Baby Name Trends for 2024 - 100s of Cute & Unique Ideas

Expecting a new addition to the family and want to know the baby name trends for 2024?

These are the baby names for boys and girls set to be huge in 2024 plus hundreds of name ideas to choose from!

Pregnant woman choosing a baby name in 2024

We’ve got names that are sticking like glue to the top 10 most popular and names that are surging up through the charts from obscurity to become unique and stylish name choices.

I have trawled through baby names data for the UK (from the ONS baby names data) and US social security names database to find the baby names that will be popular in 2024, plus the cool names on the rise.

I’ve checked out both the trends in the top 100 baby names, as well as what names saw the biggest jump in popularity in recent years.

This gives us an insight into cool emerging trends, and I’ve picked out similar and related names that connect to those styles to help you find unique ideas for your own little one.

I think we will see fun and playful Disney names and Barbie names prove a hit with parents. This is inspired by names chosen by celebs and inpopular culture.

For example Love Island’s Molly Mae named her daughter Bambi. Presenter Stacey Dooley named her daughter Minnie. And then there’s the hit Barbie movie – Barbie, Ken and Margot may all be contenders. Margot is already a huge hit with parents and one of the fastest growing names of the last 10 years.

If you need more inspiration for baby names then check out the top picks by baby name themes.

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Popular names for boys and girls in 2024

Looking at the trends in names for the last few years, I would expect Olivia to lose the place on the top spot of the UK and US charts this year – possibly elbowed out of the way by Isla or Amelia.

More modern choices like Harper, Freya, Mia and Luna will also stay in the top 100.

For boys we will see Noah stay popular and I think see nicknames of traditional names also continue to chart, such as Charlie and Archie.

The latest data shows Harry remaining in the top 10 boy names – we suspect this may drop out of the top 10 due its association with the divide currently gripping coverage around Prince Harry and the rest of the British royal family.

Interestingly the name Harry is in the top 10 in the UK, but in the US it doesn’t even make the top 100! However Henry – which Harry is often a nickname for – is among the top 10 US baby names.

We suspect Henry (currently number 10) to leapfrog over the name Harry here in the UK.

The full top 100 baby names for the latest set of data can be seen in the graphic below.

top 100 most popular baby boy and girl names according to ONS data

Names for girls in 2024

What names will be the biggest in terms of the number of people choosing them for their baby? Based on the most recent data, these girl names will be stay popular in 2024:

Amelia
Ava
Charlotte
Emma
Evelyn
Evie
Florence
Freya
Grace
Harper
Isabella
Isla
Ivy
Lily
Luna
Maisie
Margot
Mia
Olivia
Sophia
Willow

Names for boys in 2024

For boys we think these cute names will be among the most used in 2024:

Archie
Benjamin
Charlie
Elijah
Ethan
George
Harry
Henry
James
Leo
Liam
Lucas
Muhammad
Noah
Oliver
Oscar
Theodore
William

Top tip for preparing for a baby: Set up a Baby Wishlist with Amazon and share it with your friends and family so they can gift you with things you need!

Trending baby names in 2024

These trending baby names are on the rise! They aren’t necessarily in the top 10 biggest names, but these are the names that have seen the biggest jumps in popularity in recent years.

For example, we’ve got Olive. This cute girls’ name rose 25 places since 2020 to hit number 74 in the 2021 baby name charts for England and Wales. We suspect it will continue to be a hit!

Then there’s Brody. This cool boy’s name rose 36 places in the baby name charts for England and Wales, finally reaching the top 100.

We picked all of these names for UK and US baby names data, seeing which names have had the biggest increases in popularity in the last decade.

Trending girl names

Ada
Amelie
Aurora
Aria
Beatrice
Eden
Elodie
Harlow
Harper
Iris
Lexie
Luna
Lyla
Lyra
Macey/Macie
Maeve
Margot
Mila
Miley
Myla
Olive
Robyn
Willa

Trending boy names

Arlo
Blake
Brody
Charles
Chester
Ezra
Grayson
Henry
Hudson
Hunter
Jayden
Jaxon
Jenson
Kai
Kayden
Logan
Maverick
Nathan
Otis
Reggie
Riley
Rocco
Rupert
Seven
Tobias

Fastest rising baby names

These names for boys and girls have seen the largest change in popularity between 2021 and 2022, the most recent official names data available from the US SSA.

