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From Blue-Green Names to Neo-Cowboy Monikers, These Are the Hottest Baby Name Trends of 2023

Mother working from home while holding baby
Mother working from home while holding baby

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When it comes to baby name trends for 2023, Namberry has all the details on what you can expect to see from next year's crop of newborns.

The world's largest baby name website has released its forecast for what we'll see in baby names next year, predicting "more than a vibe shift" when it comes to monikers that will fall into favor.

"There's a sea change upon us," says Nameberry founder Pam Redmond. "Exactly how that will play out over the next ten years in terms of which names are up, which down, is more difficult to predict than the overall feeling that things are going to change a lot."

"The mood of names is going to change along with the mood of people," she adds.

As always, pop culture plays a role in inspiring some name trends, with shows like Bridgerton and The Witcher inspiring a lot of maximalist names — with dark academia, high fantasy and regency-core as popular subtrends. Amadeus and Mazikeen are just two of the rising names on Nameberry exemplifying this trend.

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A beautiful young African American mother in a hospital gown gently holds her infant in her arms and smiles down at her. The baby's eyes are closed.
A beautiful young African American mother in a hospital gown gently holds her infant in her arms and smiles down at her. The baby's eyes are closed.

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Sci-fi western Outer Range and hit series Yellowstone have led to the rise in neo-cowboy names, including Rhett, Royal, Briggs and Foster.

Thanks to Stranger Things and countless other nostalgia pieces that have come to trend in recent years, there is also a rise in names that have been previously dismissed as dated — like Ferris, Robin and Sloane.

Similarly nostalgic are "grandpa names for girls," short names that sound like a man's nickname that are full baby girl names — like Billie, Murphy and Teddy.

Mother and playful son at the mountain field
Mother and playful son at the mountain field

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If you're looking for a shiny, sparking name, look no further than the guilded trend, which shows an uptick in names from Apollo and Helios to Goldie and Lux.

Certain letters and name formats are even seeing trends as we head into the new year, with four-letter names ending in "i" having a moment — like Gigi, Nori, Ezri and Zuri.

The largely unused letter "x" is on trend for names long and short. Some point to Elon Musk and Grimes — who have used "x" in both their kids' names — as popularizing the letter. Bellatrix, Maxine, Ajax, and Huxley are all names that are on the rise.

Black mother carrying baby son
Black mother carrying baby son

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Some of the names that have seen increased popularity in recent years are being remixed in the "mix and match" name trends, where parents experiment with different prefixes and suffixes, like Kai-, Mae- and Ice- being paired with -iel, -lani, -land and -wyn. Keep an eye out for names like Icelyn, Novare and Oakland.

Look to celebs like Nick Cannon and Jessica Hart for popularizing adjective names. Three of Cannon's children — Powerful, Golden and Legendary — names reflect the rising trend, while Hart is mom to son Glorious, Heavenly, Wild and Noble.

More parents are also turning to hues for name inspiration. Blue-green names, which are inspired by themes of peace, reflection and environment, are seeing a major moment. Think Caspian, Ivy, and Storm among the trend's rising names.