The New Hipster Baby Names

Updated Wed Mar 16 2022

Nobody wants to be called a hipster, so then why does everyone want hipster baby names?

Hipsters define themselves by having unique taste — taste that is so ahead of the curve, it is considered unfashionable and out-of-date to the mainstream.

However, this hipster style isn't unique, simply by the fact that it can be identified and labeled. When you're trying to be distinctive, it's hard to hear that you're, in fact, not.

It's always been bad to be called a hipster, but especially so today. The collective image of a hipster — chunky glasses, flannels, wide-brim hats — is a product of the 2010s. It's dated — even to the mainstream — so being labeled as a hipster in 2022 can suggest you're out of touch with current trends. In reality, what is currently hipster constantly evolves.

Given all this, it's surprising that hipster baby names are one of the most popular styles. They're widely searched, but not by actual hipsters. To non-hipsters, hipster names hit the ideal sweet spot. They're rare and unusual, but soon to be stylish. If you hang around the right crowd, a hipster baby name can impress your friends and identify you as a cool parent.

Which choices qualify as hipster baby names these days? To find out, we need a lesson in hipster name history. The first wave dates back to the late 2000s, when hipsterism was in its infancy.

To give you a taste of the original hipster baby names, we’ve culled these picks from the Hipster Names section of Nameberry book Beyond Ava & Aiden, published in 2009. Each was given to fewer than 500 babies in 2009:

Today, these names are downright mainstream — if still a bit quirky — but they were once seen as the cutting edge of cool. These were old people names, hero names, and mythological names that hipsters deemed wearable for their children.

The hipster names of today fall into many of the same categories, but new trends have emerged. The softer M sound that dominated many hipster girl names of the aughts have given way to a new dominant consonant: D. Girl names with a strong D sound toe the line between clunky and cool — in other words, they’re hipster.

Here are some of the rising choices among the hippest hipsters:

In hipster boy names, the consonant du jour is a zippy Z or S sound, found in these emerging names:

The hard G and J sound for girls and soft G for boys is another hipster favorite:

New Hipster Girl Names

The other hipster girl names that are a part of this new wave fall into two distinct categories: old lady names and unisex names.

The vintage names on their way back into style include soft botanicals like Clover and Fern, consonant-heavy choices such as Thora and Constance, and girl-next-door nicknames like Sally and Polly.

Hipsters have also adopted many boy names for girls, including the top boy name on Nameberry, Arlo, and other favorites for boys — Onyx and Theo.

New Hipster Boy Names

The incoming wave of hipster boy names are predominantly old man names. Elaborate boy names have been gaining favor lately, and multi-syllable vintage names such as Archibald and Leviathan are popping up on hipster parents’ shortlists.

Old-fashioned nicknames are also big players. Choices like Ernie and Percy, Ike and Kit have serious hipster cred.

About the Author

Sophie Kihm

Sophie Kihm's Personal Website

Sophie Kihm has been writing for Nameberry since 2015. She has contributed stories on the top 2020s names, Gen Z names, and cottagecore baby names. Sophie is Nameberry’s resident Name Guru to the Stars, where she suggests names for celebrity babies. She also manages the Nameberry Instagram and Pinterest.

Sophie Kihm's articles on names have run on People, Today, The Huffington Post, and more. She has been quoted as a name expert by The Washington Post, People, The Huffington Post, and more. You can follow her personally on Instagram or Pinterest, or contact her at sophie@nameberry.com. Sophie lives in Chicago.

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