Halo

Halo for boys#931 US

One on hand, Halo is spiritual choice, associated with angels, holy people, and saints. On the other, it's connected to astronomy and science, where it's used to describe the ring of light around the sun or moon, created by refraction. But it could also be considered a pop-culture name, inspired by the Halo video game franchise in which Halo rings are huge structures used as weapons.

Actress Halle Bailey chose the name for her son in 2023 and her decision seems to have been influential. Halo appeared in the England and Wales Top 1000 for the first time the same year, while in the US, it was one of the fastest rising boy names of 2024. Given to 226 boys, it climbed more than 450 places.

Halo for girls#613 US

Halo is a glowing word name that's both cosmic and spiritual, and with its shiny imagery and bright sounds, it was one of the fasted rising names in 2023.

The word "halo" has been used in English since the 1500s, and is defined as a circle of light, usually around the sun, moon, or other luminous bodies, created when light interacts with ice crystals in the atmosphere. The word derived from the Ancient Greek "hálōs" and means "disk".

In the sacred sense, it replaced "glory" in the 17th century as the term for divine light, and refers the a circle shown round the head of a holy person, saint, or angel, to symbolise their holiness.

Halo wasn't used as a name until the 19th century, but it took until the 2000s before it was given to any substantial amount of babies in the US. The video game series "Halo" bolstered the name up the charts throughout the 2000s, and it has continued to climb throughout the 2010s, finally entering the Top 1000 in 2019.

Nick Cannon welcomed daughter called Halo Marie with Alyssa Scott in 2022, which may well have contributed to its jump up the charts in 2023.

Given to over 500 baby girls, and a not insubstantial 120 boys in the US, Halo is a space-age virtue name with lots of potential. Sharing sounds with Hazel, Hayes, and Harlowe, and the vibes of Stella, Genesis, and Eden, it makes for a bold choice that won't sound too out of place in a 21st century classroom.