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As 2025 winds down, trend watchers are already setting their sights on what the next year will bring in fashion, travel, culture and, yes, baby names. This week, the experts at Nameberry have unveiled their predictions for the trends set to shape parents’ naming choices in 2026.
“Every fall, we publish our roundup of the top baby name trends for the year ahead,” Nameberry Editor-in-Chief Sophie Kihm told HuffPost. “The process begins in the summer, when our team brainstorms trend ideas based on names currently trending on Nameberry, rising names from the previous year, celebrity baby names, and our own insights and observations from our daily lives.”
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The result is a list of 10 trends, which this year includes inspiration from British literature, ancient civilizations, anime and more.
“Our trend that is surprising the most people is ‘Straight Out of Utah Names,’” Kihm said. “‘Utah-style names’ have been subject to ridicule in ‘tragedeigh’ forums and baby name message boards for years now. But thanks to trendy TV shows like ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ and ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,’ parents are recognizing the range of ‘Utah Names’ and taking from them plenty of inspiration.”
She noted that Nameberry’s trends list does not include top names like Olivia and Liam but rather explores fresh picks they see heating up and rising in the Social Security Administration’s data in the next year or so.
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“I hope that when reading about 2026 name trends, people are able to appreciate the variety of influences on today’s naming climate,” Kihm said. “You may not personally be a fan of Taylor Swift, anime or romantasy, but these things are nonetheless impacting the names parents give their children. And I hope parents-to-be are able to find some baby name inspiration in this year’s trends!”
Without further ado, keep scrolling for Nameberry’s top 10 baby naming trends for 2026.
Brit Lit Names
The Nameberry team sees baby naming inspiration in the slew of film and TV adaptations of British literature classics set to debut in 2026. With the release of the new “Wuthering Heights” and “Sense and Sensibility” movies and the “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries, the team predicts a renewed interest in English literary characters and names.
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Briony
Bronte
Darcy
Eyre
Heath
Tess
Showgirl Names
Given Taylor Swift’s documented influence on baby names, her new “The Life of a Showgirl” album certainly has the potential to make an impact on parents’ choices. This category includes names from the songs, as well as those of real-life and fictional starlets, bringing a glitzy, feminine vibe.
Farrah
Marilyn
Nomi
Ophelia
Roxie
Tallulah
A-OK Boomer Names
“A-OK Boomer Names are the latest iteration of clunky-cool, counterculture baby names favored by trendsetting parents,” Kihm writes in the Nameberry report, noting that some will draw inspiration from specific boomer relatives while others simply appreciate the vibe of 1950s names “and the glamorized post-war era.”
Beverly
Bruce
Darla
Patti
Ralph
Wayne
Romantasy Names
The romantasy genre of books has made an epic splash in recent years, so it’s only natural these character names might gain popularity as well. This category includes ornate choices that either come from specific books or simply sound like they could be the hero or heroine of a romantic fantasy novel.
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Bronwen
Cassian
Cordelia
Emrys
Esmarie
Magnus
Straight Out Of Utah Names
As noted, these names that were previously relegated to “tragedeigh” forum status are actually gaining more mainstream appeal. Nameberry credits Utah parents with reviving forgotten vintage names while also innovating monikers of their own.
Coast
Dottie
Elden
Scotlyn
Valley
Zealand
Soulful Names
Although biblical names have long been popular in the U.S., the Nameberry team sees parents taking an approach that’s more spiritual than overtly religious. The result is a trend toward names with a soulful connection open to individual interpretations.
Cedar
Dove
Purpose
River
Shepherd
Truce
Ancient Civilization Names
This trend category is all about drawing from ancient civilizations like the Greeks, Romans and Mesoamericans. “These serious, often substantial choices evoke emperors and warriors, intellectuals and the ancient literati,” Kihm writes.
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Adhara
Cassander
Cressida
Eulalia
Nefertari
Tenoch
Number Names
Instead of honoring relatives with names like James Anthony IV, parents might be drawn to numerical names that evoke lineage in a different way. For example, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker named their son Rocky Thirteen, as he is the 13th grandchild in the Kardashian family.
Cinco
Forty
Eleven
Octavia
Prima
Seven
Vowel Hiatus Names
“The trendiest sound in baby names for 2026 is the vowel hiatus: the enunciation of two distinct adjoining vowels,” Kihm notes. These names contain few consonant sounds and instead let the vowels do the talking.
Aya
Deia
Elio
Eziah
Koa
Leonie
Anime Names
From the rise in travel to Japan to the success of anime shows and movies in the streaming world, many cultural trends are driving the rise of anime names. These picks have a shorter, streamlined vibe that appeals to many parents.
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Issei
Jinu
Kaya
Mira
Rumi