Color of the Year Inspires Baby Names

Pantone, the authority on all things color, has announced that the 2020 color of the year is Classic Blue. This deep and calming hue evokes confidence, calmness, and dependability—virtues we covet for this upcoming decade!

Prepare to see Classic Blue everywhere in 2020—in house paint, accessories, and yes, even baby names.

Blue-hued baby names are trending, both those directly linked to the color as well as ones with subtler connections through the sea and the sky. It’s one of our favorite hues along the color-name spectrum for 2020.

Names that Mean Blue

Ever since Beyoncé and Jay-Z named their daughter Blue Ivy in 2012, there’s been an increased interest in blue names taken directly from the color wheel.

The biggest stars have been Navy and Royal, which have each increased in use by about 400% since 2012. Part of Royal’s boost can be explained by the simultaneous trend of exalted baby names, while Navy feels like a modern discovery and is particularly fashionable with that middle V.

1. Azure

2. Blue

3. Cyan

4. Indigo

5. Lapis

6. Lilac

7. Navy

8. Royal

9. Sky

10. Slate

11. Teal

Heavenly Blue Names

The sky and the heavens conjure the color blue as well as it’s qualities of peace and tranquility.

Hawaiian names with the suffix -lani, meaning “heavenly,” are particularly hot among this category. Twelve names ending in -lani currently rank in the US Top 1000, compared to just two at the start of the decade.

1. Aaliyah

2. Alya

3. Araceli

4. Caelum

5. Celeste

6. Celia

7. Ciel

8. Cielo

9. Dion

10. Juno

11. Leilani

12. Noelani

13. Sama

14. Talia

15. Zeru

Blue Water Names

Names inspired by bodies of water are decidedly blue in color. Celebrities in particular love this category of names—Kristen Bell has a Delta, Molly Sims has a Brooks, and Jeff Goldblum, Jamie Oliver, and Kelly Clarkson each have a River.

Not to mention, in the past fifteen months there has been not one, but two baby girls named Banks, daughters of Hilary Duff and Willow Palin.

1. Banks

2. Bay

3. Brooks

4. Caspian

5. Cordelia

6. Delta

7. Harbor

8. Kai

9. Kailani

10. Lake

11. Maren

12. Monroe

13. Ocean

14. Pacific

15. River

16. Tallulah

What’s your favorite blue-hued baby name?