100 Most Intriguing Baby Names Predicted to be Popular in 2016

Jennifer Buttner

jenniferb

January 14, 2016

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We are barely halfway through January, and already there are plenty of hot baby names predictions for the year ahead. Nameberry, one of the most popular baby name websites has published the 100 most intriguing baby names predicted to be popular in 2016. Is your baby’s name on this list?

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For this list of intriguing names, Nameberry chose 100 names that would be “both adorable for a 2016 baby, and most likely serve her or him well into the 22nd century”.

There are lots of unusual names like Zephyr, Nova and Xanthe and a growing trend in the number of names that can now be used for either boy or girl, like Charlie, James and Robin.

More traditional names are also predicted to make a comeback in 2016, with Agnes, Rufus and Declan making the list, and flower names for girls, like Marigold, Magnolia & Poppy are all expected to be popular. Read 16 Vintage Baby Names That Will Last Through Time.

Here is their list of 100 intriguing baby names and why they chose each name, lots of inspiration for expectant parents.

Boy Names:

  • NewbornAbel – Biblical boy name with a capable sound
  • Amias – Undiscovered masculine name whose meaning we love
  • Apollo – A Greek god at home in the modern world
  • Athena – As smart as Sophia and a lot more surprising
  • Atlas – Mythological name that holds its own
  • Beckett – Literary name and Hollywood favorite
  • Benedict – Ben name glamourized by leading man Cumberbatch
  • Bodhi – Surprising spiritual name entering the mainstream
  • Brooks – Brooke is fading for girls, but Brooks is white-hot for boys
  • Cassian – Roman rarity poised for 21st century discovery
  • Declan – Ryan and Liam’s little brother, coming into his own
  • Emmett – An Em name for a boy, boosted by Twilight and The LEGO Movie
  • Ezra – As Biblical as Noah, plus with the zippy ‘z’
  • Ford – The chicest of the car names
  • Fox – An animal name as snappy as Max, as modern as Bear
  • Hank – Casual Jack-like name chosen by Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker
  • Harold – Former grandpa name now following Henry into wider use
  • Harvey – A name that’s been out for so long in the U.S. that it’s suddenly very in
  • Hawk – Fierce nature name worn by Jeremy Renner in The Avengers
  • Huck – This year’s Finn or Sawyer
  • Inigo – Rare saint’s name that deserves wider use
  • John – Top name for CEOs appropriate for an upwardly-mobile child
  • Justus – Ancient Roman name meets modern word name
  • Linus – Finally out from under the blanket
  • Nathaniel – Biblical favorite that never feels overused
  • Orson – An ends-with-son name that isn’t overused
  • Rafferty – Cool and confident surname name for boys
  • Rufus – Neglected boy name that feels fresh and fashionable
  • Saint – A celebrity baby name sure to find wider use
  • Stellan – One of the best n-ending names for boys
  • Titan – Powerful mythological name now in the US Top 1000

Names For Boys/Girls

  • pregnantArden – Shakespeare’s forest makes this a literary nature name
  • Arlo – Upbeat Arlo is a folk singer – and an animated dinosaur
  • August – The Oscar of 2016
  • Blaise – Saint’s name with a fiery image
  • Charlie – Modern parents increasingly prefer Charlie to Charles
  • Crosby – Irish surname name that’s part-crooner, part-NHL
  • Cy and Si – Claire Danes picked Cyrus, the Timberlakes Silas, and Zoe Saldana simply Cy
  • Everest – Nature name with a hint of danger, featured on the big screen last year
  • Fable – Modern spin on Mabel just right for a writer’s child
  • Flannery – As literary as Harper, but far more distinctive
  • Flynn – Dashing Flynn, part-Tangled, part-Finn
  • Grey – Color name possibility for boys, rising thanks to – or despite – Fifty Shades
  • James – The most enduring of boys’ names, now also a possibility for a daughter
  • Juniper – Jennifer’s daughter, and an energetic nature name on the rise
  • Luca – Handsome, Italian spin on Lucas and Luke
  • Marlowe – Harper, Harlow, and now Marlowe are last names succeeding in first place for girls
  • Ocean – Water-inspired nature names are hot, from River to Ocean
  • Paris – The City of Lights shines on, classic for boys or modern for girls
  • Poe – Poetic surname name boosted by new Star Wars hero
  • Robin – Back on the boys’ side
  • Romy – Former one-person name ready for wider use
  • Royal – A name that rules, with ties to the World Series champs
  • Zephyr – Breezy nature name with stylish –r ending

