Category: Baby Names Popularity
By Esmeralda Rocha
Place names have always been a source of inspiration for baby names, though the practice really gained momentum in the 1980s with destinations like Savannah, Sydney and Siena setting a trend.
The trend has become a torrent with vast numbers of locations from all over the world being chosen for America‘s babies. We now bring you all the globetrotting examples – from hip neighbourhoods to whole continents – all beyond the Top 1000 names in the US in 2017. We’ve broken them up into regions to help us follow the patterns.
X, y, and z are the trendiest middle letters in baby names today.
X appears in the middle most often in boys’ names: all the Alex, Max, and Jaxon variations.
Y stands in for just about any other vowel, as in Londyn and Myles, and also can help clarify pronunciation as in Layla.
And z can either act as a zesty s or give a classic name like Eliza or Ezra some subtle zip.
Here are some of the most popular names with x, y, or z in the middle today.
By Esmeralda Rocha
Nature names are a perennial favorite for American parents, with baby names like Lily, Rose and Poppy long dominating the charts. More recent star performers have come from further afield than the floral section of the natural world, with Willow, Hazel, Ivy, Summer, River, Raven, and Reed all in the Top 500 in 2017.
But parents are increasingly looking to even more obscure inspiration for their baby names. We now bring you all of the nature names that were given to fewer than 200 children in the USA in 2017.
by Pamela Redmond Satran and Esmeralda Rocha
The most popular names on Nameberry for the first half of 2018 are led by the two names that held the top spots at the end of 2017, Olivia and Atticus.
In second place, though, things get really interesting. Amara, the multicultural girls’ name with roots in three continents, leapt onto the Top 10 for the full year 2018, and now is all the way up at Number 2 for girls.
Amara first entered the US Top 1000 at the turn of this century, and now is poised to break into the Top 200. It’s also on official popularity lists in England and Germany. If you think of it as a modern blend of Amanda and Mary, you can understand where it gets its star power.
On the boys’ side, the Number 2 name is Milo, up from sixth place in the year-end tally. Another multicultural choice, Milo was the name of an ancient Greek Olympic wrestler and is grandfather to also-stylish Miles. Like Amara, Milo stands around Number 200 of the official US list. It’s even more popular in England, Germany, and Sweden.
Overall, the top girls’ names for the first half of the year show a decided trend towards longer, more formal, vintage names. Florence, Cordelia, and Anastasia have replaced Ellie, Jade, and Khaleesi. Genevieve, Beatrice, and Freya are among the biggest risers while Zoe, Molly, and Mia were among the fastest-falling girls’ names.
On the boys’ side, Nameberry’s visitors are also loving sophisticated Continental names in 2018, but prefer short and punchy choices. Elio, Otis, Otto, and Atlas are new to the boys’ Top 100, and among the fastest risers are Lewis, Owen, Lachlan, and Caspian, taking over from Zachary, Xavier, and Nathaniel.
Nameberry’s most popular names list is based on number of views each name page received for the first half of 2018. It gauges interest in these baby names, though it is an indicator of future trends and official name popularity.
The 100 most popular names for boys and girls on Nameberry for 2018, so far, follow. Asterisks indicate names new to the list in 2018 versus 2017. And don’t forget to read all the way to the bottom of the post to enter our surprise contest!
By Mélissa Delahaye of Jolis Prénoms
With French baby names, two clear trends have emerged in baby naming: short, simple, two-syllable names and the return to vintage/ancient names. With a heavy preponderance of girl names ending with -a and the growing success of biblical names, there are many overlaps with U.S. trends. French parents are also largely returning to tradition when it comes to naming their children, and old-fashioned names are making their comeback. Name popularity goes in cycles and a growing number of French parents are exploring the branches of their family trees to find inspiration.
Here is a selection of classic names that are either on the rise or already big hits in France, but not as well used in the US:
