Here are the top baby name trends we’ll see in 2025, according to experts

When it comes to parents-to-be, chances are they’ve gotten their hands on a baby name book before your arrival.

In May, the Social Security Association announced the most popular baby names of 2023 in the United States, with Olivia ranking as the most popular girl’s name of the year. The name dethroned Emma, ​​which had maintained its position as the most popular girls’ name for the previous five years. Meanwhile, Liam was the most popular boy’s name for the seventh year in a row.

While the most common names in the U.S. aren’t going away anytime soon, name experts believe parents are adopting different strategies when welcoming their children.

Here are some of the baby name trends we hope to see next year.

Longer names that have a nickname

Talking to The IndependentBaby name consultant Emily Kim — who frequently shares her predictions for influencers’ baby names on her TikTok — suggested that parents choose long names in an effort to give their baby a cute nickname.

“Charlotte could be Charlie or Lottie. Theodore could be Theo or Teddy. In my work, I overwhelmingly see parents looking for names with nickname options,” Kim said.

Family surnames as first names

According to baby name consultant Taylor A Humphrey, parents are inspired by meaningful names in their family. As such, a popular trend she has witnessed is for parents to give their surnames as first names to their babies.

“In many cases, these are family names used to honor a deceased loved one,” she explained. “It’s a fun way to modernize the honorary name tradition. For example, if your beloved grandmother was named Ethel Taylor, but you worry that Ethel is a little out of date, you might choose the more modern, androgynous Taylor for your son or daughter.

Humphrey also shared some other gender-neutral last names she noticed, including Lawson, Sutton, Rooney, Murphy, Rhodes and Collins.

Names inspired by TV shows, movies and celebrities

Celebrities can also shape our approach to baby names, according to baby name experts. For example, Humphrey noted that although the name Jack was already on the Social Security Association’s recent ranking of popular boys’ names, she predicted its popularity would increase in 2025 after Hailey and Justin Bieber named their son Jack Blues Bieber.

According to Kim, some of the most popular names in the US have a special connection with pop culture. The hit Netflix show Bridgerton – which premiered in 2020 and is currently filming its fourth season – featured popular names like Violet, Penelope and, of course, Charlotte. With that in mind, Kim predicts that popular characters from 2024 movies or TV shows could influence what baby names are trending next year.

“I’m not saying The idea of ​​you about a 40-year-old single mother’s unexpected romance with a young boy band member is a fitting homage for a baby name, but I’m saying Hayes and Soléne are some really cool potential names,” Kim said.

Names with references to nature

When it comes to new and popular names, Kim admitted that names like Olivia or Emma aren’t always on her mind. Instead, she predicts that baby names in 2024 will have more to do with themes that often surround us.

“I think of names like Indigo, Crew, Ocean, Banks and Isla. These types of names have a lot of references to ‘nature themes,’” she said The Independent. “Instead of being a conventional name you might hear on a list of baby names, parents are looking to the world around them and finding inspiration in the outdoors.”

Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberryalso shared some popular nature-inspired baby names in a video posted to TikTok. “Cove, of course, is a big one, but we will also see more babies named Coast, Creek and Trail,” she said, referring to these nicknames as “landscape” names.

Names that literally sound like baby names

Kihm also predicted that parents will want to give their children names that are “playful and youthful,” which she categorized under the trend: “Baby Names, Literally.”

“Definitely not ‘adult names,’ if you know what I mean,” she said on TikTok.

Trending picks in the “Baby Names, Literally” category included Blossom, Gio, and Sonny, as well as Lottie and Suede.