Popular names of the next decade: predictions

[PetersonPeterson]

Names that you think are on the up and will continue to climb the name charts. A few that I would guess might:
Beatrice/Bea
Isla
Florence
Margot
Freya
Might have got that wrong! I'm sure there are also loads more. Just keep hearing them on new babies or names that people like for babies.

-a ending names will be next for girls I think,

Ada
Greta
Nora
Rita
Lara etc

Not so sure about the boys.

-a endings are already mainstream.

Isabella
Isla
Ella
Bella
Eva
Ava
Stella
Mia
Maya
Mila
Georgia
Leila
Freya
Amelia
Emilia
Helena

The list goes on.

'A' endings are symptomatic of the current feminine, frilly trend, and I think there will be a move away from that, towards more consonant (sounding) endings:

Agnes
Margaret
Helen
June
Joan
Edith

Etc...

Imogen will be top ten within a few years.

I am also betting a resurgence of 20s names :- Rita, Olive, Audrey

Boys will always have a fair chunk of Classics in the top ten, but I think John will come back

Imogen peaked in 2010 at 26th and has shown a decline since. Its unlikely to reverse and go up again.

Olive is still on the up, but I don't think will last 10 years because of the popularity of Olivia.

Rita and Audrey are definitely on the way up and set for big things though.

I defiantly think the flower names (Daisy, Poppy etc) will start to filter out of the top 50 in the next couple of years. Both Ruby and Lily will fall rapidly.

More of the classic names for both girls (Emma, Megan, Abigail, Lucy etc) and boys (Adam, Daniel, Samuel, Matthew, Benjamin, Luke etc) that have been in the top 30 for the past 10-20 years will continue to drop and be just bordering the top 100.

I agree with dowager that the frills and ultra-feminine names will likely fall out of fashion within the next few years (I, for one, am sick to death of them!) in favour of names that are stronger and less 'pretty'. I also see the cutesie names going; I think we will finally begin to see the back of 'eternal childhood' names like Poppy, Daisy, Alfie, etc. as people start using names that are a bit more serious.

I wonder if there will be increasing polarisation in baby naming in terms of uniqueness, with one set of parents opting to be 'unique' by reverting to picking very standard names that people just don't use anymore (Mary, David, etc), and the other set searching further out (like, out of the top 500 instead of out of the top 50) for names that others aren't using. As society continues to globalise I wonder if it will also become increasingly acceptable (across classes) to use names from other cultures.

My grandma (Lily) had sisters Ethel and Bertha, and a dear friends Ada and Betty. Her nephew/age mate was Bunny (Albert).
Lily is already over-popular so I'll go for the names of her friends and family. I'm looking forward to seeing all the little Ethels, Berthas, Adas, Betties (? Is that the plural of Betty?) and Bunnies toddling about.

' a dear friends'? My apologies. 'dear friends'.

I also expect the cutesy names to fall out of favour soon e.g. Evie, Ellie, Poppy, Izzy, Archie, Alfie etc. Names are likely become stronger and possibly longer again.

Ashton seems to be becoming popular where I live - I've met or heard of about 5 little boys called that in the last 3 or 4 years, and recently saw it on some personalised tat for the first time.

Re Richard is unlikely to come back because of Dick IMO, I don't agree, because by the time it started to become less popular, most younger Richards were known as Rich, if they shortened at all. Just like young Williams are usually Will, not Bill.

I agree, I think most Richards would go by Rich or Richy. I actually find Will/Willy potentially more teaseworthy.

I would love to meet a baby Desmond!

Phew! Pleased to see that Luna hasn't featured!

It would if it we were discussing popular names for dogs. Bloody loads of canine Lunas!

Susan, Pamela, Linda, Jean. I can really see Pamela growing in popularity.

Names from the 40s will be granny chic so names like

Dorothy
Myra (when no ones left who remembers the moors murders)
Hazel
Greta
Trudy
Candy
Sindy
Barbara (Barbie)
Ann
Helen
Catherine
Carol(ine/a)
Denise
Janet
Lorraine
Heather

Paul
Peter
Donald
Richard
Robert/bertie/bobby
Jim (rather than James/Jamie)
Frank
Walt(er)
Stanley
Michael
John

I know of baby Douglas & Ralph and a toddler Clark so maybe those parents are ahead of the trends?

My dd says she'll call her DS 'Mikey'. I really hope she changes her mind!

I know a baby Jim (James)!

And a Walt(er).

Not keen on that mind.

Beckett, Buster, Everett, Meredith, Otis, Winston, Etta, Marnie, Celeste, Blythe

Re Richard - most, if not all, children will never have heard of Richard being shortened to Dick. And most Richards nowadays shorten their name to Rich or Rick or Ricky. And no adult will suggest Dick as a nickname for any child they know called Richard. So it simply won't occur.

And of the Dicks that are famous, kids won't connect their name with Richard or won't have heard of them at all -

Dick Cheney
Dick van Dyke
Dick Emery
Dick King Smith
Dick Whittington

I think there will be calmer, less frilly names - some of the classic boys names and names from the 1930's: Andrew, Robert, Mark, Michael, Peter, Paul, Ian, even Timothy and John. Possibly Raymond, Kenneth, Alan, Donald too.

Girls - Angela, Susan(na), Joan, Jean, Pamela, Barbara, Greta, Sylvia, Nancy, Margaret.

There is a baby Myra at my daughter's nursery! I think that, objectively, it's quite a nice name and, owing to the current popularity of Maya, could have become quite popular had it not been for Hindley. I am assuming the one at our nursery either has parents who are non-British, or are very young.

I still cannot fathom the current wild popularity of Stanley. Or Archie.

Whoever said upthread that Pamela is due a comeback might be onto something.

I think 50s names are probably going to be the next big thing. Greta seems to be very much in favour atm. I reckon Jean, June and Judy and their ilk might make comebacks too.

Harvey is up there with Stanley. I just do not get it. Out of all the possible boys' names...

For girls:

Ethel
Edna

For boys:

Arthur
Frederic