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4 months ago
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A round-up of emerging themes in the new 2024 U.S. baby name statistics:
1. Classic simplicity is not on the menu for girls
Last year, 612 American girls were named Ann, Joan and Susan, combined. To put that low number in perspective, 613 girls were named Calliope. What’s more. the most popular one-syllable girl’s name is Grace all the way down at #40, that name’s lowest ranking since the 20th Century.
2. The “exalted” name wave has crested
Names like King, Prince, Messiah, Royal, Pharaoh and Legend are now falling. The new trend in word-based names for boys is more about hot sounds than meanings. One-syllable names like Truce, Coast, Rain, Jett, Crue and Psalm are rising fast.
3. Influencers have the influence
America’s #1 brand-new name is Lahiam, given to 152 baby boys last year. If it’s not familiar to you, you’re probably not one of the millions who follow Colombian influencers Deiby Ruiz and Katy Cardona on TikTok or Instagram. Their son Lahiam was born in 2024 and already has half a million followers of his own. As parents’ attention shifts away from Hollywood toward decentralized media, expect name trends to diverge ever more between different social groups.
4. Xtreme spelling continues to rise
More parents are choosing names that are not just creatively spelled, but designed to catch the eye and upend expectations. 10 of the 20 fastest-rising boys names included an X or Z, including Xyleek, Zyro and Zeovanni. Meanwhile 134 different names in the statistics include the doubled vowels ii or uu, as in Kyiir and Truu.
5. More consensus for boys than girls
For more than a decade, the top two names for American boys and girls have been constant: Liam and Noah, Olivia and Emma. The difference is, Olivia and Emma decline in popularity each year, while Liam and Noah are still climbing. This growing consensus on boys’ names looks like a countercurrent to the general drive toward individuality in naming, but I believe the story is a little more complicated. More on this in the weeks ahead.
