As someone whose first name topped the baby names chart for over a decade, I can't will away the compulsion to click every time I see a list of popular baby names to see if the Emmas still reign supreme. Alas, our reign is coming to a close, and giving way to new baby names — and if you're looking for some early predictions on what will overtake the popular names right now, Nameberry just released a list of trending baby names in 2017 that are starting to climb the charts.
Nameberry noted several shifts in this baby name list as compared to their trending baby names list from 2016. The pattern is shifting a little bit less away from unisex names to more typically "gendered" names, but they are more global in their sphere. They also noted that there were fewer vowel-heavy names in this batch, a definite trend in the year prior.
Two names are especially noteworthy this time around: Amara, the one name that managed to stay on the trending list from 2016, and Moana, yet another Disney heroine name that has influenced the world of baby naming (if you'll recall, Elsa certainly had its moment in the post-Frozen world). That being said, you can see a touch of pop culture in both the trending boy names and trending girl names. If you need inspiration for your own wee creatures (or for that novel you're trying to write), here are some names that will be popping soon, according to Nameberry:
Tatjana
Tatjana, the most popular trending baby name for girls on the list, is the German variation of the Russian name "Tatiana," and pronounced the same way. The names are both derivatives of Tatius, a saint martyred in Rome in the third century.
Kyd
Kyd, the most popular trending baby name for boys on the list, is typically an English surname. Unsurprisingly, it means "kid" or "child".
Alizeh
The Persian name Alizeh clocks in at number two for girls, a variation of more common spellings of the names "Eliza" and "Elissa." It means "joyful".
Benajah
Benajah, a Hebrew name that means "god has built," is number two on the list for boy names this year.
Tahiti
This geographically distinctive name is making the rounds in 2017 as the third most popular name for girls, and means "rising sun".
Sulien
Although it looks like it should rhyme with "Julien," the Welsh name Sulien is actually pronounced sil-yen, and comes in third for boys on this year's list. It means "sun born."
Moana
Your new favorite Disney heroine inspired a baby name trend that got Moana a spot as the fourth trending baby girl name this year. Fittingly, the Maori name means "sea."
Koa
Koa, a Hawaiian name meaning "warrior," is rising in the ranks as the fourth trending baby name for boys.
Ines
Ines, a variation of Agnes across several languages, means "pure, virginal," and is also the name of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' second daughter. It now ranks fifth on the trending baby names list.
Gunther
Your fave barista is finally getting his moment in the sun. Gunther, a German name that means "bold warrior," is number five for boys on the list.
To see the rest of the trending baby names for 2017, see Namberry's full list here.
