The year 2019 is winding down so it’s time not only for end-of-year lists but end-of-decade lists! First up in our name news roundup, Mental Floss breaks down the most popular baby names of the decade. The list is honestly pretty unsurprising. Many of the top baby names of 2019, like Emma, Sophia, Noah, Liam, and Olivia, are also the top names of the decade. In the future though, this list will be an interesting “time capsule” of the style that defined this era. Kinda cool to think about the perspective time will give us, right?!
A little more surprising and a lot more interesting are the trends that defined the 2010s. The New York Times tackles them for us, breaking down the most popular names and tracking the trends. (And it’s written by Nameberry’s cofounder, Pamela Redmond, so we know for certain that she knows what’s what!) Top trends include these:
- New vintage
- “Shorties” or nickname names
- Contemporary gods and goddesses
- Celebrity names
- Pop culture names (for example, names inspired by the likes of Star Wars, Game of Thrones, or Harry Potter)
- Dictionary names (or thing names)
- Adventurous place names (national park names, water names, names of cities or countries)
- Gender-neutral names
- International-inspired names
- Invented names
Pop culture and celebrities will always be sources of baby name inspiration, and parents are increasingly more adventurous, so invented names (including hybrids and combos) will continue to grow. The trend we’d add to the list is surname-inspired first names (though many of these would fit within gender-neutral or dictionary names). The last-name-as-first-name works great as an honor name, and it fits into a preppier style than we’ve seen in recent years, one that we expect to see more of.
2019 has certainly been a great year for baby names, and an article published in USA Today this week gives us the data to support that US baby names are now more diverse than ever. For the first time, the names Muhammad and Aaliyah broke into the top 10 names in the US per data at Babycenter.com. We’re looking forward to seeing how shifts in demographics and diversity will change baby name choices in the new year.
And then there are the furbabies! Rover.com has revealed 2019’s top names for cat and dogs, and it doesn’t look so crazy different from the top names for baby girls and boys! Max and Bella still dominate the list for dogs and Luna and Oliver for cats.
Also on the list for dogs are Bear, Buddy, Charlie, Cooper, Duke, Jack, Milo, Rocky, Milo, and Teddy for male dogs and Bailey, Daisy, Lily, Lola, Lucy, Luna, Molly, Sadie, and Zoe for female dogs.
There’s overlap for our feline friends, too. Rounding out that list following Luna and Oliver are Charlie, Jack, Jasper, Leo, Loki, Max, Milo, Max, Oscar, and Simba for male cats and Bella, Chloe, Daisy, Kitty, Lily, Nala, Sophie, and Stella for female cats.
This list is strongly populated by human names, and trending ones at that, reminding us that names are more about the parents than the ones being named. We like what we like, whether our little baby has fur or not. (And to disclose, Star’s dog is Oliver and Lynda’s two cats are Finn and Leopold, so we’re clearly on the bandwagon!) This gets us wondering, what’s it like having a name that is also popular with pets? We both have uncommon names, so it hasn’t really come up for us. If you have a popular pet name, please chime in! Leave us a comment to tell us how it is.