Trendy names: Baby names that you’re about to see everywhere

Most prospective parents want to know what the trendy baby names are — but not for the reason you might think.

Trendy baby names are typically something parents want to know how to avoid. Parents these days don't want something super popular, Namerology.com founder Laura Wattenberg tells TODAY.com. She is also the author of the Baby Name Wizard books.

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"It's not like a designer bag," she says. "No one wants to think their baby has a trendy name."

So, what baby names trends should parents know?

Cowboy-inspired names are at the top of Wattenberg's list of what's trending. She cites shows like "Yellowstone" as contributing to the trend. Look for names like Stetson and Colter to grow in popularity.

She points out, however, that "real" cowboys often have more traditional names like William — think Billy the Kid as an example.

Another trend, Wattenberg says, is names ending with “s.” She says this is particularly trendy in the South.

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“Brooks is already popular and will remain so,” she tells TODAY.com. Banks and Hayes are also trending. As far as girls go, she suggests keeping an eye on the name Collins.

Next up, “long, multi-syllabic names that end in ‘i’” are on Wattenberg's list of what's popping in baby name trends. What kind of names fit this description? Wattenberg gives the examples of Meilani and Kaelani.

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Cute, old-fashioned sounding names are also trendier now than in years past. Names like Billy and Stevie for boys and Elsie and Millie for girls are examples Wattenberg cites.

The Social Security Administration released the names that are the fastest rising in terms of popularity, but they don’t necessarily overlap with what’s poised to trend in general.

The rise in popularity could be attributed to social media and pop culture, the SSA said in a press release.

“It’s clear that social media stars had a major influence on new parents in 2023. The fastest rising girl’s name, Kaeli, went viral in 2023, rising a whopping 1,692 spots,” the SSA said. “Parents must have really smashed the ‘like’ button for YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen (also known as Kaile Mae).”

“On the boy’s side, trending in third place as the boy’s fastest riser is Eiden — perhaps it was TikTok creator Wyatt Eiden’s 1.6 billion views and over 3 million followers that prompted this name’s meteoric rise.”