Check out these trendy baby-name themes that will be all the rage in 2026. Is your kid's name on the list?
As a longtime parenting writer, reporting newsy trends has always been my bag. From the hottest toys of the year and the healthiest toddler snacks to fun nursery designs and the best baby strollers, I’ve covered it all. But even I still get excited when the most popular baby names are announced each year. Choosing a child’s name is such a fun, personal journey—and it’s always a thrill to learn how parents are leaning when they select that special name for their sweetie pie.
If you love baby-name trends the way I do, it’s time to buckle up. Yup, BabyCenter has just released its brand-new predictions for 2026, highlighting the hottest baby-name trends around. Ahead, I’ll tell you the seven biggest themes influencing parents right now, plus details on how BabyCenter creates this report. Keep reading to find out what new moms and dads will be naming their tots in the coming year.
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How did BabyCenter determine 2026’s biggest naming trends?
For more than two decades, BabyCenter has determined name trends by analyzing hundreds of thousands of baby names that new parents register in real time on the BabyCenter app. This way, the team can easily spot what’s hot and make an accurate forecast every year. For this particular trends report, BabyCenter pored over data made up of more than 350,000 names of babies born between Nov. 4, 2024, through Nov. 3, 2025.
Here are the trending pop-culture and other baby-naming themes that rose to the top:
Prestige TV
All the white-hot shows we’ve been bingeing this year have made a huge splash in the world of baby-name trends. Among the must-see TV series influencing new parents are the sci-fi/dystopian drama Severance, the tropical murder mystery The White Lotus, and The Pitt, an all-too-real look behind the scenes of a metropolitan hospital emergency room. And don’t forget the finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty!
These wildly successful shows have given us cute baby names such as:
- Helena
- Samira
- Cassie
- Belinda
- Chelsea
- Valentin
- Isabel
- Susannah
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys have always held sway with the Y2K generation—and a recent residency in Las Vegas only cemented the band’s fame. But there are also names from other boy bands that are finding favor with parents-to-be. Among these are the Jonas Brothers, NSYNC and two different K-pop groups. If you’re having a boy, you might like these popular picks:
- Howie
- Nick
- Lance
- Joey
- Jin
- Jun
Basketball MVPs
When you win a championship for the first time in almost two decades, your players’ names are forever enshrined in people’s collective memories. This was the case for the hoop stars who suit up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And the WNBA is no slouch either—their women have been setting records and wowing crowds all year. Take a look at the basketball-themed names on the rise:
- Jaylin
- Dillon
- Isaiah
- Courtney
- Kelsey
- Natasha
- Erica
Cowboy Carter
Truth: It’s Beyoncé’s world—and we’re just living in it. Yup, everything she touches seems to turn to gold, including her incredibly successful Cowboy Carter album (it earned the most Grammy noms in 2025 and was the highest-grossing country music tour ever). Baby-name trends from Bey’s excellent opus are, of course, part of the natural progression.
- Rose
- Jane
- Miley
- Willie
Cottagecore
Who doesn’t want a cozy baby name for their sweet bundle of joy? Cottagecore aesthetics fit the bill here and will definitely be an influence in 2026, according to BabyCenter’s report. Cottagecore names are similar in feel to vintage baby names, as these country-sweet monikers evoke a simple, old-timey life that celebrates the natural world.
- Sienna
- Eloise
- Juniper
- Flora
- Reed
- Rowan
- Heath
Pope Francis
As the 266th leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis broke ground by becoming the first pontiff from outside of Europe (he grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina). He also espoused love and charity for all, especially the poor and displaced. Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, and in his honor, many parents-to-be are adopting his papal name, plus many other versions, for their little ones.
- Francis
- Francesco
- Frankie
- Franz
- Francine
- Frances
- Francesca
Classic literature
Another cool baby-name trend that’s poised to gain traction in 2026? Homegrown authors and their iconic characters. The 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby is leading the pack here, but other American classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye are also in the mix. If you were an English major (or not!), check out this lineup of monikers.
- Jay
- Daisy
- Buchanan
- Finn
- Holden
- Ernest
- Sylvia
- Octavia
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Sources:
- BabyCenter: “The trends that’ll influence baby names in 2026”
- CNBC: “Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, dies at 88”
- PBS News: “Leading 2025 Grammy noms, Beyoncé becomes the most nominated artist in the award’s history”
- New York Public Library: “‘The Great Gatsby’ Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary”
