There’s so much pressure around picking the perfect name for your baby, especially in this day and age where unusual names, Netflix inspired names and totally made up names are all the rage.
From the the mount up hype around celebrity baby names (we don’t know about you but those days leading up to Stacey Solomon’s name reveal were torture), to finding something truly meaningful and unique (like influencer Imogen Horton’s baby, who she made up the very pretty name Renaelia for), it’s never felt so important for parents to choose something extra special for their new arrival.
If you’re expecting in 2022 and you want to keep on top of all the latest baby name trends, we’ve rounded up some of next year’s biggest baby boy and baby girl name predictions according to Nameberry, experts in the world of baby name trends and statistics.
Nature names
Once again our love for nature has inspired the names we choose for our babies as it has in previous years. There are some lovely sounding names linked to the natural world, as well as some really cool options, many of which are gender neutral.
Ocean
Forest
Reef
Palmer
Capri
Bali
Dune
Bay
Koa
Lotus
Playful names
After all the negativity we’ve had to deal with in the past few years, it’s no surprise that more playful sounding names are gaining popularity. These names will bring so much joy and light to your life, and they’ll really suit your adorable new baby.
Boys
Teddy
Ziggy
Buddy
Bear
Sonny
Girls
Gigi
Baby
Pixie
Coco
Honey
Names inspired by Netflix’s Bridgerton
If you’ve binged some of the most popular shows on Netflix recently, you’ve probably fallen in love with some of the names you’ve heard. One show in particular that had us all swooning for the regal names (not just the Duke!) was Bridgerton.
Boys
Rupert
Simon
Theo
Benedict
Gregory
Girls
Daphne
Eloise
Penelope
Philippa
Hyacinth
Non-binary names
From gender fluid clothing lines to neutral nurseries, it’s becoming increasingly important for parents to not enforce gender norms on their children, and this extends to names too.
Blair
Sasha
Harlow
Nova
Echo
Wren
Indigo
Honor
Marlowe
Artemis
Retro names
We’re a sucker for a cute grandma or granddad sounding name for adorable little babies. Nostalgic names have been popular for quite some years now and they clearly stand the test of time.
Boys
Vincent
Bobby
Louie
Gus
Gene
Girls
Betty
Susie
Etta
Nellie
Mae
Musical names
If you think your tot is destined to become a musical genius, there’s never been a more fitting theme than a name inspired by a musical term. These names are set to be hugely fashionable in 2022, and we’re not surprised - they do sound rather cool.
Boys
Anthem
Brio
Solo
Drummer
Coda
Girls
Allegra
Caprice
Lyra
Jazz
Calypso
Spiritual names
Sometimes the most powerful names are those that come to us spiritually, and after all the uncertainty we’ve faced recently, a lot of us are looking for names that resonate with how we’ve been feeling.
Boys
Psalm
Amenadiel
Soul
Brave
Jericho
Girls
Kali
Dream
Promise
Irie
True
Names ending in S
There’s been names ending in O’s, R’s A’s and N’s and now for 2022, it’s all about S ending names. There’s something so cool about names ending with an S, and they’re predicted to be popular for both girls and boys.
Boys
Idris
Wells
Ignatius
Rivers
Rhodes
Girls
Lois
Jules
Hollis
Banks
Iris
Names beginning with R
While names ending in S are in fashion, names beginning with R are set to grow in popularity in 2022 (we think Rhodes will be the ultimate cool name). Taking inspiration from nature and European languages, here are some of the top R names.
Boys
Rome
Rowe
Rye
Reed
Ren
Girls
Rain
Rue
Rumi
Reign
Rox