These Cool Winter Baby Names Are Hot, Hot, Hot!
Seasonal baby names: would you consider using one?
Each year, the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales releases a month-by-month breakdown of the Top 10 baby names for boys and girls. The boys’ side is more or less constant, and so is the girls’… for eleven months of the year, at least.
But in December, something strange happens: Holly (which sits outside the Top 50 overall) has ranked in the Top 10 girls’ names for December ever since records began in 1996.
Last year, Holly was the eighth most popular name for December-born girls — and it was joined in the Top 10 by fellow seasonal picks Ivy (at #6, compared to #14 overall) and Grace (#5, compared to #10 overall).
Plus, perky Poppy — which was the eleventh most popular girls’ name overall in 2018 — ranked at #5 in November: the month of the Remembrance Day parades.
So, what’s going on? Are the Brits just bonkers for seasonal baby names, or is this a broader trend?
Delving into our data
Unfortunately, the SSA doesn’t release month-by-month baby name data, but we’ve taken a look at our own site stats to determine which wintry names are catching people’s eye right now.
From cool evergreen choices like Aurora and Stella, Jasper and Felix — which are among the most searched-for names on the site right now, but prove equally popular for the rest of the year — to very specific seasonal picks like Christmas and Pine, these are the buzziest baby names of the month so far.
You never know — some of these could be the Holly and Ivy of the future!
Evergreens
These Nameberry favorites are still among the Top 300 most visited pages on the site, but they have seen no increase in views in December. Most of these names are popular year-round, but we’re surprised to see sweet, airy Eira on this list. A pretty Welsh option meaning “snow”, Eira feels like it’s just one high-profile baby away from stardom!
Up 21-50%
Holly and its equally festive soundalike Holiday both make the list of baby names really hotting up in December! Other wintry word names in this category include Merry, Miracle, and Noel for both sexes. And more proof that longtime #1 Mary is starting to feel fresh again — at least for a Christmas baby.
Aneira
Bell (g)
Christmas (g)
Frost (g)
Noel (b and g)
Peace (b)
Pine (b)
Winter (b)
Up over 50%
Several of these white-hot winter names are partly in the spotlight for other reasons: Psalm thanks to its use by Kim and Kanye earlier this year, Milagro following the recent birth of Bella Milagro Duggar, and Jovie, just maybe, from all the chatter around Charlie Wolf-gate…
December (g)
Peace (g)
Pine (g)
Psalm
For even more seasonal goodies, check out our master lists of Winter Baby Names and Christmas Baby Names. And just for fun: what would you name a baby born this month?