What do you all think of the ‘names of the next generation?’

[Salmonisthebestfish]

Where I live (from the people that I know), and from videos and posts I see on social media, these are some names from the next generation:

• Storie
• August
• Oakley
• Amira
• Ziggy
• Carter

Most of these names have seen a very sudden spike, and I anticipate when the stats for 2025 come out they will have risen a lot more.

Do you feel like your opinion is changing appropriately with the times?
Do you feel like your opinion on names is now viewed as old fashioned?
Do you like any of the newer names that we’ve not seen before that are now starting to make appearances?
Do you feel as through your opinion on names is now a bit redundant if you’re no longer in a circle with young children?

(not expecting, just a 42 year old who is curious how other old timers feel)

I picked names that aren’t extremely popular yet, but that haven’t really been used before and was seen mostly for the first time in 2024 - that I believe will rise over the next few years.

I haven’t heard any of those names other than August, which I love

Surely the next generation will have a massive range of names from all different cultures? These all seem a bit bland.

Storie - a Scottish surname, and Scotland has a long tradition of using family surnames as first names - and more traditionally as middle names which might come to be used as a "known as" name. So not a weird name, but a little surprised if it ends up being popular UK-wide, or beyond.

August - a boys' name already popular in a lot of European countries, not surprising.

Oakley - this seems like another surname as first name; I know this one has been used a bit in the USA as homage to Annie Oakley and also probably has added appeal as a "nature name" building on the popularity of Ash, Aspen, Rowan, Willow, etc. - apart from the Hebrew (and very male) Alon/Elon, it's hard to think of traditional names honouring or referencing oak trees.

Amira - classic Arabic/Hebrew name; I like it (but some may criticize it for being derivative of the even more traditional male name Amir).

Ziggy - I've very occasionally heard this as a diminutive of various names (Zigfried, Zigmundt, or even Zachary) but as a stand-alone it makes me think of the cartoon character. I do get the appeal, though, if someone wants a really friendly/sporty/casual name.

Carter - another surname as first name, occupation-based this time; nothing wrong with it but not sure why this in particular would be popular vs similar names. But maybe it comes in the wake of the popularity of Archer, Harper, Miller, Piper, Sawyer, etc. That said, I don't really like names with a political link - probably wouldn't use Blair or Cameron either.

These are just a handful of names, obviously there are a lot more but I was giving a taste and can’t write every name of the next generation!

These names are some that have had a large spike and that I have personally seen a lot on TikTok or in my granddaughters baby class.

I know a Ziggy. It's not short for anything, it's his full name.

I really like Storie

I prefer all the names you've mentioned over the Jayden, Mckenzie, Taylor phase lots of people went through

I heard someone calling their young kids over. They were called Oxley and Rexy. I liked them.

August - a boys' name already popular in a lot of European countries, not surprising.
Amira - classic Arabic/Hebrew name; I like it (but some may criticize it for being derivative of the even more traditional male name Amir).

Carter was in the top 100 a few years ago. Not heard the others.

I'm a teacher and I'm only name I've come across from this list is Amira, which is popular with Muslim girls, and I think is a lovely name.
It's secondary though, so primary may be different.
We have a lot of boys called Noah, Sonny, George, Frank and Louis.
With girls it's still Daisy, Maisie, Lottie, Dottie, Evie and Lily.
Maybe we'll have those names in 10 years time?.

I've always wondered the age range of those on this board, and wonder if a lot of us apart from the OP's are done having babies and are having a bit of a nose or venting displeasure with modern trends we are not a part of?

I am also 42 and done having babies.

My children are 13 and 12, one of them has a surname as a first name (although a famous person had it as a first name) the other has an old man name (men currently around 80-100years old) so I hit those trends without realising!

I think a lot of people on this board probably need to remember trends are trends and the masses will follow them it is just human nature and maybe, unless asked to be brutally honest, be a bit kinder with opinions and remember you're not in that circle anymore and things might have moved on.

