Nick Cannon's Baby Names: The Name Guru to the Stars Predicts What's Next
Nick Cannon’s baby names are known for being innovative. In 2011, he and Mariah Carey named their twins Moroccan and Monroe. They significantly influenced the rise of their daughter’s name — Monroe entered the US Top 1000 for girls the following year.
His son Golden arrived in 2017, and daughter Powerful Queen was born in December of last year. Now he and Abby De La Rosa are expecting twin boys in July, and they’re bound to have creative, contemporary names.
This month was light on birth announcements (heavy on pregnancy announcements!), but let’s take a look at the newest noteworthy names:
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner revealed the name of their son — born March 11 — to be Levi Joseph.
On March 22, Alex Fine and Cassie named their daughter Sunny Cinco. No one guessed it correctly!
Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin secretly welcomed a son named Dakota Song on April 5. He is named after Macaulay’s late sister, Dakota Culkin.
Enter our weekly Instagram contests for the chance to beat me at my own game! (and $100 — you’ll get that, too). But in the meantime, here’s a preview of the stars we’ll be profiling, and my predictions for Kirsten Dunst, Tan France, and Nick Cannon’s baby names.
Abby De La Rosa & Nick Cannon Baby Names
Gender: twin boys
Siblings: Moroccan, Monroe, Golden, Powerful Queen (previous relationships)
Nick, you’re expecting another set of twins — two boys this time! You just welcomed a daughter in December, and a name like Powerful Queen is going to be hard to top. Luckily, twin names have double the impact, so I’m certain it can be done. These babies are going to have word names, probably ones that have rarely (if ever!) been used as names in the past. I’m wondering if your twins will share an initial like Moroccan and Monroe do. In that case, I’d go with Valor and Vivid, maybe Classic and Champ. But I also have some one-off suggestions for you — Fearless seems like he could be a brother to Powerful, and so does Quest.
Boys: Brave, Champ, Classic, Epic, Fearless, Knight, Quest, Valor, Vivid, Zeal
Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons Baby Names
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Ennis Howard
Kirsten and Jesse, your son is named Ennis, which is a vintage Irish name that peaked around 1900. Despite its history, Ennis doesn’t feel like a fusty old man name, so I avoided anything in the so-uncool-it’s-cool category for this baby. Instead, I’ve looked toward neglected old-fashioned names with the right sounds for our times. I love Ennis and Clement together — they’re both soft but strong. Ennis and Lambert would also make a good brother set. For a girl, Minna is my top choice — it shares your German heritage, Kirsten — but Margery and Ione also strike the right note.
Girl: Agatha, Beryl, Fern, Ione, Lenore, Margery, Maude, Minna, Sybil, Thora
Boy: Alton, Ansel, Clement, Cyril, Errol, Irving, Lambert, Lester, Ogden, Ralph
Tricia Davis & Macklemore Baby Names
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Sloane Ava Simone, Colette Koala
Your daughters’ names are different in style — Sloane is a unisex surname name, while Colette is a feminine French name — but they are connected via their tailored, frills-free sounds. If your third child is another girl, my favorite choice is definitely Louise. Like the other girls’ names, it makes an impact without being fussy. And Louise shares the L and O sounds found in both Sloane and Colette. For a boy, I’m feeling something handsome and perhaps surname-ish, like Dashiell, Beckett, or Holden. I’m actually most excited to hear this baby’s middle name though — because after Koala, anything goes.
Girl: Ellery, Greer, Greta, Ines, Lilith, Louise, Maeve, Marlowe, Olive, Wren
Boy: Anders, Beckett, Dashiell, Davis, Flynn, Holden, Killian, Lachlan, Leland, Ronan
Rob & Tan France Baby Names
Gender: boy
Siblings: none
Rob and Tan, you’re going to welcome a baby boy this summer — the first of many to come (you’ve gone on the record saying you want six (!)). I love predicting names for big families, so I’m excited to kick this off with your oldest son. Obviously, a style icon like you, Tan, is going to choose a very fashionable baby name. It’ll be rare but rising, have some provenance, and it won’t be overly dramatic. I’ll make the case for a couple — first, Emeric. It’s a French name only given to 59 American boys at last count, but its stylish sound (that Em-!) makes it feel very familiar. I also love Rafe for you — it’s much more common in the UK, so this would be a nice nod to your background, Tan. I put Halston on the list mostly for the fashion connection, although it is a rising star for both sexes.
Boy: Ames, Blair, Emeric, Ivo, Halston, Hart, Rafe, Ren, Sylvan, Wes
Renee Puente & Matthew Morrison Baby Names
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Revel James Makai
Renee and Matthew, with you, names are all about positive meanings. You chose Revel for your son, which is an extremely rare name, but I am not convinced this next child will necessarily have a name that’s as unique. Since meaning is prioritized, you may even go with a Top 200 name like Luna or Melody. But maybe distinctiveness is important to you, too, in which case a name like Poetry or Spirit feels right for a girl, and perhaps Ocean or Reason make your list for a boy.
Girl: Dream, Honor, Luna, Melody, Nova, Poetry, Promise, Spirit, Story, Whimsy
Boy: Arrow, Loyal, Ocean, Pax, Phoenix, Reason, Reef, Sage, True, Wisdom
Laura Perlongo & Nev Schulman Baby Names
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Cleo James, Beau Bobby Bruce
Cleo and Beau both have that ever-popular long O sound, which you may want to repeat in your third child’s name, Nev and Laura. I would try and find a name that has a long O on the inside, rather than the end, to break it up a little bit. Something like Noa or Roman (although I do really like Arlo with this sibset as well). But even if you abandon that sound, you’ll still want a spunky and short name for this baby. How about Lux or Roxy for a girl, or Atlas or Rex for a boy?
Girl: Aura, Esme, Harlow, Juno, Lola, Lux, Noa, Remi, Roxy, Zadie
Boy: Arlo, Atlas, Finn, Jack, Milo, Nico, Owen, Rex, Roman, Roscoe
Rachel Platten & Kevin Lazan Baby Names
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Violet Skye
Rachel and Kevin, your daughter is Violet Skye, a colorful, nature-y name with contemporary style. I imagine you’ll choose another well-liked, Top 500 name for your next daughter or son. I see something girly and sweet — like Eloise, Poppy, or Genevieve — for a girl. If it’s a boy, rising names like August, Luca, and Jasper are soft but gentlemanly, which seems to fit your preferences.
Girl: Aurora, Eloise, Genevieve, Isla, June, Lyla, Millie, Poppy, Ruby, Willow
Boy: Asher, August, Brooks, Noah, Jasper, Leo, Luca, Miles, Oliver, Theo
Jill Wagner & David Lemanowicz Baby Names
Gender: unknown
Siblings: Lija (previous relationship), Army Gray (g)
Jill and David, you made baby name waves in 2019 when you named your daughter Army Gray — a patriotic name that honors her father and grandfather’s military service, as well as the fact that she was conceived on the Fourth of July. It’s a name chock-full of personal significance, which your next baby’s name is likely to have as well. A spiritual name seems likely — something like Shepherd for a boy, maybe Shiloh or Temple for a girl. I could also see you using a word name like Lark or Indie, or an offshoot of a word name, such as Braven.
Girl: Dempsey, Divine, Gentry, Indie, Lark, Raleigh, Rowe, Shiloh, Temple, Vesper
Boy: Braven, Briggs, Cree, Denim, Nixon, Rivers, Salem, Shepherd, Steel, Timber