Boys

Dutton – we suspect this is inspired by the hit TV show Yellowstone, set at the Dutton ranch!
Kayce – Another Yellowstone-inspired Western name
Chosen
Khaza
Eithan
Waylen
Asaiah
Karim
Kaizen
Zen
Kylian
Ezrah
Amiri
Jrue
Kolson
Kanan
Colter

Girls

Wrenlee
Neriah
Arlet
Georgina
Amiri
Arleth
Amayah
Winona
Love
Inaya
Isabela
Jream
Cielo
Adalee
Sol
Wrenley
Zhuri
Scottie

Girl names for boys

In the above list you may have spotted the name Scottie for a girl! I love this boy name as a girl’s name, and it’s a trend that’s definitely on the rise.

This is possibly because parents have enjoyed delving into gender neutral names, and now borrowing names that were traditionally boy names is a good place to find more unusual choices.

Ashley
Billie
Charlie
Clay
Ellis
Evan
Flynn
Frankie
Grayson
Jack
James
Jordan
Max
Nico
Wyatt

Unique baby names for 2024

Want a baby name that isn’t among the top 100 most popular? Something stands out, but also feels modern?

Maybe you want a unique baby name, but don’t want something that sounds too out there. These unusual and little-used baby names are perfect for your little one!

These names have real “lead character energy”, another popular trend that parents will be loving in 2024.

Unique girl names

Ariel – meaning lion of god.
Aura – meaning wind.
Avalon – island of apples.
Capri – Italian island.
Everly – meaning boar or woodland.
Ione – meaning violet.
Joss – meaning the merry one.
Kinsley – king’s meadow.
Nola – fair shoulder.
Ophelia – meaning aid or help.
Rae – meaning ewe or female sheep.
Winslow – meaning friend’s hill.

Unique boy names

Everest – meaning dweller on the Eure River. Also refers to the tallest mountain in the world.
Huck – a shortened version of Huckleberry.
Huntley – meaning meadow hunter.
Kit – meaning bearer of christ.
Knox – meaning hill top.
Nico – victory of the people.
Massimo – biggest and greatest.
Miller – one who grinds grain.
Wylder – meaning wild animal.

Posh baby names

If we want to know what names the upper classes are favouring then the best place to look is the Telegraph’s baby announcements!

Understated elegance (Hugo and Cecily), vintage names (Frederick and Charlotte), and modern charm (Cosmo and Cleo) are the types of names we are seeing in this category.

During 2023, these were the most popular baby names in the Telegraph birth announcements section:

Posh boy names

Frederick
George
Henry
Max
Oscar
Charles
Albert
Alexander
Alfred
Cosmo
Jack
Theodore
William
Arthur
Edward
Gabriel
Hector
Hugh
Hugo
James
Orlando
Walter
Christopher
Felix
Hamish
Harry
Kit
Lachlan
Laurence
Leo
Otis
Otto
Percy
Rory
Rupert

Posh girl names

Clementine
Eliza
Cecily
Charlotte
Clara
Cleo
Harriet
Lily
Martha
Matilda
Olympia
Ottilie
Poppy
Serena
Alice
Amelia
Athena
Beatrice
Bonnie
Cara
Cecilia
Constance
Darcey
Emilia
Gracie
Hebe
Juno
Kitty
Lucy
Miriam
Octavia
Olivia
Penelope
Phoebe
Rosie
Tiggy
Winifred

Girl names ending in “lee” and “lynn”

Popular baby girl names are getting a new twist with “lee” and “lynn” being added to the end. Think Adalynn and Everleigh.

An extra dimension to the trend is that we are seeing this being used in particular with nature names – for example Oakleigh and Baylee.

Here are a few gorgeous examples for this pretty trend.

