In recent years, out-there, creative or trendy baby names were all the rage — now it seems like the classic, old-fashioned ones are popular again.
According to Jennifer Moss, the founder and CEO of BabyNames.com, and baby-name consultant Taylor A. Humphrey, names reminiscent of grandmothers, such as Eleanor, Eloise, Elodie, Alma, Margaret, Nora, and Bennett, are “super trendy” for girls this year, as originally reported by Yahoo! Life.
“On the boys’ side, we’re seeing the ‘trad name,’ or old-fashioned names, stick—like Theodore, Oliver, Owen, Silas, and Jasper,” she informed the outlet.
“…I’m hearing Hayes, Lachlan, Palmer, Soren, Sterling and Theodore,” added Humphrey.
“These names feel grounded, elegant and sturdy; they offer just the right mix of vintage soul and modern edge.”
Why are these old-fashioned names gaining traction again?
“I think vintage names evoke a sense of nostalgia. I get a lot of clients who pull out their family tree, looking to grandparents and great-grandparents for name inspiration,” Colleen Slagen, author of the forthcoming book “Naming Bebe,” also mentioned to Yahoo!
“…Nursing homes and graveyards would be great sources of name inspiration.”
And according to Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry, a baby naming website, today’s parents are leaning more towards simpler names for their babies.
”More families in the US come from mixed cultural backgrounds, and I hear parents commonly request that they want their child to travel and have a relatively easy-to-understand name,” she said.
In regards to which names are getting the baby bump, at least for a while — ones with “aden” in it, like Braden or Jayden, according to the experts.
“I do hear less of those names now,” said Slagen. “I think they hit their peak in the early 2000s.”
Before you get offended if your name is no longer favored, Humphrey pointed out that popularity in certain baby names always ebbs and flows — similar to fashion trends.
“As with fashion, baby names follow emotional and aesthetic cycles — and as collective tastes shift, so do our naming desires.”
However, despite old-school names like Eloise and Margaret making a comeback, Liam and Olivia remain two of the most popular names, according to the Social Security Administration.
Liam has held the No. 1 spot for boys’ names for eight years in a row. Olivia has held that title for the girls for the last six.
Emma and Noah came in at No. 2 for the sixth year in a row.
If you’re looking for some inspo on what to name your newborn — old-school or not — you can scroll the complete list of baby names on the Social Security website.
