Trending Baby Names For 2024: From Barbie Phenomenon, to Main Character Energy Names

Whether you are currently expecting, or planning to have a baby in 2024, choosing your baby’s name is quite a daunting decision. After all, a baby’s name will stay with them forever!

Popular naming website Nameberry released its “Top Baby Name Trends for 2024" which may help you with your name choice.

The website states, “Baby name trends for 2024 are less about the names and more about the namers.”

Pamela Redmond, Nameberry creator, also added, “Today’s parents are fixated on sending the right messages with the names they choose. The perfect baby name for 2024 is ahead of the style curve, personally significant, and identity-defining.”

Feminine names for boys

One new trend for 2024 is using what would typically be classified as a "girl name" for boys, as done by Rihanna for her son Riot Rose. Boy names changed in 2023, reclaiming primarily feminine unisex names instead of the traditional masculine names.

• Artemis
• Blair
• Capri
• Carmen
• Cleo
• Eden
• Fern
• Florence
• Greer
• Harlow
• Hazel
• Io
• Irie
• Izzy
• Jade
• June
• Lark
• Lotus
• Morgan
• Noa
• Raven
• Robin
• Romy
• Rose
• Rue
• Sunny
• Willow
• Winter

RELATED: 40 Water-Inspired Baby Names for Your Little Mermaid or Merman

Feminine feminist names

Since the Barbie phenomenon swept the world in pink this 2023, it’s only natural that this would have a lasting effect on baby names. The movie sparked conversations about gender and feminism, Barbie made feminism feminine, and femininity feminist.

That’s why these baby girl names are feminist, and equally feminine in unexpected ways.

• Althea
• Arwen
• Billie
• Clover
• Colette
• Conley
• Dahlia
• Dorothea
• Eleanora
• Guinevere
• Gwen
• Halston
• Honey
• Isadora
• Kiara
• Lavender
• Lulu
• Palmer
• Pippa
• Prescott
• Malone
• Matilda
• Mavis
• Melrose
• Sinclair
• Tabitha
• Tallulah
• Theodora
• Vienna
• Winslow

Baby men and women

“You’re naming an adult, not a baby,” the popular phrase sprung up on social media this year. This concept is to name the baby with ‘adult’-sounding names versus something that would only sound cute when you're under five years old. Andi Manzano-Reyes named all her three daughters with classic names--Olivia, Amelia, and Lucia. Toni Gonzaga-Soriano also chose to a classic with their youngest child, Paulina Celestine, with the nickname Polly.

• Agnes
• Alfred
• Antonella
• Arthur
• Betty
• Carla
• Casimir
• Cedric
• Clyde
• Constance
• Dolores
• Duncan
• Florence
• Georgina
• Harold
• Heath
• Helen
• Lars
• Lionel
• Lois
• Marjorie
• Martha
• Mauricio
• Maxine
• Ray
• Roland
• Rita
• Sidra
• Stanley
• Sylvia

Atmospheric names

Another trend set to rise in 2024 is airy, sky-bound names. Seemingly on trend, social media personality Cong TV named his son born this 2023 Kidlat. Atmospheric names are designed to soar with the people who bear them, which appeals to younger parents who were raised on the internet.

• Aero
• Aira
• Aire
• Araceli
• Aura
• Azure
• Brisa
• Celestial
• Ciel
• Cielo
• Ice
• Icelynn
• Itzel
• Keilani
• Lightning
• Lluvia
• Lumi
• Nevada
• Noelani
• Rain
• Sol
• Solana
• Soleil
• Solimar
• Sky
• Snow
• Storm
• Stormi
• Sunny
• Zephyr

Natural glamour

These names were inspired by 2023’s trend of “quiet luxury”--the natural glamour of unpretentious life but with low-key subtle style. These names are classy but in an understated manner. Think: old money, stealth wealth, and HBO's Succession.

