Most Popular Names of 2018….so far
by Pamela Redmond Satran and Esmeralda Rocha
The most popular baby names of 2018 on Nameberry 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 names 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.
Among boys’ names, 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!
girls
Lyra*
boys
Bonus: We’ll send $101 to the first person who correctly guesses the Number 101 name for both girls and boys. Guess only one girls’ name and one boys’ name in the comments section. Go!