Names that Peaked in 2022
Across 23 pages
of 23
Niko
Finnish form and Croatian and Slovene short form of Nicholas, Greek
"victory of the people"
Popular in Croatia, Spain, New Zealand, and Slovenia, Niko has also been rising up the US popularity charts for boys since the late 2000s. Fresher than Nicholas, spikier than Nico, it currently ranks…
Alessia
Italian variation of Alexis
"defending warrior"
Young Canadian pop singer Alessia Cara has given this spicy-sounding name a new lease on life, propelling it into the Top 1000 in 2016. It was one of the fastest rising girl names of the year in…
Dariel
Variation of Darrell, Darren, or Darius, English
"from Airelle; possessing the goodness of God"
Popular in Puerto Rico since the 2000s and now in the US too, Dariel is a modern, elaborated form or Darrell or Darren, inspired by the likes of Gabriel and Daniel. Darrell (which might also be the…
Zuri
Swahili
"good, beautiful"
A Swahili name with a positive meaning, Zuri came to the attention of American parents when an Ohio zoo used it for a female giraffe. It subsequently shot up the charts in 2010, peaking in 2022 when…
Viviana
Latin
"life"
Lively and rhythmic version of Vivian heard in Italy and Spain. Viviana is right on trend today, fitting in with other frilly, girly favorites like Isabella, Eliana, and Ariana. It may also be…
Sutton
English
"from the southern homestead"
Swanky sound via New York's ritzy Sutton Place. It fits with current popular boys’ names , due to its two syllables and -on ending. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for boys in 2015, though it is…
Lorelai
Spelling variation of Lorelei, German
"alluring, temptress"
Lorelai is the spelling used for the character played by Lauren Graham on The Gilmore Girls , as well as her daughter, who preferred the nickname Rory. The television show reintroduced this name to a…
Cairo
Egyptian place-name, Arabic
"the conqueror, the victorious"
Cairo is an exciting place name possibility with upbeat o ending and an on-trend first syllable. Debuting in the US Top 1000 in 2015, it has been climbing ever since, and, as of 2023, it is given to…
Leighton
English
"meadow town"
One of those names that's suddenly on the map because of a celebrity's influence, Leighton Meester of the TV show Gossip Girl . She pronounces it LAY-ton but some will intuitively say LEE-ton.
Wells
Surname from place name
"spring"
Wells is a newly-famous baby name thanks to pregnancy guru Rosie Pope, who uses it as the short form of the buttoned-up Wellington, name of her youngest child.
Ezequiel
Spanish and Portuguese form of Ezekiel, Hebrew
"God strengthens"
Ezekiel and Ezequiel have both featured in the US Top 1000 since the 1980s , though it has been since the 2010s that they've become favorites. Joining Biblical or international style choices such as…
Kade
Spelling variation of Cade, English
"round, barrel; battle"
Kade falls into the trend of using a letter K at the beginning of a traditionally C-starting name, perhaps to give it a sharper edge. Trending since the 90s, Kade is currently in the Top 400, while…
Leonel
Variation of Lionel, French
"young lion"
A variation of Lionel that has made slow but substantial gains in recent years, perhaps helped by the resurgence of Leo. It is also the Spanish and Portuguese variant. Derived from Leon, Lionel…
Maryam
Arabic, Persian, and Urdu variant of Mary, Hebrew
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Classic Mary has many international variations and the strong, pretty Maryam is the Arabic, Persian, and Urdu form. Popular in many countries across the world, from Azerbaijan to France, The…
Elora
Contracted form of Elnora, Eliora or Eleanora
Contemporary without feeling overtly modern, Elora is a winning mix of elements and sounds. It's got the popular El-prefix of Eleanor, Eloise, and Elliana, the -ora ending ef Aurora, Cora, and Nora —…
Hendrix
Dutch and German, from first name Hendrik
"estate ruler"
Hendrix is one of those hip rock and roll names, like Lennon, Jagger and Presley, that have been used by fellow celebs and others, to honor the seminal guitarist/singer/songwriter Jimi. And this one…
Kamila
Latin, Arabic
"young ceremonial attendant; perfect"
Variant spelling of Camila, common in Eastern Europe. Kamila and Kamilah are also feminine forms of the Arabic name Kamil, meaning "perfect".
Wrenlee
Modern Invented Name
"wren's meadow"
Wren has been red-hot for several years now, so it is no surprise that parents are branching out to longer forms. Wrenlee was the fastest-rising girl name of 2022, jumping 708 spots and following in…
Kaizen
Japanese
"good change"
Kai is one of the hottest names out there in recent years, climbing quickly into the Top 100. This combined with a surge of Japanese names gaining popularity in the US, like Kenji, Raiden, and Kenzo,…
Onyx
Word name
"gem stone; claw, nail"
Unlike Pearl and Ruby and more like Jasper, this gem name works well as a boys name. With its strong final X, it feels similar to Alex, Phoenix, Jax, and Rex, while the shiny black quality of the…