Stormy weather set to inspire parents' baby name choices for 2024

08 January 2024 , 11:13

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Parents are taking inspiration from weather events (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

Inspiration for baby names can come from the most unexpected places, and that's definitely the case now as parents are set to be influenced by the stormy weather that has dominated as of late.

When parents-to-be are deciding what to name their child there are countless things that normally take into account, including whether they want a tradition name or something more unique. Inspiration can come from a whole host of different places, including people they know or what is on trend at the moment.

Last month, BabyCentre revealed the top 100 girls' and boys' names for 2023, as well as some of the trends that have been popular over the last 12 months. The expert parenting platform has also shared some of the other things that will be inspiring parents in 2024.

Speaking to the Mirror, spokeswoman Faye Mingo predicted a rise in both airy and earthy names in 2024. This will include names inspired by recent weather events, with parents being drawn to names such as Storm, Gale, and Celeste if they're fans of airy names, while tree-themed monikers will rule the earthy choices, such as Hazel, Fern, Rowan, and Oakley.

She said: "Both airy and earthy names are becoming more popular. Think Ariel, Aurora, Celeste and Electra for airy girls and Sky, Storm, Gale, Phoenix and Sol for boys. Coming back down to earth we expect to see more girls named Hazel, Savannah, Fern and Gaia and more boys called Oakley, Rowan, Forest and Heath."

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The UK has seen several extreme weather events over the past years, including Storm Ciara in 2020 and Eunice in February 2022 and Storm Arwen in 2021. With so many weather events impacting people's daily lives, it may come as no surprise that parents draw inspiration from some of them.

And Faye is not the only one to think so. Nameberry creator Pamela Redmond also predicted "atmospheric" names would surge in popularity in 2024, including weather-based one like Snow, Storm and Ice. She also predicted that the name Lightning would see a sharp rise in popularity this year.

The unique name can be used as a gender-neutral moniker, although it's often more popular with parents of baby girls. According to the name experts, Lightning, along with other atmospheric names such as Rain, Sky, and Zephyr, tend to be used more often by younger parents.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz