The next baby name wave?

[miyajima90]

I'm interested in how to spot where names are going to go next out of curiosity and thinking ahead a little bit. I hated having an old fashioned name when I was at school. Equally I felt sorry for the kids for whom there were loads of others in the year group (Hannah, Laura, Gemma were abundant when I was a kid).

I like the idea of finding a name that is ahead of the wave, as it always makes the adult seem quite young and cool even when they're not haha! Eg I know a 30 year old Alfie, and about six 2 year old Alfie's! So many parents I know complain that their child's name became popular as soon as they were born.

Obviously turn of the century / wartime/granny / grandad names like Evie, Iris, Ivy, Albert, Archie are super popular right now, but what will be the next trend? Does it follow that 60's and 60's names will be the next thing? Susan, Barbara, Mike anyone??!

Alison is a lovely name!

I agree that 30s-40s names will start to become more trendy.

We had Alison on our list!
I heard the name Mavis today and whilst I’m not a fan, I reckon it could ‘come back’.

Linda
Judy
Diane
Sondra
Tamela

Yeah I reckon we will got through the decades of the 20th Century. Give it a few years and the 80s/90s names will be back...

Ryan
Bradley
Connor
Jordan
Jason
Callum
Dominic

Paige
Bethany
Laura
Courtney
Shannon
Jade
Nicole

StatisticallyChallenged YY to your list.

Also, surnamey names, Roman names, naturey nouns as names (like Mallard, Ibis, Starling, Daylily).

Plus names like Prosper, Justice, Loyal.

Not sure how long it will take, but I reckon we’ll get back to names like Darren, Dean, Craig, Shaun, Leanne, Amanda etc, which were popular in the 60s/70s.

Maybe more 'r' names for girls on the back of Harper, Piper, Eleanor, Summer, Winter and Juniper: Clover, Hester, Hesper, Vesper, Demeter? I've come across a couple of Guineveres. And I've heard people talk about using Briar and Pepper.

And more 's' endings? Rose, Alice, Eloise, Beatrice, Iris and Florence are now popular. I see rising interest in Tess, Agnes, Primrose, Lettice, Maelys, Eris, Lilias, Artemis, Daenerys, Katniss and Constance. Will we see some Hortense, Patience, Temperance, Tuppence, Adelais, Betrys, Annis, Damaris, Hattice?

After the recent fashion for cutesy name, I think more solid names will rise in popularity.

I think statisticallychallenged is right, it is normal 90-100 years before names peak again, so things like June, Joan, Ruth, Alice, Rosemary, Mary, Silvia are all probably going to rise. I think there will be less ‘ee’ and ‘ah’ ending names as well and more consonant ending names

BigGlasses, some of those names appear on Baby Names regularly.

Susan, Helen, Glenda, Angela, Kenneth, Martin, Craig and Alan.

I thought you meant Wave as a baby name which I think is quite nice

Irene
Susan
Margaret/Maggie/Peggy
Mary

David
Christopher
Andrew
Philip
Richard

Then later later Deborah, Rachel, Jennifer, Kimberly,

I think Samantha and Frank now sound quite fresh and modern. I wouldn't have considered either for a baby even a couple of years ago.

My 1 year old has been named 4 times on this thread! We are ahead of the game

Some of the names mention are already popular- I know a few baby Michaels, though they are often shortened to Mikey

Statistically challenged - that is an amazing piece of name analysis!
I totally agree we are not ready for the 50's and 60's yet.
I think it's important to be careful when naming children 'ahead of the curve' that you don't go so far ahead of the curve that you give them an old fashioned 'mum' or 'grandma' name.
For example being called Edith although nice now, would have felt old fashioned when I was a child.
Being called Paula or Linda as a child now is too soon IMO

Thanks Choosinganame. I'm a bit of a sadcase!

We used Susan as a middle name (after a relative), which first hit the top 100 in 1940s or thereabouts and we couldn't quite decide if it was dated or fresh! TBH we didn't care as it is a second middle name. But it had a long run in the top 100, from the 40s to the 80s, so it's hard to place. Totally agree with you though, there's a risk of being so far ahead you're behind if you try to guess ahead too far!

I definitely think we're about to get a bunch of very plain, serious names:

Jane
Mary
Susan
Caroline

Or some quite masculine names for girls:

Maxine
Stephanie
Michaela
Caroline

There is a Joan in one of the baby groups we go to.

Also I think these types of names will rise for girls...

Vera
Jean
Alma
Irene
Peggy
Sylvia
Frida
Nora
Hazel
Audrey
Dorothy
Mary
Esther
Winnie
Maggie
Gloria
Joy as a middle name

Biblical names are quite popular for boys at the moment so I can see names like Josiah, Isaiah, Micah, Solomon, Asa, Gabriel, Jonah, Moses, Saul and Silas becoming the next Noah, Jacob and Reuben.

Names that were popular in the 50-60s will become popular again within the next 20 years. People still like to honour relatives and people born then will be grandparents/great grandparents.

We have a newborn and were considering Vanessa but ultimately decided against it as it didn't 'go' with dd1s name (I know this isn't important but it just jarred a bit for me). I also love Caroline but we couldn't use it (undesirable relatives name).

I've come across a couple of Daphnes (both French) and Susies over the past few years.

What ever Meghans baby is called

Also the Eugènie baby name

When queenie dies Elizabeth will go up plus all the diminutives eg Betty Lizzie Betsy Beth Eliza lizbet Liz Ella

40s 50s names like Esther Victoria Sylvia Carol suzie patsy Maggie

Boys
Biblical names Paul Peter Luke Matthew john Samson Timothy

Robert/ Bobbie
Jimmy
Alan
Lawrence
Stephen
Graham
Douglas
Richard
Alexander
William
Vincent
Stuart

I think maybe our names, (assuming most of us on this thread are of the same generation), as our DCs will name their kids after us (the grandparents)!

So...
Sarah
Claire
Emma
Jane
Maria
Joanne
Nicola
Catherine/Kate
Jennifer
Rosemary
Tracey

David
Mark
Jonathan
Andrew
Peter
Michael
Joseph
Colin
Paul
Francis
Derek
Wayne

I just can't see some names ever making a comeback:

Dawn
Tracey
Sharon
Brenda
Barbara
Colin
Derek
Darren
Warren
Gary

But I'd certainly have said the same of Edith!