Adelyn
Avalyn
Ashlyn
Brooklyn
Caitlyn
Analeigh
Ryleigh
Ashleigh
Amberleigh
Blakleigh
Foxleigh
Bexleigh

Main character energy names

A baby name with main character energy stands out from the crowd. These names are either inspired by the books and movies that we love, or are names that are unique and strong.

It’s a great choice if you want a name with big energy, that’s unusual and full of character. Some of them are romantic and others are dramatic. They’re all stunning choices.

Here are some gorgeous ideas for you to pick from!

Main character energy girl names

Andie
Bronwyn
Isolde
Lyra
Stella
Summer
Wednesday
Wynter

Main character energy boy names

Atlas
Dash
Dax
Eros
Kane
Maverick
Westley

Cool baby names

Want a name that epitomises style and cool? These stylish baby names are perfect choices for 2024 babies.

Cool boy names

Axton
Creed
Griffin
Hendrix
Jackson
Kai
Kylo
Levi
Loki
Mateo
Poe
Riggs
Rupert
Ryder
Tobias
Wyatt

Cool girl names

Elowen
Ember
Liberty
Marlowe – This beautiful name has been on the rise up the baby name charts but remains quite rarely used so it’s a wonderful choice for something stylish and familiar yet not too common.
Nova
Ottilie
Raya
Romy
Sierra
Stormi
Thea
Valentina
Zara

Whimsical baby names

A whimsical name conjures up magic and fun. Names what are whimsical tend to be playful and fanciful.

They might be connected to nature or to word baby names. Here are a few perfect 2024 whimsical baby names.

Whimsical names for girls

Aster
Cadence
Echo
Eden
Juniper
Love
Lux
Nevaeh
Noelle
Nora
Rowan
Royal
Sonnet
Wylda
Wynter

Whimsical baby names for boys and girls 2024

Whimsical names for boys

Abel
Atlas
Augustus
Blaze
Caspian
Cassius
Corbin
Emerson
Hawk
Huxley
Orion
Thorn
Tobias
Whitaker
Wolf

Alternative spellings of traditional and popular names

These names will be familiar to you in terms of how they sound, but the spellings add a nice twist to well-known names.

We’ve seen a good mixture of old fashioned and modern baby names in the top 100 over the last few years. These names are a great mixture of those two, with the alternative spelling making them feel unique.

Alternative spelling names for girls

Adalynn (Adaline)
Arya (Aria)
Blakely (Blake)
Emelia (Amelia)
Khloe (Chloe)
Lilah (Lila)
Lili (Lily)
Londyn (London)
Norah (Nora)
Rylee (Riley)
Sara (Sarah)
Sofia (Sophia)
Taytum (Tatum)
Zoey (Zoe)

Alternative spelling names for boys

Ayden (Aiden)
Jakob (Jacob)
Kayden (Caden)
Luka (Luca)
Markus (Marcus)
Matteo (Matthew)
Mayson (Mason)
Nikolas (Nicholas)
Trystan (Tristan)

Word names

A word baby name tends to be a great standout choice. It’s perfect if you love the idea of giving your baby a name attached to certain attributes, such as Poet.

It’s set to become an even bigger trend after singer Rihanna has chose a word name for her baby boy – Riot Rose.

It’s also great if you love nature baby names, like Blossom and Coast, or names with power – such as Hunter and Marvel.

Girls

Arbor
Ballad
Blossom
Cherry
Diva
Domino
Echo
Halo
Hope
Journey
Lilac
Marvel
Meadow
Mercy
Navy
North
Poet
Promise
Raven
Sage
Sonnet
Summer
True
Valentine
Whimsy

Boys

Axel
Blaze
Coast
Cruz
Dart
Gunner
Horizon
Hunter
Jet
Jupiter
King
Kingston
Ledger
Lore
Oak
Ocean
Orion
Rio
Riot
Robin
Roman
Slate
Wolf
Zephyr
Zeppelin
Zion

Girl names ending in -ya

Many popular modern baby names end in “-ya” and we can see this trend only getting bigger. Here are a few examples for girls:

Anya
Arya
Sonya
Freya
Maya
Aaliya
Lilya
Raya
Kaya
Zoya
Katya
Mya
Dalya

Popular culture-inspired baby names

The world of movies, TV and music always inspire parents. It’s a wonderful way to find unusual names, and often celebrity parents revive old names or introduce brand new ones!

