Whether you’re expecting or not, looking at the top predicted baby names is always such a fascinating insight into our collective psyche.
They’re often inspired by current trends and pop culture, with new parents often drawing inspiration from celebrities’ children’s names, or characters from TV and film.
It’s always interesting to see which names are on the rise and which are falling out of fashion, so Baby Center has collated a list of the most popular baby names of 2022 so far. It’s a pretty accurate reflection of what names people are searching for right now and, while the research is US-based, we know that US and UK trends tend to be very similar.
In the girls category, the top name so far is Emma, followed by Amelia and Olivia – which was the top girls name of 2021.
For boys, the top name for 2022 so far is Noah, with Liam (most popular boys name of 2021) and Elijah following.
After two years of the pandemic forcing people to stay inside, nature-inspired names are on the rise, with girls names such as Luna (Latin for moon), Violet and Willow making the list.
‘Old-fashioned’ names are making a comeback too: Ava, Elizabeth, Evelyn and Penelope are all popular choices for girls this year.
Unusual girls names on the rise include Harper (inspired by the Beckham’s daughter’s name), Nova (Latin for ‘new’) and Gianna, a shortened version of Giovanna, which is the Italian equivalent of Joanna.
The gender-neutral name Maverick, meaning ‘non-conformist’, has made its way onto the boys names list, alongside Asher, a Hebrew name meaning ‘happy’ or ‘blessed’, and Mateo, the Spanish version of Matthew.
See the predicted top 25 boys and girls baby names for 2022 below.
Top predicted baby names 2022
Girls names
- Emma
- Amelia
- Olivia
- Ava
- Mia
- Luna
- Sophia
- Ella
- Charlotte
- Isabella
- Harper
- Aurora
- Sofia
- Gianna
- Hazel
- Nova
- Zoey
- Scarlett
- Layla
- Elizabeth
- Ellie
- Violet
- Evelyn
- Willow
- Penelope
Boys names
- Noah
- Liam
- Elijah
- Oliver
- Mateo
- James
- Lucas
- Levi
- Grayson
- Daniel
- Asher
- Sebastian
- Kai
- Wyatt
- Luca
- Aiden
- Alexander
- Maverick
- Mason
- Carter
- Jack
- Julian
- Logan
- Jackson
- Jace
For more inspiration, check out the full list of most popular baby names 2022 here.