A good lot of my sons friends and peers have surnames as first names, it's very normal and they don't bat an eyelid to it, or have even realised. It's not met with the hatred in the real world a lot of Mumsnetters give that trend on here. My mum was taken a back at first (born in the 50's) but is totally used to it now.

I love hearing all the new trends, I loved the name Clara from Back to the Future and always fancied calling a girl that, it was met with - 'Clara?! how old fashioned and odd!' when I mentioned it as a teenager and then on a baby name list when I was older. Now it is on most threads as an OP suggestion or a comment!

It's funny, isn't it, @KarriTreeSullivan , when I first started teaching, the children were Michelle, Louise, Samantha, Lee, Brett and David and now I teach Mabel, Stanley, Wilfred, Frank, Maisie and Enid!
Also lots of Harrisons and Jacksons.
It's just the way names go. Cyclical!

I quite like August, but it isn't that new a name and also sounds like a diminutive version of Augustus.

The rest I don't like. I don't like surnames as names as a rule and am not familiar with Amira.

Oakley are sunglasses. To me it sounds as silly as Ray Ban.

I do agree up to a point and things like Maud and Martha are part of this sort of trend. They would have still been very drab (or only newly/tentatively fashionable) when my babies were born.

But Ziggy!? Sometimes I think honesty is the best policy.

I see all the modern names touted on MN and cringe, feeling nothing but pity for the poor souls who have to live with their parents fanciful trends for all their lives.

August is lovely, but it isn't new. Neither is Amira.

The others are a bit non-descript, mostly based on surnames, and that's been happening for centuries.

Hopefully, the next generation will come up with names that are a bit more creative.

I think a lot of people on this board probably need to remember trends are trends and the masses will follow them it is just human nature and maybe, unless asked to be brutally honest, be a bit kinder with opinions and remember you're not in that circle anymore and things might have moved on.
Trends change and the names tend to sound dated when the next trend comes along.
This generation's surname as a first name might be a 'Darren or Karen' name of the future.

My opinion on the names in the OP:
Storie - I'd probably spell it Storey and it's a surname
August - not sure how to say it. Augustus/Augustine is better
Oakley - horse trailers or sunglasses
Amira - would expect her to be from an Islamic heritage
Ziggy - a bit 'we're a bit different, us'. OK as a nickname.
Carter - South Park or The Sweeney

Only Amira and Oakley are currently popular.

Ziggy was used by Jamie Laing and his wife Sophie for their recent baby, I remember thinking, "oh are they Bowie fans"

Some very old names are becoming popular again too, personally feel a bit sorry for the children who have really strange names, but hey, I’m old

I think we'll move on from the victorian and edwardian era names and onto ones from the 1920s-1940s. Names such as

Lesley
Cynthia
Pamela
Sandra
Sheila

Roger
Michael
Anthony
Brian
Terence

I don't see those women's names coming back.

I never would have thought Maud, Agnes, Audrey, Mabel, Nora, Dorothy, Ethel et al would come back but they have!

I suspect the next lot will be Margaret, Barbara, Celia, Janet, Susan, Jane - but not for a while.

Lovely Michael has never gone away - it’s always been Top 100. And you occasionally meet a younger Anthony (likely Catholic and/or a family name). But I think your other examples are still a good 20 years away from coming back - although personally I’d rather meet a little Terence or Cynthia than yet another 2 syllable “ee” ending name (half the kids in my sons primary school seem to follow that trend - and the rest are still mostly 2 syllable, but ending in “oh” or “ah” instead for a tiny variation 🙄🤣).

Since a few people at least have kept names like Thomas, Edward, James, William, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Rose, Alice etc in popular use; then personally I’d like to see fellow classics like John, Robert, Phillip, Peter, Anne, Jane, Mary, Margaret etc flying high in the charts again too. Some say those type of names are boring, but I appreciate their long history.

Phillip - the usual spelling is Philip.

My DN is called Zigmund (Ziggy) after his grandfather who died during covid

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