For example singer Meghan Trainor called her newborn son Barry in 2023. Could this inspire parents in 2024 to bring that the name that’s fallen out of favour with parents in recent decades?

And Kylie Jenner called her new baby son Aire – a name that’s bound to catch some parents’ attention as it taps into the trend for elemental names plus it means strength and courage which is a popular name meaning.

Speaking of elemental names, I think the new Pixar movie Elemental may inspire some parents – with the lead character names of Wade and Ember being particularly appealing.

And on the subject of movies, the Barbie movie is set to be huge and we may see a few little Barbies and Kens being born in 2024!

Looking forward to hits of the future, the Harry Potter TV show is set to be huge news in 2025 – as we get previews of that in 2024 we may see parents opting for big character names such as Harry (already a popular choice), Hermione and Ron (or Ronnie).

The tragic death of Matthew Perry has been heartbreaking for Friends fans around the world. Will this inspire a new generations of Chandlers as a homage to who was many viewers’ favourite Friend?

Boys

Aire – after Kylie Jenner’s baby
Atlas – Colleen Hoover’s hit book It Ends With Us is being made into a movie starring Blake Lively and Atlas is one of the main characters in this romantic story
Barry – Meghan Trainor gave her baby this old-fashioned moniker
Chandler – A tribute to the character Chandler Bing in Friends
Elio – it means sun and there’s a Pixar movie out in 2024 of the same name. I think this name will be big! A great alternative to Arlo.
Ethan – the new Mission Impossible movies are set to be a hit at the box office, and Tom Cruise’s character is bound to influence parents looking for baby names
Ezra – after the singer George Ezra
Tatum – Khloe Kardashian named her newborn son Tatum which we think will inspire fellow parents
Wade – from a lead character in Elemental

Girls

Alix – Alix Earle is a hit on TikTok and I suspect some fans/parents will love the unusual spelling of the name Alex!
Aurora – a pretty Disney baby name meaning dawn.
Bambi – a Disney baby name and also the name chosen by influencer Molly Mae for her daughter.
Barbie – following the movie that has everyone talking! At present Barbie doesn’t even appear in UK or US baby names data, although Barbara is at number 1351 in the UK. Could this change! Margot may also see another surge in popularity – it is already a hit with parents – thanks to Barbie star Margot Robbie.
Elle – after Eleven in Stranger Things, back for its final season in 2024
Ember – after the lead character in Elemental
Indie. The new Indiana Jones movie may lead parents to pick this unique Indiana nickname that works for girls and boys.
Mabel – after the singer
Minnie – A cute Disney baby name!
Max – another key female character in Stranger Things
Wednesday – Inspired by the hit Netflix series Wednesday

Gender neutral names

A gender neutral baby name can be given to either a boy or a girl. They tend to be quite unusual and bold as well as a little whimsical, such as Arrow, Wren and Sloan.

Arrow
Aspen
Bear
Cove
Dylan
Ember
Ever
Fable
Fox
Henley
Indigo
James
Journey
Jordan
Lyric
Monroe
Onyx
Phoenix
Quinn
River
Royal
Sawyer
Scout
Sloan
Wilder
Wren

Old Money Names

Old money names are classic and timeless. They have a stylish feel to them and a sense of wealth, without being too ostentatious. They’re classy, not tacky!

This trend has been big on TikTok and I think we will see parents picking up on it as there are so many gorgeous vintage and bold choices in this theme.

Here are a few ideas – check out more old money name ideas here.

Girls

Addison
Adele
Aubrey
Chanel
Eloise
Martha
Mathilda
Sloane
Valentina
Winnie

Boys

Charles
Digby
Earl
Frederick
Phineas
Rex
Vernon
Winston

Quiet Luxury names

A quiet luxury name is similar to an old money name, in that it conveys style and class without being too gaudy.

However quiet luxury names are a little more modern than old money names.

We suspect to see this trend taking off as it has been making the headlines in style magazines – and many parents may take inspiration for their baby’s name from their own personal tastes when it comes to styling themselves and their home!