More: Why Emma Has Been The Top Baby Girl Name For Five Years in a Row
Beyond Emily and Jacob
In the 90s, the names Emily and Jacob topped baby name lists. The 90s also gave us pop-culture boy names such as Brandon, Dylan, Joey, and Matthew (thanks to hit shows like Beverly Hills 90210, Blossom, and Friends) along with Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Hannah, Stephanie, and Sarah for girls. But times are a-changin’ and as we usher in the highly-anticipated 2020, traditional, once-popular names fall to the wayside a bit. Curious what was popular in 2019? Here were top baby name trends predicted for 2019. Don’t have time to read it now? Pin it for later:
Pop Culture Names
The name-oriented site Nameberry studies and tracks baby names; and this is what they predict will trend in 2020: a pop-culture influence for little ladies. Actor Reese Witherspoon and singer Billie Eilish are inspiring parents to name baby girls Reese and Billie; while boy parents are opting for throwback names like Acacius and Lucius. In 2019, we also saw strong influences from pop culture, especially television, with a huge rise in Game of Thrones inspired baby names.
2020 Predictions for Girls
Nameberry says you can expect to find these names trending in the new year for girls:
Adah (there’s been a rise in ‘Ad’ names for girls) Reese (The show Big Little Lies starring Reese Witherspoon has made a huge impact on pop-culture.) Mika (USA Today believes MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski likely influenced this rising name.) Paisley (The Scottish name is poised to rise higher than 52 on the Social Security Administration list in the coming years, Nameberry predicts.) Amina (The mother of the prophet Muhammad. Teagan (Irish, unisex name, but usually used for girls) Nova (Just rising in general according to the Social Security Administration list.) Aura (Popular with Spanish-speaking parents, says Nameberry) Pearl (a throwback name making a comeback, the June birthstone) Billie (Vocal powerhouse Billie Eilish is credited with bringing this name back, and we can’t forget about 1930s crooner Billie Holiday, always musically influential)
2020 Predictions for Boys
And for boys…
Austin (It was popular after the Austin Powers films, but now that that trend has died down; you can thank the Texas city for this name.) Alva (Ironically, Nameberry states this was inventor Thomas Edison’s middle name, and it looks like it’s making a random, albeit interesting, comeback thanks to names like Alma and Alba climbing the name-ranks for girls.) Acacius (Summarizes Nameberry: This ancient name carries the trendy s ending and a botanical meaning, a style winner on three counts.) Tate (It means ‘cheerful’) Diego (Yes, you can thank popular kid’s show Dora the Explorer for this rising name; it’s actually the Spanish form of James.) Easton (A preppier and more popular than the cowboyish Weston, summarizes Nameberry.) Lucius (one of the male forms of the ancient Roman clan name meaning light.) Cash (According to Nameberry, Cash is a multi-dimensional name, theoretically a short form for the stylish ancient names Cassius or Cassian, a tribute to crooner Johnny Cash or a straight-out ode to money!) Ash (a short form of the popular Biblical Asher, which means happy, and might also be considered a tree name.) Luca (a pan-European favorite that receiving an enthusiastic welcome from American parents.)
How Popular Names are Predicted
It’s all about the online name clicks! According to USA Today, this is how Nameberry predicts baby name trends: “Nameberry’s formula measures the names that have attracted the most interest compared to last year from the site’s 11 million page views. (The list is predictive and won’t reflect the Social Security Administration’s top baby names; meaning it’s overall a guess.) Additionally, states USA Today, Nameberry co-creator and CEO Pamela Redmond Satran said in a news release: “The names here offer baby namers a heads-up on trends and specific names destined to get more popular in 2020 and beyond.”
Names Trending on FamilyEducation for 2020
At FamilyEducation, we also rank our top baby names based on the number of clicks and interest they receive. We’ve rounded up the top names for boys and girls over the last three months, and predict these will continue to trend in 2020:
Top Girl Names on FamilyEducation
Sophia Ava Valdivia Olivia Emma Evelyn Elizabeth Emily Madeline Mia View all
Top Boy Names on FamilyEducation
Lucas William Sebastian James Liam Michael Ryan Quinn Daniel Christopher View all
