Parents are turning to virtuous baby names such as Faith and Hope to boost their moods during turbulent and uncertain times, a study has found. The trend was started by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West who named their son Saint following his birth in 2015, sparking a revival in the traditional charity-style names as young parents copy with their own tots.
Dubbed ‘modern virtue names’, monikers rising in popularity include Felicity, meaning good fortune and happiness, and Verity which stands for truth and honesty.
Boy’s name Frank is also popular as more than a quarter (26%) of expectant parents say they are considering a ‘modern virtue’ name for their baby. Baby name experts say choosing one of these names is a way for millennial mums and dads to signal their disapproval at the tough economic and political conditions and push for more positive times ahead. The annual Baby Name Predictions report from parenting site ChanneMum.com – which first identified the rise of the name Corbyn – doesn’t list the top 100 most popular names but instead identifies hottest rising trends that will be among the most popular names in three to five years.
And while the fashion for gender neutral names is continuing, a fresh phenomenon for ‘gender crossover’ names will emerge in 2018.
Top 8 name trends for 2018
Space names, e.g. Luna, Stella, Nova, Orion – 51% 2.
Gender Crossover names, e.g. Teddy, Robin and Noel for girls, Carol and Aubrey for boys – 37% 3.
‘Bad’ boys & girls name e.g. Harley, Quinn, Ronnie, Reggie, Kato – 31% 4.
Bird names, e.g. Wren, Phoenix, Paloma, Birdie – 28% 5.
Virtuous names, e.g. Saint, Hope, Faith – 26% 6.
Botanical Names taking over from flower names, e.g. Ferne, Bay, Basil, Sage 24% 7.
Names meaning Wealthy or Money, e.g. Ottilie, Elodie, Rafferty, Cash – 12% 8.
Shakespearian names, e.g. Hero, Balthazar, Ophelia, Juno – 11%
Most 9 disliked name trends
Double-barrelled names (e.g. Lacey-May, Tyler-Joe) – 51%
Children names after sports teams – 40%
Unusual spellings – 40%
Families using the same first letter for all their children (e.g. Kim, Khloe) – 28%
Surnames as first names – 27%
Children named after music stars – 22%
Children names after films – 20%
Giving a child more than two names before the surname – 14%
Tough names – 14%
Names predicted to begin to fall OUT of fashion
Donald (Trump effect)
Maisy
Kia
Olivia
Oliver
Alfie
Amelia
Isla
Jack
Arlo
Lily
