These Names Are Past Their Peak
But we still love them
This week I’ve been looking into baby names at their peak popularity: ones that rank higher now than they’ve ever done before. (Coming to the Nameberry blog soon!)
The flipside of that is finding names that peaked the previous year — in 2021 —and have taken a downturn.
It could be the start of a steady descent through the ranks, or a temporary blip. Either way, these names aren’t rocketing up any more.
They’re still great options — some are classics, some are in the Top 20 and in no danger of going out of style for the foreseeable. But their date stamp is starting to reveal itself. So if you’re looking for a cutting-edge, ahead-of-the-curve name, you may want to avoid these!
50 Names On The Turn
Adler (b) — edged into the Top 1000 recently but looks like it won’t be there for long, unless more parents suddenly discover it.
Atticus — took a fall in rankings in 2016, the year after Go Set a Watchman was published, but recovered from that. Will this literary-Roman crossover make a comeback from this year’s drop too?
Bellamy (b) — given to almost equal numbers of boys and girls. But while it’s still trending up for girls, it’s stalling for boys.
Bodhi (b) — this spiritual choice rose through the ranks fast, but seems to have plateaued.
Briar (b&g) — we still love this fairytale nature name, but it’s dropped slightly for both sexes.
Briggs — a brisk “ends in S” surname like Brooks and Rhodes, but for some reason no longer climbing.
Cataleya and Kataleya — although similar-but-more-classic Catalina is on the up-and-up.
Cecilia — coasting around the mid-100s.
Eleanor — a surprise drop of one place, as I was convinced it was heading for the Top 10.
Elijah — to be fair, once you reach the Top 5 there’s not much higher you can go. Spelling variation Alijah has also fallen in rank this year.
Ellis (g) — Ellis remains a steady low-key classic for boys, but took a sharp drop for girls.
Ellison (g) — Dropped out of the Top 1000 altogether. Feels like it should be more popular, but is perhaps too close to fading Allison.
Emilia — another “-ilia” girl name trending ever so slightly down. Is this the end of frilly?
Evangeline — dropped over 30 places. Eva is also on a downturn, though British-style Evie is rising fast.
Finley (b) — rose suddenly for boys in the 2000s, followed by a spiky last few years: it’s hard to tell which way this one will go.
Ford — only in the Top 1000 since 2014, Ford may be in for a quick rise and fall.
Halo (g) — another recent entry to the Top 1000 that may not be going much further.
Harlow (g) — still glamorous, but other O-ending names (like Marlowe) are rising to take its place.
Isla — has made the Top 50, but American parents may never catch up with the love for Isla in Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
Jack — casual classic that narrowly missed the US Top 10.
Jackson — just dropped out of the Top 20. Spellings Jaxon and Jaxson, as well as Jax, are also trending downwards: we may have simply reached saturation point with this sound.
Jericho (b) — we thought this spiritual name was climbing, but perhaps the trend was more short-lived than we imagined.
Jesiah — this biblical-esque name slipped out of the Top 1000 last year.
Journi (g) — Journee is still rising (just), but Journi and Journey are traveling down.
Jude (b) — another name which American parents have given their best shot, but will probably never love as much as Brits and Aussies.
Kai (g) — climbing ever higher for boys, but leaving the girls behind.
Kingston — popular in the South, but falling nationwide.
Ledger — with a wealth of other surnames and hero-names to choose from, Ledger is bowing under the competition.
Legacy (b&g) — dropped 25 places for boys, and over 50 for girls, last year.
Legend (b) — the novelty of this epic name may be starting to wear off.
Magnolia —another name that’s big in Southern states (as is the tree), but starting to dip nationwide.
McCoy (b) — entered the Top 1000 in 2020, but may be on the way out again.
Monroe (g) — like Harlow, it’s glam but perhaps being ousted by similar names like Margot.
Moshe — dipped into the Top 500, then out again.
Nash — part nature, part rock’n’roll, but starting to slip in the rankings.
Nolan — still in the Top 100, but perhaps starting to run its course.
Novalee — while Nova is still riding the popularity wave, this elaboration is on the way down.
Octavia — we wondered if this might be the next Olivia, but it’s stalling in the mid-200s.
Promise (g) — dropped over 40 places last year.
Reign (b&g) — over the popularity crest for both genders, and likely to be timestamped to 2010s and 2020s babies.
Remi (b) — still shooting up for girls, but falling for boys.
Rylee (g) — Riley is on a slow descent in the rankings, and alternative spellings are falling too.
Sky (g) — down 21 places in 2022.
Soraya — entered the Top 1000 in 2021, and promptly left again.
Wilder — namenerds have been loving on this name for years. Has its time already passed?
Zion (b) — another spiritual name taking a dip maybe a little sooner than expected.
More Fun Things
Is it just us, or Kelli Giddish’s new son’s name even more surprising than Bambi, Riot, or Legendary Love?
Loads of love for the Names That Got Away. I feel the parents’ pain, even (especially?) for the ones that would never have worked, like Shepherd Lamb!
We’ve got two awesome, but different, styles of girl names on the blog this week: Badass Princess and New Geek Chic. If you had to choose…