You’ve arrived at that crucial time of your pregnancy. No, we don’t mean starting Lamaze classes or packing your hospital bag. Of course, we’re talking about picking out your baby’s name, and we have the top baby names of 2023 to help you in your search. Rest assured, none of these names will overlap with banned baby names around the world and hopefully don’t overlap with the worst celebrity baby names of last year, either.
Because your baby’s name will stick with them for the rest of their life and can affect situations like employment due to unconscious name bias, choosing a name can be a huge headache and of utmost importance to parents. Read on for the most popular baby names of 2023.
Top boy names and top girl names 2023: Feeling optimistic
Top boy names and top girl names 2023: Inspired by the world around us
In addition to golden and shiny names, many parents are concerned about identity, values and pressing issues like global warming, and what these names say about their families and place in culture. “There’s a sea change upon us. The mood of names is going to change along with the mood of people,” Redmond said.
Earthy Blue-green names
As if to hammer home that point, not only is blue-green taking over fashion, it’s taking over names, too. We’re talking about names that either directly stem from the colors themselves, or will remind you of them.
- Azula
- Cerulean
- Emerald
- Fern
- Indigo
- Lupine
- Moss
- Rainey
- Rivers
- Storm
Shortened international names
Many parents, mindful of the global world we now live in, are thinking of choosing more internationally inspired or shortened versions of names. They often sound like nicknames (again, possibly because they’re often shortened international names).
- Avni
- Bibi
- Gigi
- Kiri
- Lumi
- Nori
- Rumi
- Suki
- Tavi
- Xavi
More from Mom.com: 20 Gorgeous Baby Names Inspired by Mother Earth
Top boy names and top girl names 2023: Keeping it old school
Miranda Wicker wanted to make sure her kids’ names were common enough so they could easily find products with their names on them. It wasn’t about what was trendy. “Growing up with a different name, I could never find it on school supplies or bicycle license plates, weird things like that, that kids sometimes like,” the mom of two shared with us. “I don’t regret it at all.”
Royal names
After the recent coronation — the first one in over seventy years — of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, traditional names from the royal family tree will certainly start trending.
- Charles
- Phillip
- Arthur
- Camilla
- Rosemary
- Alice
- Alexandrina
- Hyacinthe
- Salomea
- August
- Claude
- Constantine
- Edwyn
Retro names
We can thank the show Stranger Things for the resurgence in names from the 1980s. While they’re not uncommon like the adjectives, they’re certainly not completely made up, either!
- Blane
- Chrissy
- Dustin
- Eddie
- Heather
- Johnny
- Julie
- Marty
- Penny
- Sandy
Old man names for girls
While we’re settling into the nostalgic vibe, why not take it back even further? Some parents are choosing grandpa names for their daughters, like:
- Arlo
- Bobbie
- Frankie
- Ira
- Lou
- Murphy
- Ozzie
- Rudy
- Stevie
- Teddy
Cowboy names
Again, tapping into nostalgia, we have cowboy- and southwestern-inspired names:
- Boone
- Ennis
- Foster
- Huck
- Lloyd
- Reeve
- Sayer
- Walker
- Wilder
- Zane