• Archie
• Asha
• Celia
• Cillian
• Conrad
• Cormac
• Daphne
• Estelle
• Flora
• Freya
• Gaia
• Greta
• Guy
• Harris
• Harvey
• Laith
• Lorcan
• Lyra
• Mabelryry
• Magnus
• Merrick
• Oren
• Orson
• Petra
• Phoebe
• Talia
• Thea
• Torin
• Vera
• Viola

'Main character energy'

Contrasting the subtlety of the previous baby name category, 'main character energy' screams “Here I am!”. These names are also based on movie, mythology, anime characters or other pop culture references.

• Anakin
• Athena
• Avalon
• Azriel
• Catalina
• Chosen
• Elio
• Esmeralda
• Everest
• Galilea
• Itzayana
• Jetson
• Jiraiya
• Kenzo
• Leonidas
• Marceline
• Marigold
• Maximo
• Namari
• Nami
• Neo
• Ophelia
• Persephone
• Primrose
• Raya
• Sylvester
• Thaddeus
• Valentino
• Winry
• Zaire

RELATED: 83 Strong and Beautiful Baby Names Inspired by Game of Thrones!

Gentle parenting names

With gentle parenting being the emerging parenting style, today's baby names are also influenced. These names are inspired by calm auras and mellow sounds, often including vowels I, E and O.

• Alba
• Alfie
• Ansel
• Amias
• Asa
• Casper
• Clement
• Cyril
• Ellis
• Faye
• Fia
• Florian
• Hale
• Ione
• Ines
• Isolde
• Ivo
• Koa
• Liana
• Luan
• Oisin
• Oona
• Rafe
• Rhea
• Rhys
• Sahil
• Selah
• Soraya
• Valo
• Willa

RELATED: Your Guide to the Trendiest and Most Popular Names for Your Little Boy in 2019

STEM Names

Parents who are inclined to science and mathematics, 2024 is your year! The next year will see an influx of baby names inspired by science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These are names based on science and mathematics personalities, anything cosmos-related, and even from Charles Darwin and Thomas Edison.

• Anova
• Astra
• Calyx
• Cosmo
• Darwin
• Edison
• Franklin
• Galen
• Hedy
• Hutton
• Kepler
• Kuiper
• Link
• Linnea
• Lumen
• Mars
• Meridian
• Moon
• Nova
• Octavia
• Onyx
• Seven
• Solar
• Solstice
• Tau
• Tripp
• Una
• Vela
• Wave
• Zenith

RELATED: Baby Girl Names That Embrace Filipino Heritage

-Ai Names

The name Kai joined the Top 100 in 2019, and left a surge of -Ai names in its trail. -Ai names are particularly attractive to multicultural parents or multilingual children. Because these names are found in the Bible, along with the Japanese, Shona, Hawaiian, European, and Indigenous cultures, it is easier to combine cultures with these name choices.

• Abisahai
• Adlai
• Alakai
• Akai
• Cai
• Esai
• Ilai
• Jakai
• Jasai
• Kai
• Kasai
• Khai
• Kenai
• Lorelai
• Makai
• Malakai
• Marsai
• Masai
• Mordecai
• Ozai
• Sai
• Sakai
• Sarai
• Shai
• Shakai
• Sinai
• Zai
• Zakai

Musical icon names

Since the millennial generation started becoming parents, it’s inevitable to be influenced by musical icons. Elvis, Cobain, Joplin, Bowie are some of the classic examples. Other music icon names that have emerged are Nirvana, Rhiannon, and Zeppelin. Pick your favorite band, then voila, a cool and edgy name for your baby!

• Arlo
• Bowie
• Cobain
• Collins
• Coltrane
• Denver
• Elton
• Elvis
• Guthrie
• Graceland
• Hawkins
• Iggy
• Jethro
• Jett
• Joni
• Joplin
• Jovi
• Lennon
• Maybellene
• Mercury
• Morrison
• Ozzy
• Pixie
• Presley
• Priscilla
• Nirvana
• Rhiannon
• Stevie
• Zeppelin
• Ziggy

Have you chosen a name for your baby? Share it with us over at Smart Parenting Village!