For every generation of kids, there are certain names that are very, um... dated? Maybe "dated" is not the right word. Let's go with... "specific." To the era. And if this list of the 10 most popular baby names of 2016 so far is any indication, this year's kids are going to be some elegant, classy AF babies.
Initially, I was irritated. Why? Because I'm snooty, and when I have my own spawn, I don't want their names to be super popular. But I also don't want their names to make fourth grade tough, either, so there's a fine line to walk. Where this is all going, of course, is this point: A lot of the names on Nameberry's 2016 baby list were also on my list. Then I realized that the reason why I love all of these top names is because my generation is currently having babies, and then I threw up and screeched — but don't worry, we're back on track now. It's all good. Ha ha. Ha.
Anyway, Nameberry, the baby name super site, bases their current poll on which individual pages (they have over 20 million) receive the most visits during the first three months of the year. So while hundreds of thousands of babies may not be currently named Ezra, for example, parents are certainly thinking about it. Here are the top 10 names that parents are thinking about for their 2016-era progeny.
I mean, yes, there are still nine months left in the year, so the rankings may change by the time we get to December — but let's just relish these names and the moment they're having right now. They deserve it. You deserve it. We all deserve it.
1. Olivia
Though Olivia has been a top five stronghold for a while now, this is the first year that she has come out on top, unseating Charlotte. Will she hold onto the lead? Will she be as strong as a olive tree, which is what her name means?
2. Ezra
This Biblical name, which means, "help," has been experiencing a meteoric rise — in 2014, it was the 119th most popular name for a boy, but in 2015 and 2016, it was the most searched name on Nameberry. Could it be at least in part due to Ezra Fitz from Pretty Little Liars? Maybe. He is, admittedly, very handsome.
3. Amelia
So, basically the entire Western world is obsessed with the name Amelia right now. It's in the top 10 for babies in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Poland, and has been in the UK's number one spot since 2011. Seen as an alternative to the early aughts hits Amanda and Emily, Amelia, a German name meaning "work," has since skyrocketed. I hope it's because millions of moms are naming their daughters after Amelia Earhart. That would be amazing.
4. Asher
Here is another Old Testament, Biblical-era name, one which took a li'l hiatus from the top 1,000 most popular baby names for an entire century, finally breaking into the 900s in 1990. Now, it's at number 93 and is the second-most searched boy's name on Nameberry. And I totally understand why. Nice sounding name, cool guy nickname ("Ash"), and it means "fortunate, blessed, happy one." This is definitely going on my list. And hey, who says it can't be a name for a girl, too?
5. Charlotte
Sweet Charlotte, dethroned at last. While her popularity can be attributed at least in part to the fact to Princess Charlotte, daughter of Kate Middleton, Charlotte is right on trend with the older, elegant names coming back into fashion. For the curious, it means "free man."
6. Atticus
I cannot believe this is on trend to be in the top 10 baby names in the United States. That is bonkers to me. This has been on my list since I was like 12 years old and had a crush on Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird. It's an ancient Roman name, named for the Greek region around Athens, and though that meaning isn't particularly relevant and I feel like most kids who were forced to read To Kill A Mockingbird in fifth grade hated it because school, Atticus has been hopping up the popularity list like crazy for the past few years.
7. Ava
How come the 2010s get all the beautiful, old-fashioned movie star names, huh? Completely unfair. The post-Millennial generation gets everything. Ava is simple, elegant, Latin (ugh, classic), and means "life." It's beautiful and now there are going to be millions of tiny Avas running around, being elegant babies and it's not fair.
8. Declan
I knew a Declan growing up, and he was always saying that "Declan" is like the "John" of Ireland — super common. Which is hilarious now, because there are very few new babies being named John nowadays, and Declan is shooting up the baby name charts. An Irish name meaning "man of prayer," Declan is right on track to join Aidan and Liam as another vaguely Irish name that becomes an American hit.
9. Isla
So, I know someone who recently named their daughter Isla, and I thought it was beautiful, and everyone else thought it was pronounced "Is-la." (If that is what you thought, too, just FYI, it's pronounced "Eye-la"). A Scottish name meaning "island," Isla is conquering the baby name charts in both the UK and the United States. Also, Isla Fisher is my beauty idol, so. There's that.
10. Oliver
I can't help but sing bits from the musical Oliver in my head whenever I meet a new Oliver. Sorry, dudes. I know that your name also means "olive tree," like your variant "Olivia," and I know that you're super popular in the UK and Scandinavia and now the United States, but like... don't you want some more?
