names i would use

As sweet-smelling as Rose but with an international flavour, Rosa is one of the most classic Portuguese, Spanish and Italian names, which is also favored by upper-class Brits, having an ample measure of vintage charm. Rosa has been on the popularity charts for every year that's been counted, especially popular from the 1880s through the beginning of the twentieth century.

There are no less than ten different variations of Hailey on the current Most Popular list, but this is the spelling that brought it into the Top 10 of 2010, although it has quickly fallen in popularity. So, although Hailey has a shiny, unpretentious charm, its mass popularity makes it very much of the moment.

Frankie is a vintage nickname name for girls, with a down-to-earth country feel. It's one of the hottest boyish nicknames for girls, in the forefront of that trend.

Like Peggy and Patsy, the kind of zesty moniker young Judy Garland would sport in her early let's-put-on-a-show flicks. It fell out of favor (and the Top 1000) for a while, but has recently rebounded by reentering the charts in 2013. Expect it to continue gaining traction on the heels of Penelope.

Just the kind of casual, flippant nickname that upscale Brits are putting on their sons' birth certificates, but few U.S. parents are.

Sawyer is one of the top unisex names, used for their daughters by such parents as Sara Gilbert, co-host of The Talk and former actress on Roseanne, currently on The Conners.

Taylor is one of the prime unisex surnames used for girls and has also been a soap opera favorite. Taylor was in the Top 10 for the last several years of the twentieth century, so that now it tends to feel a little nineties – though Taylor Swift is keeping it in the spotlight and Tay is a charming nickname. Garth Brooks and Bryan Cranston have daughters named Taylor; Taylor Schilling portrays lead Piper Chapman in Orange is the New Black.

Jude may be a popular boys' name, thanks to Jude Law, but boyish nicknames for girls - like Frankie and Teddy - are on trend and Jude is also a new way to spin Judy or Judith. It's long been used quietly for girls as well as boys, and may start to pick up steam, though as of 2024, it was given to just shy of 90 girls in the US compared to over 2000 boys.

There are now more boys than girls given the name Joan each year in the US, although the two are distinct names. The masculine version, pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, is among the top names in Spain.

Boyish nicknames for girls are all the rage — just look at the success of Charlie, Frankie, Stevie, Billie, and Scottie in recent years. Andie has history as a nickname for Andrea, popularized by actress Andie Macdowell. This name has major cool girl appeal through Kate Hudson's portrayal of Andie Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Molly Ringwald's of Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink.

Kade falls into the trend of using a letter K at the beginning of a traditionally C-starting name, perhaps to give it a sharper edge. Trending since the 90s, Kade is currently in the Top 400, while Cade ranks nearly around 70 places ahead. Given to 933 babies in 2023, it is a consistently used name.

Oslo, the capital city of Norway, makes for an intriguing new place name, especially with its bookended O's, as in Otto and leads to cool nickname Ozzie. One Berry has already used it and we predict others will follow; in fact, stats suggest it is used eight times more often than it was a decade ago.

Oakley, with its nature name roots and its Annie Oakley charm, is a hot name for both genders but more than twice as popular for girls. This name made it into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, one of only four girl names starting with O to rank that high. A decade letter, it's aiming for the Top 100.

With its relation to Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods, and to the Olympic games, this name has an athletic, goddess-like aura, making it the perfect Olivia substitute.

Peyton is the most-used spelling of this popular name, thanks to football star Peyton Manning. It rose to fame in the 90s and was solidly - or statistically - unisex in the early 2000s, however, the 2010s saw it shift to a more feminine leaning option. Nevertheless, with its surname-style and gentle sounds, Peyton could still fit in with the likes of Grayson, Everett, and Cameron.

The heroic movie figure Indiana Jones was often called Indy, as in the equally testosterone-laden Indy 500 car race. It could also be short for Indigo or Indio, or just use it as is.

It's a bear, it's an island, it's (almost) a camera. It's starting to catch some parents' eyes as a wild, adventurous name. The largest proportion of boys named Kodiak is in Washington State.

Brisk, preppy York is an underused classic with the potential to really shine in the 21st century. It's most familiar as a place name — York is a city in England — and surname. New York City and State were named after the Duke of York.

A straightforward, down-to-earth nickname many Walters, from Whitman to Disney, have chosen to go by.

A warm and cuddly nickname name, although he famously "kissed the girls and made them cry" in the old nursery rhyme.