31 December 2023 , 16:10
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If you want your child to grow up to be free-spirited this might be the baby name for you.
Choosing a baby name is never easy, simply because there are just so many options out there. From timeless, traditional choices that are unlikely to go out of style, to the more modern and unconventional, new parents have thousands of choices available to them when they are deciding what to name their child.
An expert has predicted which names are likely to be most popular in the next year, and one of them seems like an unusual choice, but it has a wonderful meaning behind it and encapsulates a value that many parents would love to see their children embody: independence.
The expert - SJ Struma, a baby name consultant and YouTuber - told Yahoo UK that they predict that Indie will be a really popular baby name choice in 2024. This comes after the use of the name has steadily risen in popularity over the last few years.
Traditionally Indie or Indy would have been a shortened version or nickname for first names like India or Indigo - and has been used as both a boy or girl's name, so it is a perfect choice for parents looking for a more gender-neutral name for their child.
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The expert explained to Yahoo UK that gender-neutral names are also more generally on the rise in the UK, "as we move to raising our children as individuals". She noted that other neutral names they predict will be popular next year include "River [which] is rising for both boys and girls, Noa is trending for girls and Noah is our number one boy name, Wren and Indie remain popular too."
Indie is a popular choice for new parents, with Nameberry.com reporting that in Wales, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland the name features in the Top 100 charts, they also note that "The Indie version seems more feminine, while Indy as in Indiana Jones tends toward the boyish."
When it came to more names on the more traditional side of the spectrum, Strum believes that Elizabeth will see a surge in popularity after the death of the late Queen, as well as "its diminutives like Eliza, Elspeth, and Betty [which] will also see a spike".
She also claims that names like Delilah, Margot, Nellie, and Cleo will be popular next year.
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