Baby Name Experts Share Their Bold Predictions for What Parents Will Name Babies in 2026

2026 is officially here — and it’s bringing a new wave of baby name trends with it. 

As naming preferences continue to shift and new ideas are brought to light, experts who analyze naming data and emerging patterns are seeing clear signals about where parents are headed next.

And you’d be surprised at what that means for trending baby names in 2026 and beyond. 

While you’re likely to see the same familiar favorites at the top of the totem pole this year — Olivia and Emma for girls, Liam and Noah for boys — experts say the new year should be anything but predictable.

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For example, baby name expert Colleen Slagen is seeing an uptick in French names and word names. 

Meanwhile, Sophie Kihm — the Editor-in-Chief of Nameberry and a notable baby name consultant — expects to see more number names and what she describes as ancient civilization names. 

Here’s a look at some of the trending baby names coming your way in 2026. 

Short, four-letter names

Four-letter names have always been popular in the United States — and that’s not changing in 2026. 

Just look at the names Noah, Liam, Levi, Ezra and Luca (for boys) and Emma (for girls) — all of which ranked in the top-10 in BabyCenter’s most popular names of 2025. 

According to Slagen, four-letter names “feel effortlessly cool and nickname-proof.”

"I have worked with so many families who have accidentally started this trend with their children and then continued it for the whole set!" she told People in an interview, published Dec. 30.

Here are a few four-letter names to consider for your future son or daughter. 

Boy names for baby girls

We can thank Jason and Kylie Kelce for this trend. 

The couple, who have been married since 2018, share four daughters — Wyatt, 6, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finnley, born in March — together, according to TODAY. 

Slagen refers to boy-names-turned-girl-names as “Andi Anderson names,” referring to the name of Kate Hudson’s character in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” 

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Both Andi (765th) and Andie (847th) ranked in the Social Security Administration’s top 1,000 for girl names in 2024 — but neither made the cut for boy names. 

Here are more traditional boy names to consider for your future daughter. 

French names with a vintage vibe

Hebrew names are by far the most popular names in the United States today, but don’t sleep on French names. 

Parents are already accustomed to some of the traditional favorites like Charlotte, which regularly ranks in the SSA’s top-five, as well as Eloise, Alice and Claire — all of which rank in the top 100. 

“French names have a classic elegance that people are really drawn to," Slagen told People. 

NFL player Christian McCaffrey and his wife, Olivia Culpo, were among the celebrities to follow this trend recently with the birth of their first daughter, Colette Annalise, in July. 

Here are more French names you can expect to see more of in the U.S. in 2026. 

Word names you can find in a dictionary

Forget baby name books — have you ever considered looking in a dictionary for baby name inspiration?

Believe it or not, “word names” are a growing trend in the United States as parents double down on their search for a name they won’t see in most classrooms or daycare centers across the country. 

Just look at the boy’s name Maverick (29th in 2025, per BabyCenter) and Grace (43rd). 

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Nick Cannon is one of the biggest supporters of this trend with his sons named Golden, Zion, Zillion, Legendary and Zen, and daughters named Powerful, Onyx, Rise, Beautiful and Halo. 

Here are some more baby names you can find in a dictionary (if you still own one). 

Nicknames that work as given names

When looking for the perfect baby name, many parents judge it by how good the nicknames are. 

But, according to Slagen, parents today are changing their tune when it comes to baby names and are overlooking the given name in lieu of the nickname — meaning nicknames are the new baby names. 

“Fewer people are worried about that resume headliner!" Slagen told People. 

For example, Katherine is being swapped with Kit and Remy is preferred over Remington. You’re also likely to see more Goldies than Goldens and Archies than Archibalds in 2026. 

Here are more nicknames that are driving this baby name trend upwards this year.

Nature names with a classic feel

Nature names is one of those baby name trends that parents may never stop using.

From plants and flowers to trees, animals, wildlife, bodies of water, natural phenomena, gemstones and minerals — the world is full of natural elements that can double as a baby name.

But 2026 might be the year we see less unique nature names and more classic nature names.

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"These names evoke a sense of nature while not feeling quite as hippie as names like Clover,” Slagen says of the classic vibe — which includes names like Rocky and Oak.

Here are some names that fit perfectly in this baby name trend. 

Ancient civilization names

As modern baby name trends continue to evolve, more parents are looking far back in time for inspiration. 

Names rooted in ancient civilizations — from Greek and Roman to Egyptian and Mesopotamian — are gaining traction for their timelessness and symbolic weight, offering a sense of history in a world lacking it.

“Parents are really turning to the old world to be inspired for their baby names,” Kihm said of this trend, per CBS News. “These are names with a lot of strength, a lot of power.” 

Kihm says the rise of this trend might have something to do with a parents’ own culture or history. 

Here are some ancient names you can consider for your future son or daughter. 

Number names are starting to add up

Of all the baby naming trends today, none are more heavily contested than number names. 

Some parents use them as a way of “numbering” their large family, while others prefer to name their child after a number that has either personal, religious or familial meaning.

Kourtney Kardashian is helping to shed new light on this years-old trend. 

The 44-year-old shocked everyone when she revealed the name of her newest baby boy Rocky Thirteen, whom she welcomed in 2023 with husband Travis Barker. 

Here are a few more number-related names worth considering for your baby’s given name this year. 

At the end of the day, baby name trends may come and go, but the meaning behind a name is what lasts.

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Whether parents are drawn to nature-inspired classics, modern nicknames or names steeped in ancient history, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where individuality takes center stage.