2022 most popular baby names
What are the biggest baby names for 2022? The top choices we’re watching for the year ahead?
Nameberry have rounded up 50 baby names that hit all the hottest trend notes for 2022. These names combine all the right ingredients for success right now – blending a fashionable sound and style with influence from pop culture, current affairs and societal trends.
Here's a few of our favourites:
Arlo
Nameberry’s reigning top boy name is also one of the fastest rising across the English-speaking world, currently ranking in the Top 50 in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and England and Wales. With its genial old-timey feel and cool O ending, Arlo looks set to fly high in the US as well.
August
Already a fashionable choice, August has enjoyed plenty of time in the sun over the past year – featuring in high-profile birth announcements from Mandy Moore, Pete Buttigieg and the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie.
Betty
This sweet and sassy vintage nickname was at its peak in the 1920s and 30s, making it ripe for revival in 2022. It received a double boost recently when Taylor Swift's song "Betty" revealed it as the name of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s youngest daughter. But we expect it to pick up even more momentum following the death of the iconic Betty White in December.
Bruno
Everyone’s talking about Bruno following the release of Disney’s latest animated musical Encanto! The movie’s catchiest track – which has shot up the Billboard Hot 100 to #5 this week – is bound to put bouncy Bruno back on parents’ radars.
Cleo
Christina Ricci surprised us all last month when she announced the name of her newborn daughter Cleopatra, who will go by Cleo. Both forms are on our watch list, but it’s cute and spunky short form Cleo that has the most potential in 2022.
Flora
Blending nature, mythology, and chic vintage charm, Flora hits so many style notes right now. Our site visitors agree – Flora entered the Nameberry Top 100 for the first time last year, and we expect to see it follow the likes of Nora, Cora and Freya.
Forest
However you spell it, this ultimate woodsy boy name has serious appeal to parents dreaming of rugged pandemic escapism. The retro Forrest spelling remains significantly more popular for now, but its ties to Confederacy will likely turn more modern parents towards this streamlined, nature-inspired version.
Imogen
Despite its popularity in the UK, America is yet to embrace Shakespearean heroine Imogen – but that could be about to change. Imogen was the eighth most viewed girl name on our site last year, suggesting that plenty of parents are now considering this chic choice.
Jonah
A gentle Biblical classic which has enjoyed a quiet resurgence in recent years as Noah starts to lose ground. Jonah’s peaceful and optimistic meaning of “dove” is likely to appeal to parents as we enter the third year of pandemic-induced uncertainty.
Lilibet
Interest in the Queen’s childhood nickname was first piqued by The Crown, but then Harry and Meghan shocked the world by choosing Lilibet for their daughter in June 2021. We’d be surprised to see it catch on as quickly as Archie – which shot into the Top 500 a year after the young royal’s birth – but Lilibet certainly makes an intriguing addition to the popular Lily family of names.
Maeve
The “Mae” sound is huge in girl names right now: think Mabel, Maisie, Esme, and of course Mae itself. But Irish import Maeve is surely the biggest winner of all, boosted first by Westworld and more recently by the hit Netflix show Sex Education. It's currently the reigning #1 girl name with Nameberry visitors.
Magnus
The Scandi chic aesthetic has spread from our homes and closets to our baby names, with stylish Nordic names like Freya and Soren shooting up the charts.
Mirabel
Mirabel Madrigal is the beautifully named heroine of Disney’s Encanto, and the name has a beautiful meaning too: “wonderful”. We fully expect both Mirabel and its frillier French spelling Mirabelle to enjoy a big boost in 2022.
Sienna
No longer are royal baby names limited to the timeless classics like Elizabeth, Charles and William! The most recent royal addition is Princess Beatrice’s daughter Sienna, whose name is a modern favourite in the UK.
Theo
As Theodore cements its status as a popular modern classic, parents will feel increasingly emboldened to skip straight to cool short form Theo – already a Top 20 choice in nickname-loving Britain. The second season of Bridgerton, features a dashing new hero named Theo Sharpe, which is sure to give the name a boost.
Whatever your style, there's sure to be a baby name on this list that you'll love. So take a look and start brainstorming for your little one's arrival this year!