10 October 2023 , 14:27
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A professional baby-namer predicts using "surnames as first names" and gender-neutral options will both be increasingly popular trends for new-borns next year.
Steph Coffield, 40, a consultant for parents-to-be, said more people are choosing one particular name pre-birth, which works for both girls and boys. The stay-at-home mum from St Paul, Minnesota, USA, said Cameron and Carter for boys will continue to be popular, as well as Maddison and Spencer for girls.
She estimated parents will become "more adventurous" with their choices, and predicts Fisher, Huxley and Ridley will be big names for newborns next year. She said these names also conform to the growing number of gender-neutral names, which she predicted will continue in 2024.
Some increasingly popular surname-style first names include Carter, Campbell and Cameron (Getty Images)The mum-of-three said: "I'm seeing a lot of whimsical, gender-neutral surnames being given as first names. We're seeing girls' names becoming more masculine and boys' names becoming softer too. Some parents will come to me asking for one that works for a boy and a girl ahead of time, then they can stick with it, whatever the gender."
Some increasingly popular surname-style first names include Carter, Campbell and Cameron. Steph explained these are particularly popular examples as "everyone loves a C name." Surname-based predictions for 2024 include Adley and Dawson as well as Fisher, Huxley and Ridley - following in the footsteps of Cooper and Spencer, now often seen for girls.
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Steph said gender-neutral titles for both women and men will still be popular as society continues to embrace gender fluidity. She said: "The way things are going, with more acceptance of non-binary people, parents aren't afraid to give boys softer more feminine names. We're already there with girls being more masculine and that will continue."
“Masculine-sounding” names such as Juniper and Sloane are predicted to be popular for girls in 2024 include Collins, Juniper and Sloane. She predicts more “feminine-sounding”' names for boys will remain popular, including Colter and Waylon - “softer” western-style names.
Another trend that Steph reckons will be a hit for 2024 is "classic" names that everyone knows, but that have fallen out of circulation. These include titles like Harrison, Nathaniel and Vincent for boys, and Annie, Cecelia and Margaret for girls.
She added: "I'm seeing this more and more - parents want a classic name, but one that's out of the top 100. They want a name that feels familiar and that everyone has heard, but they don't want their child to have five other kids in their class with the same name."
According to Babycenter the most popular names for girls in 2023 included: Olivia, Amelia, Sophia, Ava, Charlotte, Isabella, Mia, and Luna. For boys, the biggest hits this year were: Noah, Liam, Oliver, Elijah, Mateo, Lucas, Levi, and Leo.