If you're about to welcome a baby, you'll be more than aware that choosing a moniker for your new family member is pretty loaded these days. With so much of our lives on show, parents are hyper aware of ensuring they land on the perfect name for their child to carry with them through their life.
Luckily, there's heaps of help out there if you're stuck for a solid name. Earlier this year, US website Nameberry released its annual list of baby name predictions and in 2024, they've made sure to include a broad range of options for Generation Alpha. Expect to see boardrooms, hospitals, schools and restaurants in 30 years' time filled with professionals who have pretty cool names.
Among their predictions came a bunch of subsections of name trends, showing just how unique and varied parents are going with their baby's names these days. Move over John, Helen and Mark — Generation Alpha is here and they're making a splash. Here are the top name trends for 2024.
Watch: Baby names inspo from TV. Post continues below.
'Feminine' names for boys.
Parents have had a penchant for using common boys' names for their girls in years past, but in 2024, that's been flipped on its head. Expect to see boys taking names that have a more traditionally feminine feel.
Artemis
Cleo
Jade
Carmen
Harlow
Rose
Sunny
Winter
Willow
Robin
Soft names with a feminist spin.
2023 was a great year to celebrate all things female. We are seeing that celebration now flow through to the names of the next generation of feminists. These names are soft but powerful.
Althea
Clover
Dahlia
Eleanora
Gwen
Palmer
Mavis
Tabitha
Theodora
Vienna
'Adult' names.
In recent years, the online community has been giving parents a heavy amount of flack for giving their kids 'baby' names. They are going to grow up at some point, you know? Now, in response, expecting mums and dads are going in the opposite direction, giving their newborns decidedly 'adult'-sounding names.
Alfred
Clyde
Duncan
Dolores
Martha
Maxine
Roland
Rita
Stanley
Sylvia
Names with an 'Aire' to them.
After Kylie Jenner named her son Aire, suddenly everyone was looking ~out there~ for name inspiration. In 2024, it's predicted that parents will go for light names with a breezy, atmospheric feel. Wonder if any Aussies will opt for El Niño for their little one?
Aero
Azure
Celestial
Ciel
Lumi
Rain
Sol
Snow
Storm
Zephyr
Natural classics.
With 'farm chic' and cottagecore aesthetics having their moment across social media, it was only a matter of time before this flowed through to baby names.
Archie
Celia
Daphne
Flora
Harvey
Magnus
Orson
Torin
Vera
Viola
Listen to Mamamia's daily news podcast, The Quicky. In this episode, we discuss how baby names become popular. Post continues below.
Pop culture names.
Every year without fail, there are some big-note pop culture moments that ultimately inspire baby names. Whether you watched Margot Robbie dominate the box office or Disney movies on repeat, these pop-culture references will be immortalised in the Alpha Gen.
Anakin
Elio
Esmerelda
Jetson
Neo
Sylvester
Margot
Valentino
Primrose
Thaddeus
Calm and curious names.
It's no secret that the buzzword in the baby community in 2023 was 'gentle parenting'. The philosophy, which enlists calm and collected responses to children's behaviour, is now being reflected in baby names in 2024. Think serene, light and fresh.
Amias
Cyril
Ellis
Florian
Ines
Oisin
Rafe
Selah
Valo
Willa
Tech names.
On the opposite end of the spectrum to the natural, earthy name trend, we've got the emergence of tech-inspired monikers. Parents are looking towards the science, gaming, mathematics and engineering realms to choose a name. Baby Tesla, anyone?
Astra
Calyx
Edison
Kepler
Linnea
Mars
Solar
Tripp
Una
Vela
Ending in -ai names.
Sometimes there doesn't need to be a huge amount of inspiration behind a baby name and parents choose something simply because it sounds nice. Coming up the ranks are baby names that end in -ai.
Adlai
Cai
Jasai
Khai
Malakai
Mordecai
Sai
Shakai
Sinai
Zai
Music-inspired names.
Once again, parents are turning to the great icons of music to help name their children. These names are strong and bursting with personality.
Bowie
Elton
Elvis
Guthrie
Iggy
Lennon
Pixie
Nirvana
Stevie
Zeppelin
Now that we have a good grasp of the name predictions on the horizon, let's take a look at what will be the most popular names in 2024. According to research from McCrindle, these are the most popular monikers we're going to keep seeing:
Most popular girl names 2024.
Charlotte
Amelia
Isla
Olivia
Mia
Ava
Matilda
Ella
Grace
Willow
Most popular boy names 2024.
Oliver
Noah
Leo
William
Henry
Jack
Theodore
Hudson
Charlie
Luca
And when all else fails you can name them Bob. Nothing wrong with Bob!
Feature Image: Getty.
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