10 Trending Baby Names You’ll See Everywhere in 2022

Aynur_sib/Shutterstock

Olivia

You probably already know a few little ones named Olivia: This popular girl’s name has been steadily climbing in recognition since the 1990s, and it’s on trend to be the number one most popular name for girls this year. Its popularity may be thanks in part to strong female TV characters including Scandal‘s Olivia Pope and Law & Order‘s Olivia Benson. The trackers at Names.org are following the current popularity of baby names and adjusting the rankings. To keep the lead, Olivia needs to edge out Emma and stay ahead of Ava. Charlotte and Mia round out the top five predictions for the most popular names for girls. Amelia and Evelyn look to break into the top ten this year. Sophia’s trending down so far, but variations in spelling like Sofia could keep it an ultra-popular choice.

Here’s the predicted top ten:

1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Ava
4. Charlotte
5. Mia
6. Sophia
7. Isabella
8. Harper
9. Amelia
10. Evelyn

Tatiana Chekryzhova/Shutterstock

Noah

After major leaps in popularity since 2015, Noah is on track to be the most popular name for boys again this year. Parents seem to the love Biblical names, as the top ten holds more than a few.  Liam and Benjamin are holding strong to come in as the second or third most popular boy name. Oliver leapt forward in the past few years, jumping into the top ten and trending upward. Reliably classic names like William dropped down a few notches in the top ten. Lucas broke in, up from #14 a few years ago. Mason and Michael could drop out of the top ten altogether, especially since spelling variations like Mateo and Matthew, and Jackson and Jaxon, can bump over those names in the top slots when their numbers combine.

Here are the predicted top ten baby names for boys:

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Benjamin
4. Oliver
5. William
6. James
7. Elijah
8. Lucas
9. Mason
10. Michael

Mila Davidovic/Shutterstock

Luna

Luna is what the experts refer to as a “wild card” name. That means that it’s possible that the name, which has steadily increased in popularity over the last decade, could catapult into popularity and knock out one of the top slot predictions. It’s plausible that it could leap forward in unpredictable ways: Celebrity couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen named their baby girl Luna in 2016, which is the kind of renown that can make a name suddenly skyrocket. Other wildmcard girl names include Adeline, Eliana, Aurora, and Ruby.

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Bryson

Offbeat spelling and other variations are on trend, which makes Bryson another possible wild card that could suddenly take off and become more popular. The other wild card names for boys that may leap into sudden fame include Greyson, Ezra, Lincoln, Easton, Asher, and Elias.

taramara78/Shutterstock

Stormi

You wouldn’t think that weather would be a predictor of baby names, but according to Names.org trend-trackers, it has influence. Interest in the name Irma spiked after Hurricane Irma in 2017. So did interest in the name Ockhi after tropical cyclone Ockhi, also in 2017. Who knows if actual storms inspired Kylie Jenner of Kardashian fame to name her daughter Stormi, but one thing is for sure: interest in the name spiked after the news broke. In 2016, only 30 babies got the name Stormi. Time will tell if that name will stay low-key or gust forward.

ucchie79/Shutterstock

Shuri

There were only five babies named Shuri between 1880 and 2016, but interest in the name has exploded since the release of the mega-blockbuster Black Panther. Shuri is the name of the Wakandan princess/tech genius in the superhero film. Popular movies often make an obscure name suddenly fashionable.

Syda Productions/Shutterstock

Mazikeen

Popular television shows can also spike interest in a name and inspire new parents to choose it for their child. Mazikeen is a character on the TV series Lucifer that helped the name to gain notice. Clowance gained interest after a character on the show Poldark. Dartanian also got a jolt of interest after it showed up on the TV series Stranger Things. (It’s the name of a creature on the show that ate a 3 Musketeers candy bar.) D’artagnan was one of the musketeers of literary fame. Look for babies with the nickname Dart!

takayuki/Shutterstock

Belcalis

Belcalis started trending once the news broke that the rapper Cardi B’s actual first name is Belcalis. Music trends have a strong influence on a name’s popularity. The name Zhavia trended due to being the name of a teenage contestant on the singing competition show The Four. Video games and popular culture can also inspire interest. There is no one on record actually named Bayek, but it’s the name of a major character in the video game Assassin’s Creed Origins. Inspired fans took note and the name got a spike of interest after the game premiere.

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

James

James is on record at Names.org as the most popular name in the United States and there have been over 5 million James since the 1880s. The name’s popularity is holding strong; this year, James is still in the top ten most popular names. John is all-time number two, but not currently in the top ten. Michael is another classic favorite that’s just barely in the top ten. Have a fur baby? Don’t miss the most popular dog names.

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

Evelyn

Evelyn is only the 52nd most popular girl name of all-time with over a half-a-million Evelyns on record. The name was super popular in the 1920s and then it took a deep dive for a long while before it made our list of vintage baby names making a comeback. Evelyn is popular on classic and vintage name lists too. Since the aughts, the name is on a major upswing. It’s in the predicted most popular girl name list for this year and trending upward. It’s rare, but on occasion, boys are named Evelyn too. Find out the middle name traditions from across the world.