Girl Names

  • baby feet 718146_640Adelina – The next Isabella
  • Agnes – Vintage A name set for a major comeback
  • Alice – Storybook heroine back in the Top 100
  • Aurora – Ancient name seeing a new dawn
  • Athena – As smart as Sophia and a lot more surprising
  • Cait and Cate – New ways to spin classic Kate, inspired by Jenner and Blanchett
  • Charlotte – A Nameberry favorite turned royal baby name
  • Clementine – Edible appellation back in the US Top 1000
  • Cora – The Downton Abbey name most likely to succeed
  • Cordelia – Lear’s loyal daughter, and a recent returnee to the US Top 1000
  • Delilah – Biblical bad girl rehabilitated
  • Delta – Southern belle baby name chosen by Dax Shepherd and Kristen Bell
  • Dinah – Undiscovered Biblical girls’ name
  • Dorothea – Distinctive classic rich with great nicknames
  • Edith – 2016’s Abigail, and Cate Blanchett’s youngest
  • Eloise – Childhood literary heroine ready for the real world
  • Elsie – Rising nickname-name chosen by Zooey Deschanel
  • Emmeline – Alternative to popular Emma and Emily, and Meryl Streep’s Suffragette character
  • Fay or Faye – A more inventive – and vintage – middle than May or Ray
  • Flora – Halfway between Nora and Daisy, yet all the way more unusual
  • Frances – A classic that’s thrown off its dowdy image to feel fresh and
  • Freya – A Norse goddess name long popular in the UK, and newly discovered in the US
  • Hazel – Once an out-there starbaby choice, now a vintage favorite
  • Holiday – Cooler than Holly or Noel, more approachable than Christmas or Easter
  • Imogen – UK – and Nameberry — favorite slowly catching on in the US
  • Jane – Quirky television series Jane the Virgin makes classic Jane a cultural-crossing possibility
  • Leilani – A Hawaiian name feeling more at home on the mainland
  • Leonora – Leonine girls’ name that’s familiar yet rare
  • Louisa – Lovely, literary, and back in the Top 1000
  • Lucia – A favorite with parents looking to bridge cultures
  • Luna – Spacey Harry Potter name that has stuck
  • Maeve – Authentically Irish, without the spelling and pronunciation challenges of some imports
  • Magnolia – The hottest new-old floral name
  • Maisie – Sweetly vintage nickname name
  • Malala – Nobel Peace Prize-winner that deserves wider use
  • Margot or Margo – Sophisticated o-ending spin on classic Margaret
  • Marigold – A golden-hued Downton Abbey-inspired option
  • Matilda – Roald Dahl’s girl power heroine for a new generation
  • Nova – New – literally! – and celestial
  • Olive – Starbaby favorite with ties to the natural world and a peaceful image
  • Ophelia – Once-tragic Shakespearean name, now an alternative to Olivia
  • Poppy – Flower power pick big in the UK, finally catching on in the US
  • Saoirse – Irish import boosted by rising actress Saoirse Ronan
  • Sophia and Sofia – The name heard ‘round the world
  • Susannah – Classic spin on Susan currently given to fewer than 100 girls
  • Xanthe – Mythological but modern, with the X factor

100 Most Intriguing Baby Names Predicted to be Popular in 2016

Over to you! Is your child’s name on this list? Let us know in the comments below.

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Published On: January 14th, 2016 / Categories: For Parents / Last Updated: February 22nd, 2018 / Tags: /

About the Author: jenniferb

Jennifer Buttner
Jennifer, has 1 son and admits to munching a Cadbury’s Turkish Delight now and again.

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