Life
What people name their children is a notion forever in flux. When I had my son, everyone seemed to be naming their child "Skylar." In fact, if you think about it, you could probably guess he was born around 2008 just by the popularity of that name. The past few years have been all about the names popular in our grandparents' generations, like Florence or Eleanor. While the biggest baby names for 2019 aren't yet set in stone, some inferences can be made based on what's popular right now in both culture and entertainment.
There will always be more Gemmas and Michaels and Alexanders, but will 2019 be the year of Daenerys or Michonne? It's likely that many of the names that become popular in 2019 will reflect the popularity of such fantasy genre hits like Game of Thrones and Black Panther, as noted by Parents. But what you name your child has to do more than capture a moment in time, it needs to grow and mature with your child as they leave the house and enter the workforce. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on parents to gift their children a name that is both unique and meaningful, all while understanding that this is something that will define who they are, at least in part, for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps that's why people put so much stock in what others name their little ones. Again, what happens in 2019 in that regard is impossible to predict with complete accuracy, but all evidence points to the following categories as the major contenders.
1
Names That Match The Houseplant Craze
It's no secret that millennials love their houseplants, as The Washington Post reported. This is easily transferable to how we name our children. Names rich with nature and flora should be abundant in 2019. Everything from strong arboreal names to the most-delicate of flowers will inevitably be popular this year, such as:
- Clover
- Leaf
- Violet
- Orchid
- Astrid
- Aspen
- Alder
- Aster
- Rose
- Peony
- Ash
- Ainsley
2
Celebrity Names
Names made popular by celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and the Kardashians will likely prove popular, noted Good Housekeeping. At least there are some really cute ones out there.
- Luna
- True
- Khloe
- Bowie
- Sawyer
3
Names From Fantasy
With all that is Marvel, HBO, Netflix, and Amazon, we are awash in cool fantasy names. Names of characters from Black Panther, Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Daredevil are going to be popping up all over the place. They're not only unique, but many of them have a fun backstory your child can tell to their friends when they ask. It's way easier than if your name was say, Jolene.
- Fraser
- T'Challa
- Brianna
- Tyrion
- Murtagh
- Quentin
- Prairie
- Oliver
- Arrow
- Claire
- Mera
- Nakia
- Okoye
4
Royal Names
With all the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry excitement, it's no surprise that Babycenter is predicting that royal names will be huge in 2019. There are tons to choose from, and they're not only from British royalty, even if the Brits are the most famous.
- Eugenie
- Beatrice
- Catherine
- Meghan
- Harry
- William
- Charles
- Camilla
- Elizabeth
- Alice
- Diana
- Anne
- Caroline
- Peter
- Phillip
- Dorothea
- Charlotte
5
Heritage Names
There is a trend toward globalism, and more and more frequently people are embracing the lands from where their ancestors were born, noted Good Housekeeping. These heritage names can be from anywhere on earth, from Pacific islands to the plains of Africa, to Serbia and the Navajo Nation. They're gorgeous and unapologetically global.
- Petra (Serbian)
- Sebastian (Slovak)
- Kele (Hopi)
- Kai (Navajo)
- Wei Wei (Hainan Island)
- Matrushka (Czechia)
- Nyala (Ethiopian)
- Kweku (Ghana)
- Abelino (Brazil)
- Aiko (Japanese)
- Isagani (Tagalog)
6
Hippie Names
All over, outlets like PopSugar are highlighting bohemian or hippie style names for babies for 2019. They're sweet and flowing, like music and art. Think of names of famous artists and rock stars, or what someone might have named their child in 1968, right after Woodstock.
- Bodhi
- Axel
- Kravitz
- Summer
- Rain
- Nash
- Moon
- Ezra
- Zoe
- Crosby
- Daisy
- Piper
After experiencing a traumatic c-section, this mother sought out a doula to support her through her second child’s delivery. Watch as that doula helps this mom reclaim the birth she felt robbed of with her first child, in Episode Three of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below. Visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes, launching Mondays in December.
