The Top Names of 2022...so far
Including some surprising choices from pop culture
Which names are parents interested in now?
Our first installment of the Top Names of 2022 — based on our real-time Nameberry data — is now live! Maeve and Soren are our new Number Ones. Both are stylish names that are attracting more interest from their use on television.
While Maeve and Soren feel right — they’re bounding up the US charts as well — other names in our Top 100 reflect more pop culture and current event influence than actual use by parents.
These 13 names rank disproportionately high on our Top 100:
Astrid
This strong Scandi name is on the rise in the US, but the Syfy show Astrid & Lilly Save the World bumps it up to Number 34 on the Nameberry charts.
Cillian
Cillian broke the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2020, no doubt helped by actor Cillian Murphy. As his show Peaky Blinders comes to a close, curiosity about his traditional Irish name has gone up.
Cosmo
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost welcomed their son Cosmo last August, shocking fans with such an offbeat name. But Cosmo has been on everyone’s lips since, and we expect it to rise in popularity soon. Could Cosmo be the next Theo?
Daphne
Bridgerton heroine Daphne Bridgerton gave her mythological name a dose of freshness when the series premiered on Netflix in 2020. Her name is currently at Number 24 on the Nameberry charts, and Daphne will likely see a large jump in national ranking when the 2021 data is released next week.
Lyra
Lyra was a clear successor to Lila and co. that has surprisingly always ranked below the Top 500. Ed Sheeran’s daughter Lyra Antarctica jump-started interest in her astronomical name (not so much her geographical one).
Maeve
Maeve has always been a Nameberry favorite, but the Netflix series Sex Education has kept it in our Top 10 for years. Maeve could easily break the US Top 100 for 2021.
Otis
Speaking of Sex Education, it’s done a lot for the name Otis, transforming it from dated and geeky to spunky and strong. It is currently ranked at Number 28 on our charts.
Ottilie
Influencer Zoë Sugg introduced many Americans to the name Ottilie when she used it for her daughter Ottilie Rue, born last August. Ranking within the Top 150 in the UK and at Number 10 on the Nameberry charts, Ottilie is poised to join the US charts in the next few years.
Royal
Mystery solved! We were wondering why Royal was surging on our charts, and Berry Katy Vaydo pointed out that it’s the name of the hero in the latest Amazon Prime show Outer Range. Cowboy-cool name Royal is an apt choice for a rancher embroiled in a sci-fi mystery.
Saoirse
Saoirse Ronan hasn’t made any headlines lately, but her distinctive Gaelic name is always fueling intrigue. Much of it around how, exactly, to pronounce Saoirse (SUR-sha or SEER-sha). Saoirse currently ranks at Number 81 on Nameberry and Number 741 nationally.
Soren
This fashionable Scandinavian name has ranked in our Top 100 for a while now, but this marks Soren’s first time as Number 1. Responsible for the bump: Soren-066, a Spartan on Halo, Paramount Plus’s TV adaptation of the video game.
Vladimir
The war between Russia and Ukraine has increased searches for Vladimir, Putin’s Slavic first name. It’s a classic choice in Russia, where it still ranks in the Top 100. Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is named Volodymyr, the Ukrainian variation of Vladimir.
Wolf
Kylie Jenner made baby name news twice this year, first when she revealed her son’s name was Wolf, and second when she announced that she’s changing his name. No word yet on what Baby Webster’s new name is, but in the meantime, everyone is curious about Wolf — an animal name expected to rise.
What else is going on…
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