[name_f]Do[/name_f] you ever wonder what names will be at the top of the lists in 10 years’ time?
I think the emerging trend for short and spunky names will gradually replace the current one for long and elaborate names for girls. I would bet on 1920s botanicals such as [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] and [name_f]Olive[/name_f], which are already fashionable today, breaking the top 10 in a decade or so. [name_f]Ida[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], and [name_f]Nora[/name_f] are also strong contenders, along with the more modern-feeling [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_f]Esme[/name_f], [name_f]Thea[/name_f], and [name_f]Luna[/name_f]. More cutting-edge namers might be reviving the likes of [name_f]Muriel[/name_f], [name_f]Irene[/name_f] and [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f], but I doubt these will be that popular by then.
So if I had to guess, I bet the top 10 (for [name_f]England[/name_f] & [name_m]Wales[/name_m]) would look something like this:
[name_f]IVY[/name_f]
[name_f]OLIVE[/name_f]
[name_f]IRIS[/name_f]
[name_f]AMELIA[/name_f]
[name_f]MIA[/name_f]
[name_f]ISLA[/name_f]
[name_f]MAEVE[/name_f]
[name_f]OLIVIA[/name_f]
[name_f]ESME[/name_f]
[name_f]LUNA[/name_f]
And for boys, I think it’s likely the Old Testament names will have started to fade, and that “cool” [name_m]New[/name_m] Testament names like [name_m]Silas[/name_m], [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] and [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] will have risen in their place. I also imagine that suave and spunky choices like [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], and vintage revival [name_m]Albert[/name_m], [name_u]Stanley[/name_u] and [name_u]Reggie[/name_u] will have risen.
[name_m]HENRY[/name_m]
[name_m]SILAS[/name_m]
[name_m]OLIVER[/name_m]
[name_m]LUCAS[/name_m]
[name_m]GEORGE[/name_m]
[name_m]FELIX[/name_m]
[name_m]WILLIAM[/name_m]
[name_m]JACK[/name_m]
[name_m]LEO[/name_m]
These are pretty wild guesses, I suppose. It’s hard to say what new trends will appear, especially for modern creations like new word names and surname adoptions. I would absolutely love to hear what you Berries think (whether for the UK or the US or anywhere else…)!
Somehow, [name_f]Emily[/name_f] will STILL be in the US top 10.
Some predictions for boys–in no particular order: [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]Oliver[/name_m], [name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_m]Lucas[/name_m], and [name_m]Theodore[/name_m]
Some predictions for girls–again, no particular order: [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f], and [name_u]Avery[/name_u]
Some classic boys’ name that’s currently in the top 20 after having fallen out of the top 10 will come back. I’m predicting [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], but it could also be [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], or [name_m]David[/name_m]. I’m basing this off of this happening to both [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]William[/name_m]: [name_u]James[/name_u] was barely holding onto the top 20 for a while, and it was #19 as recently as 2010, but #5 in 2016. Same for [name_m]William[/name_m] about ten years earlier.
One of the names for girls will be something currently unpopular: in 2005 [name_u]Harper[/name_u] was #745, but in 2015 it was #10
That’s an interesting theory about [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], and [name_m]Matthew[/name_m]. I would be surprised it it happened, since [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]William[/name_m] are perennial classics that never go out of style, whereas the formers do cycle in and out: they were uncommon at the turn of the twentieth century, for instance, and peaked in the middle of the century. I’m sure they will carry on being used, but less.
I really agree on [name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_m]Lucas[/name_m], and [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], by the way.
I think [name_f]Grace[/name_f] will be in the top 10 as well. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] will be at the bottom of the top 10 but still clinging on , same with [name_f]Olivia[/name_f].
I don’t think [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f], [name_f]Ava[/name_f] or [name_f]Emily[/name_f] will leave the top 10, however there will be trendy names jumping the list such as [name_f]Mila[/name_f], [name_f]Aria[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] and [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f]. [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], and [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] I think will be out of the top 10, but still be hovering around the top 50. [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] may be close for 10, both easily still in the top 20 though. I also think [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and [name_f]Alice[/name_f] will hover around the top 20, and [name_u]Paisley[/name_u] and [name_u]Harper[/name_u] will also be in the top 20. I think by 2028, [name_u]Harper[/name_u] will have already hit number one and fallen back down just as quickly.
Boys:
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m]
[name_m]Wyatt[/name_m]
[name_m]Elijah[/name_m]
[name_u]Mason[/name_u]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]
[name_u]James[/name_u]
[name_m]Theodore[/name_m]
[name_m]William[/name_m]
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]
[name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] will have his time to shine, I think he will hit number 1 and stay there for a few years, just like [name_m]Jacob[/name_m]. I also think [name_u]Mason[/name_u] will still be popular but never actually hit number one. [name_u]Noah[/name_u] and [name_m]Liam[/name_m] will phase out, and [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m] and [name_u]Owen[/name_u] will quickly take over, [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m] even may make number one in the next 10 years. [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Elijah[/name_m], [name_m]Jacob[/name_m] and [name_m]William[/name_m] will always hover around the top 10. [name_u]Michael[/name_u] will be right around there to in the top 20. Classic ready for revival such as [name_m]Henry[/name_m] and [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] will round out the top 10. I also think maybe [name_u]Hudson[/name_u], [name_m]Grayson[/name_m] or [name_m]Nolan[/name_m] may even hop into the top 10 or 20 in the next 10 years.