born but are rising through baby name popularity lists and we predict will be used more frequently in the future.

New baby names on the rise in the US Top 1000 include Aries, Brisa, Ember, Meilani, Navy, Onyx, Saint, Thiago, and Wells. New place names becoming more popular include Harlem, Princeton, Zion, and Zaire.

Where do new baby names come from? Some are invented names that catch on, while others, such as Saint and Shiloh are celebrity baby names. Some new names for babies are respellings of established names or international names newly imported to the English-speaking world.

In recent years, many words have been promoted to become new baby names. And new names are always being created from established surnames or nature names. There are thousands of new baby names with more being minted every day, but the new baby names gaining in popularity include the following, ordered by their popularity on Nameberry.

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Unique Names

Invented Names

  1. Sloane

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "raider"

    • Description:

      Sloane is a sleek, sophisticated surname name that has gradually morphed over to the girls' side. With its distinctive and intriguing sound, Sloane has been in the US Top 1000 since 2009, and in 2022, it made its first appearance in the UK charts, jumping more than 400 places in a single year.
  2. Lyra

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "lyre"

    • Description:

      Lyra is a name with ancient and celestial roots that's found new popularity thanks to its starring role in Philip Pullman's book series, His Dark Materials and its subsequent movie and TV adaptions. Simple yet starry, Lyra is familiar but not overused in the US, where it ranks in the Top 500.
  3. Juniper

    • Origin:

      Latin tree name

    • Meaning:

      "young"

    • Description:

      Juniper is a fresh-feeling nature name -- it's a small evergreen shrub -- with lots of energy. A new favorite of fashionable parents, Juniper joins such other tree and shrub names as Hazel, Acacia, and Willow.
  4. Cillian

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "war strife or church"

    • Description:

      Cillian is one of the native Irish names that, along with Aiden and Declan, is becoming an unlikely favorite in contemporary America. The Killian spelling has been more popular in the US, but Cillian's star is rising, perhaps thanks to Irish actor Cillian Murphy, star of Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders.
  5. Brielle

    • Origin:

      Short form of Gabrielle, French, Cajun, Hebrew, Celtic

    • Meaning:

      "god is my strength; hunting grounds"

    • Description:

      Though it sounds modern, Brielle is, among other things, a traditional Cajun contraction of Gabrielle, and the name of a historic seaport in the Western Netherlands, also known as Brill. Today, it is used more widely as a nickname for Gabrielle and as a stand-alone name that fits in easily with Isabelle, Briana, and Brinley. In a recent year, it appeared in the US Top 200, ranking above the longer form and used nearly four times as often.
  6. Aria

    • Origin:

      Italian and Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "air; song or melody; lion"

    • Description:

      Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
  7. Zoey

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Zoe

    • Meaning:

      "life"

    • Description:

      Zoey is a modern spelling variation of Zoe, the Greek Jewish translation of Eve. For a few years, it was even more popular than the original Zoe, but has now dropped back to the second-ranked spelling — not by much, however. In a recent year, Zoe ranked at #29 in the US, which Zoey featured at #59.
  8. Wilder

    • Origin:

      Surname or word name

    • Meaning:

      "wild, untamed, uncontrolled"

    • Description:

      Rugged, outdoorsy, and full of energy, Wilder entered the US Top 1000 back in 2015. Part bad boy, part Western, part preppy, and part nature-loving, Wilder is given to nearly 800 babies each year.
  9. Nova

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "new"

    • Description:

      Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.
  10. Rio

    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese

    • Meaning:

      "river; place of the cherry blossoms"

    • Description:

      Rio is a reductive ranchero place-name with an attractive Tex-Mex lilt. No Doubt's Tom Dumont has a son named Rio Atticus.
  11. Sonny

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "son"

    • Description:

      Sonny is one of the generic boy nickname names making a surprise reappearance, and it was recently used by actor Jason Lee. Another surprise: It's been on the US Top 1000 list every year since 1927, and as of 2023, it entered the Top 400 for the first time. Laidback Sonny is also popular in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
  12. Shepherd

    • Origin:

      Occupational name

    • Meaning:

      "sheep hearder"

    • Description:

      Shepherd is an occupational surname with a pleasant pastoral feel. It was chosen for their son by the Jerry Seinfelds, which might inspire others to follow their lead.
  13. Saoirse

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "liberty"

    • Description:

      Before the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan made her mark in the films Ladybird and The Lovely Bones, few of us had heard this name, let alone known how to pronounce it. But now it is slowly way edging its way into the mainstream, particularly, of course, with parents who have Irish roots. It made its first appearance in the US Top 1000 in 2016, when it was the third-fastest-rising girls' name.
  14. Milan

    • Origin:

      Italian place name, Slavic, Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "middle of the plain; gracious, dear; union"

    • Description:

      Effortlessly stylish with an international feel, Milan re-entered the US charts back in 2013 after a 55 year hiatus. It has been powering up the charts ever since, following in the footsteps of sweet sound-alike Mila, and spotlighted by singer Shakira, who chose it for her son.
  15. Rue

    • Origin:

      Botanical names or word name

    • Meaning:

      "herb; regret"

    • Description:

      Rue has gone from Golden Girls actress to Hunger Games heroine to a fresh alternative to beloved middle name Rose. This botanical name is also a coincidental double word name, meaning "regret" in English and "street" in French. Despite these unfortunate secondary meanings, Rue has real potential to be one of the most popular new middle names for girls.
  16. Jett

    • Origin:

      Mineral or word name

    • Description:

      Short, sharp, and cool, Jett is a contemporary choice that connotes both gemstones and jet engines. Rarely used before the 90s, John Travolta, and then George Lucas, helped to put the name on the map by choosing it for their sons.
  17. Callahan

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "bright-headed"

    • Description:

      Callahan, the simpler spelling of Callaghan, is a rhythmic jig of a name whose history harks back to the ancient King of Munster. In the Dirty Harry movies, the Clint Eastwood character is Harry Callahan.
  18. Maverick

    • Origin:

      American

    • Meaning:

      "independent, nonconformist"

    • Description:

      It's ironic that the name Maverick is not such a maverick anymore. Heard first in a 1950s James Garner western TV series, and then as the Tom Cruise character in Top Gun, Maverick symbolizes an unfettered, free spirit.
  19. Shiloh

    • Origin:

      Biblical place-name, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "tranquil"

    • Description:

      Cool meets Born Again meets Brad and Angelina, who made Shiloh an instant star when they chose it for their daughter. While Shiloh has risen from obscurity thanks to its celebrity baby use, it hasn't become a star the way brother names Maddox and Pax have. It entered the Top 1000 in 2007, one year after the birth of Ms. Jolie-Pitt.
  20. Callan

    • Origin:

      Gaelic

    • Meaning:

      "descendent of Cathalan; descendent of the battle ruler"

    • Description:

      This anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cathaláin links back to the Irish given name, Cathal. Similar to Callum, Caleb, and Calvin, it might feel more usable outside of Ireland and Scotland than its origin name.

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