A baby name inspired by an English town is predicted to be a surprise hit among new parents next year.
With 2024 growing closer, many families will be welcoming a new addition. And choosing your baby’s name is a difficult task for many parents.
Some follow the latest trending names while other parents stick with the classics. But one expert believes an Essex town could be a surprise hit among baby girls next year, reports the Mirror.
Baby name expert and YouTuber SJ Strum, says that in the UK there will be a “quiet luxury” trend. She said: “We love a timeless, traditional name in the UK but modern parents want to move on to rarer choices as unique names still dominate what we’re after.”
SJ predicts Harlow will be on the list of many parents. It is one of the few location names expected to trend from next year.
SJ added that “timeless, traditional” names are popular in the UK – and one of them is the name Nora. Other baby names set to surge in popularity next year, according to SJ, are Delilah, Margot, Maeve, Nellie, Indie, Ophelia, Anastasia, and Cleo.
She said: “I predict Elizabeth and its diminutives like Eliza, Elspeth and Betty will also see a spike after the death of [Queen Elizabeth II].” Meanwhile, for boys, SJ predicts similarly “timeless” names to surge in popularity, including Otto, Kit, Enzo, Beau, Reuben, Rupert, Otis, Ronnie, Jude and Lucas.”
Meanwhile fellow baby name aficionado Steph Coiffield, from Minnesota in the US, predicts “surnames as first names” will be a trend in 2024. She added that gender-neutral names will become more common as well as boys’ names for girls.
Experts appear to agree that the Royal Family also continues to have an influence on names. It appears Elizabeth, Charlotte and Spencer are expected to be popular next year.
Coiffield said: “I’m seeing a lot of whimsical, gender-neutral surnames being given as first names. We’re seeing girls’ names becoming more masculine and boys’ names becoming softer too. Some parents will come to me asking for one that works for a boy and a girl ahead of time, then they can stick with it, whatever the gender.”
She predicts parents will be “more adventurous” with their choice. She believes names like Fisher, Huxley and Ridley will become more common on the playground. Another trend that Coffield foresees in 2024 is the return of “classic” names that everyone knows, but have fallen out of circulation – such as Harrison, Nathaniel and Vincent for boys, and Annie, Cecelia and Margaret for girls.
Nameberry creator Pamela Redmond said in her 2024 prediction report that “today’s parents are fixated on sending the right messages” with the name they choose. She added: “The perfect baby name for 2024 is one that is ahead of the style curve, personally significant, and identity-defining.”
